Lloyd Pandi Made the Best of his Unexpected Opportunity with the BlackJacks
Sep 02, 2020
By: Liam Fox
Lloyd Pandi did not expect to be at the CEBL Summer Series this year with the BlackJacks, but a surprise phone call landed him in St. Catharines. Pandi went from not even attending team training camp to being one of the best young players in the entire competition.
The 20-year-old point guard was the youngest player on the court at the Summer Series. He joined Ottawa for the second half of the round robin portion and ended up taking home the award for U Sports Player of the Year.
Pandi was preparing for a midterm in Ottawa when he heard the news that starting point guard Phil Scrubb had to leave the BlackJacks mid-competition. The BlackJacks needed a guard and Pandi was their second-round draft pick earlier this year.
“It was crazy, when I saw the news I was thinking ‘who is going to replace him?’. Then I got a text message the night before from Dave [Smart] telling me ‘we might bring you down’,” said Pandi.
They called Pandi the next morning a couple of minutes before his midterm, confirming that they did want him to join the team in St. Catharines. He arrived one day before his first game with the BlackJacks, got tested for COVID, and then hit the court.
“I just stayed ready and when my number was called, I was ready to go in there and make an impact,” said Pandi. “I just want to be fearless on the court. I’m just going to bring as much energy as I can.”
Pandi says he felt good physically but did not get the opportunity to get progressively in game shape like he would normally. That caused him to have muscle cramps near the end of his first game.
“Getting thrown right into the fire, I had to bring that different mindset like okay, it’s go time. It’s about to be something real right now.”
Pandi averaged 25 minutes of floor time in the four games in which he played and led the BlackJacks on the defensive end with 1.3 steals per game. He finished the Summer Series averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, both top-five on the team. Pandi also led the BlackJacks in offensive rebounds per game.
It was announced following the Series that Pandi had won the 2020 U Sports Player of The Year award based on his performance.
“I just feel like it’s an honour, it’s a blessing. It just shows that hard work is paying off and just to keep going. There is more in stock.”
Just five months ago, Pandi ended his first season of U Sports basketball by celebrating on the TD Place Arena court with a national championship. Pandi played 33 minutes in the Ravens’ comeback victory over Dalhousie to win Carleton University its 15th U Sports title. As a rookie for Carleton, Pandi established himself as an aggressive point guard and one of the best players in the country.
From attending Ashbury College in Ottawa, to Carleton, and now playing professionally – Pandi has had the chance to continually represent his home city on the court.
“It’s a surreal moment. Growing up in the city, having the opportunity to play for Carleton – such a prestigious program. Then now playing in this new league, playing with a professional team from my home city, just having my friends and family coming to support us at the games. It’s just an amazing feeling.”
Pandi says he has spent some time reminiscing during quarantine about what a whirlwind 12 months it has been for him and all the high-level basketball situations he has experienced. Pandi followed Phil Scrubb’s basketball career ever since he was in high school. With the BlackJacks, he got the chance to play with multiple generations of Carleton Ravens guards and be coached by one.
“It was a mixture of emotions. It was really cool for me, just knowing how these guys are imbedded in Carleton’s history,” said Pandi. “Sometimes I was dreaming a little bit, but I had to catch myself and remind myself that I’m a basketball player just like they are … just knowing that they accept me playing on the court and helping this team was just even an amazing feeling as well.”
Earlier this year to go along with his U Sports championship, Pandi won U Sports rookie of the year and was named an all-Canadian second team all-star. He will rejoin the Ravens for his second season starting this January. Pandi will bring the lessons he learned from an unexpected but memorable Summer Series experience.
“It was amazing just getting the opportunity to measure my game and to see what I am missing to get to that next level,” said Pandi. “There are a lot of talented players out there that are really athletic but if you can’t think the game, you can’t really go far in this sport.”
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