Carleton Ravens' Philip Scrubb, right, drives past Lakehead Thunderwolves' Ben Johnson during gold medal final play at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Basketball Final 8 in Ottawa on Sunday, March 10, 2013.The Canadian Press
Philip Scrubb collected another basketball trophy Wednesday, earning Canadian Interuniversity Sport's most outstanding player award for the third consecutive season.
The fourth-year guard from Carleton University kicked off his varsity career with rookie of the year honours in 2011, before racking up three straight Mike Moser Memorial Trophies for outstanding player.
"Phil has been the guy we have gone through for four years and without him, there could never have been the success that we have had," said Ravens head coach Dave Smart. "He is an extremely talented player who is a full team guy over everything else."
The 21-year-old from Richmond, B.C., was one of three Ravens to win national awards.
His older brother Thomas, a fourth-year forward, was named the top defensive player in the CIS, while Smart added to his collection of Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophies, claiming his fourth consecutive coach of the year award and seventh overall.
University of New Brunswick guard Javon Masters won the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy as rookie of the year, while Saint Mary's forward Harry Ezenibe won the Ken Shields Award for excellence in basketball, academics and community involvement.
The awards were presented in advance of the CIS men's championship that opens Friday in Ottawa.
Scrubb was the most consistent player on the top-ranked Ravens, leading Carleton in scoring (18.6 points a game) and assists (4.9). The six-foot-three guard was ranked third in the CIS in assist-to-turnover ratio, fifth in three-point shooting and eighth in free-throw percentage.
Scrubb led Carleton to a perfect 22-0 in conference action for the third time in four years. The commerce student helped the Ravens to the CIS title in each of his first three seasons.
He was the only active CIS player invited to Canada's senior national team camp last summer. Scrubb was a member of the national team for both the 2013 Summer Universiade and the 2011 Pan American Games.
The other finalists for the Moser Trophy were Acadia forward Owen Klassen, McGill guard Vincent Dufort and Alberta forward Jordan Baker.
Thomas Scrubb earned defensive MVP honours for the first time after claiming the conference defensive award for the second consecutive season.
The 6-foot-6 forward was once again the anchor of a defensive unit that finished first in the OUA and second in the CIS for fewest points allowed (62.2 per game). The neuroscience student averaged 8.4 rebounds a game on the defensive end, and chipped in on offence with 13.2 points a night.
"Tommy has been asked to cover the best player on the other team every game regardless of position for two years," said Smart. "He has deferred other offensive aspects of his game to do that. If not for him I have no idea how we would stop anyone. He doesn't defend one position, he defends four positions, very few can do that."
Acadia forward Owen Klassen, Concordia forward Zach Brisebois and Victoria guard Reiner Theil were the other finalists for defensive MVP.
Masters, a native of Kitchener, Ont., is the first UNB player to win the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy. The six-foot guard claimed the national scoring title with 27.4 points a game, and topped the Atlantic conference in three-point shooting percentage (42.4).
His 215 free throws made, the highest total in CIS this year, are a new season mark for the league. The 19-year-old helped the Varsity Reds finish with a .500 record (10-10) for the first time since 2003-04.
"(Masters) has made a major impact on our program and will continue to do so as he progresses through his career at UNB," said coach Brent Baker. "Leading the country in scoring as a freshman is a rare and special accomplishment."
McGill guard Dele Ogundokun, Brock forward Dani Elgadi and Alberta forward Mamadou Gueye were the other nominees.
Smart now has seven CIS coach-of-the-year awards in only 15 seasons, three more than legendary coaches Ken Shields and Bruce Enns. His four consecutive national awards are also two more than any other coach in history.
This season, he led the Ravens to an undefeated conference record for the third time in four years and the sixth time overall. He improved his all-time record in league play to 303-23 (.929), with nine of those losses coming in his first year as head coach.
"Dave has done a remarkable job with our men's basketball program," said Carleton athletic director Jennifer Frenning. "Not only has he recruited and developed top student-athletes, he has instilled positive values and a strong work ethic which will make them successful well past graduation."
The other finalists were Acadia's Stephen Baur, McGill's David DeAveiro and Victoria's Craig Beaucamp.
Ezenibe, a native of Nigeria, became the first Saint Mary's student-athlete to win the Ken Shields Award.
On the court, the 6-foot-4 forward averaged 9.0 points a game in his fifth season. In the classroom, the two-time academic all-Canadian is completing a double major in sociology and criminology and maintains a 3.6 grade point average.
Ezenibe spends his free time volunteering with youth in the community and hopes to establish a project to help children in Nigeria. In November, he was invited by Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri to speak at the opening of the Giants of Africa foundation.
"Harry is completely selfless," said Huskies head coach Jonah Taussig. "He is always looking out for the greater good whether it be with his teammates or the youth he works with in the community. He is always looking to make a positive difference in the lives of the people around him."
Bishop's Scott Ring, Carleton's Kevin Churchill and Fraser Valley's Jasper Moedt were also nominated.