‘It’s Magnus Time’

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This article was published 17/03/2025 (236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cameron Fay calls it “Magnus Time.”

The Vincent Massey Trojans’ varsity boy’s basketball head coach doesn’t know when the moment will arise — neither do his players, for that matter — but knows he can count on it.

It’s a sixth sense that his star player, Magnus Carlos, taps into when his team needs it most.

“I’ve known him for a long time, and when it comes to clutch moments, and when the game gets big, he gets bigger,” Fay said.

Fay, who has worked closely with the 6-3 guard since he was on the junior varsity team, has seen the phenomenon on countless occasions. It could come as the Trojans are reeling in a contest or need a timely basket in the fourth quarter.

It’s even come up during scrimmages in practice.

“We’ll play a game where we have teams and his team is down 6-1 and it’s a game to seven. We kind of look and go, ‘It’s Magnus Time,’ Fay said. “Sure enough, ball doesn’t leave his hands the next three (possessions) and he gets his team back in the game, and then they somehow come back and win.”

Carlos’s abilities have earned him the top ranking in the Free Press’ coaches poll of the top 10 varsity high school players in the province. The Grade 12 student-athlete checked in at No. 3 last year.

Carlos learned early on what it meant to find an extra gear in critical situations. He also understands it’s not always about scoring, though he can do that as well as anyone in the province.

“That’s a testament to him, but a bigger testament, in my mind, is the fact that he understands when he needs to,” said Fay.

“There will be games where he’ll score six points and we’ll win easy, and he’ll understand that (he) needed the 10 or 12 assists because other things were going… but if he needs to put up 44 or 50, he can do that.

“It’s just a matter of understanding stuff, which is, to me, the gift that he has.”

“It’s just a matter of understanding stuff, which is, to me, the gift that he has.” –Cameron Fay

The son of longtime local basketball coach Charles Carlos, who he plays for with the Ignite Basketball Club, Carlos was in the gym from a young age. He comes from an athletic background, as his mom hooped locally for Providence University College, his older brother was a standout athlete and his sister, Cameryn, swims for the University of Manitoba Bisons.

“I think I kind of just always had it,” Carlos said. “I’ve played basketball for so long and that’s one of the first things I’ve been taught — get your teammates involved, don’t force anything, let the game come to you. That’s what I try to do every time I play.”

“His influence to me is almost everything,” he said of his father. “Brought me to the gym at a young age, coached me, taught me pretty much everything I know. He’s just been a huge part of it.”

Carlos was an impact player for the Trojans last year but knew he would need to shoulder a greater workload this season. He spent the summer improving his shooting, which has become a legitimate threat and made him a nightmare to defend.

“I wanted to be way better shooting than I have in the past, but then also getting my teammates involved. Not just them relying on me or something, but I also rely on them,” he said.

“Knowing we were losing pretty much half our team, a bunch of guys with big roles, I didn’t try to take it any differently on myself. I was going to keep trying to do the same things, keep leading the team, and not trying to put too much weight on my shoulders to be the guy on the team, but just try to keep things the same.”

The Trojans are in the hunt for a second straight provincial championship and it’s likely that Carlos will need to tap into that sixth sense again in the coming days.

Massey will face the Dakota Lancers in Thursday’s semi-final at Investors Group Athletic Centre at 8 p.m. The Kildonan-East Reivers and Sisler Spartans square off in the other semi at 6 p.m. to determine who advances to the championship final on Monday, March 24.

The Trojans are 14-0 in league play and 23-3 overall this season.

“We still have some really good players, we have a talented team, and Magnus understands that it doesn’t have to be him doing this, even though he’s a fantastic player,” said Fay.

“In my honest opinion, we’re better when Magnus — because he has such a high basketball IQ — (is) getting everyone involved.”

Carlos is actively being heavily recruited at the next level but remains uncommitted.

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca