Victoria Vikes’ Marcus Tibbs finds safe harbour in CIS basketball

From handling parcels to dropping dimes at the CIS Final 8, Victoria Vikes point guard Marcus Tibbs has had quite the hoops journey.

One could do a lot worse than the Seattle native, who overcame a broken jaw and broken hand within the past 14 months to have a strong tournament for UVic, as a breakout player from the Canadian university basketball championship. The one-time top 10 high school recruit out of Washington state's ease with reading the floor was manifest in the Vikes' valiant rally in a semifinal loss to Ottawa on Saturday, where it rallied from 18 down to within two. Tibbs came away from the tournament feeling fulfilled, if not slaked, even though the Vikes finished the year with successive losses after falling 61-53 to Alberta in a bronze-medal game that tipped off at 7:37 a.m. West Coast time (6:37 if you throw in that Sunday was the first day of daylight saving times).

"I don't know how to really explain it, I'm blessed to be playing," said Tibbs, 23, who had 15 points and five assists during the Vikes' loss to Ottawa and followed up with nine and four in 19 minutes vs. Alberta. "Really, I got rocked, my jaw was broken. So I'm happy, I'll take this in stride.

"Overall, I got a good feeling for trte league. Next year's going to be good. I'm happy ... We've seen Carleton before, but seeing Ottawa is where it was different, I should have been more prepared for it. We'll be ready for it next year."

Like many Americans who migrate to Canadian university hoops, Tibbs grew up with a dream of playing NCAA Division I basketball. The son of a truck driver, Tibbs had to grow up fast after losing his doting grandfather passed away during his freshman year of high school ("He raised me, he was my best friend). That put him on a path to going the junior college route at Bellevue (Wash.) College. For a few months at one point Tibbs juggled basketball, coaching a team and working for UPS ("I'd get about five hours of sleep a night," he recalls).

Tibbs feared that the busted jaw that kept him off solid food for six weeks in early 2013 might have been a deal-breaker for finding a four-year (or five, as it turned) program to join. But Victoria had enough early viewings to know he would fit into its share-the-wealth offence. It showed at nationals.

"I think he'll adjust well to the CIS game," said Vikes coach Craig Beaucamp, whose team was done in by slow starts in each of its last two games at the Canadian Tire Centre, going down 25-4 after 10 minutes vs. Alberta, which got 16 points from all-Canadian Jordan Baker in his final university game. "This was kind of his first full year and it was really half a year because he broke his hand in the first semester. We're real happy with his performance. He almost pulled that one out [Saturday] night for us with a couple of deep shots and a couple of plays. We're excited about his future."

While most Ontario teams have the luxury of recruiting from deep talent pools, the top teams in the country's other three conferences often have to look for American talent. No fewer than three natives of Las Vegas competed in the tourney, including Tibbs' teammate Terrell Evans, who had a game-high 18 on Sunday. Tibbs, 23, said he loved the ramped-up tempo of CIS ball, which uses the shorter 24-second shot clock.

"It was really fun having it sped up a little more," he said. "I actually want the 24-second shot clock to be used more in the States. The game is a little bit faster and it's a little more physical, a deeper three-point line."

Part of Tibbs' growth included playing with women. Through a Bellevue connection, he was a practice player with his hometown Seattle Storm, the WNBA team that remained in the Key City under local ownership after the Sonics were shanghaied in 2008. That willingness to be on the scout team for

"As soon as I stepped on the floor with him, they welcomed me with open arms," Tibbs said. "Sue Bird, she's great. I'm close friends with [former WNBA No. 2 overall pick] Shekinna Stricklen."

It often takes a few times at the Final 8 to get adjusted to the atmosphere. As graduating Alberta guard Joel Friesen, one of the bronze medallists' five fifth-year seniors, said, "I've lost to Carleton three times now; for some of these guys it was the first time. It takes a lot of work to try and get to that level and I think now guys kind of understand the level of intensity that they bring to their game."

Tibbs got that first one out of the way this weekend, albeit against the other powerhouse from Canada's capital. That's stoked the fire for the 2015 Final 8 that will be hosted by the Ryerson Rams.

"We'll definitely be back next year," Tibbs said.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.