WOLFPACK VB SIGNS UBCO PLAYER (CASCHETTO) April 30, 2009
Posted by lread in Men's Volleyball.trackback
There will be quite the dogfight for spots on the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack Men’s Volleyball team this season. This is especially true at the Middle Blocker position where head coach Pat Hennelly has announced the signing of 21 year old Joel Caschetto.
The 6’6” Caschetto played three seasons at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna (BC College Athletic Association). The native of White Rock, BC (Earl Marriott Secondary) plans to take general Arts courses potentially majoring in psychology or anthropology.
“Pat (Hennelly) has done a great job with the program,” says Caschetto, who was among the BCCAA leaders in kills and blocking this past season with the Lakers. “The WolfPack have shown that they can be a successful team over the past two seasons. There are openings at my position in the middle which provides incentive because there is a greater chance of working towards a starting position.” The Lakers finished third in the BCCAA this season after winning the league and a national silver medal in 2008.
“He is someone who I have kept in mind for a number of years,” says WolfPack Head Coach Pat Hennelly. “ He has long arms and a big jump. For a big guy, he is very quick and athletic. Despite the fact he started the sport late, he always possessed the raw talent.”
Caschetto will enter his fourth year of eligibility is excited about being with an ‘up and coming’ program like Thompson Rivers. “ There’s a lot of big names in terms of recruiting heading to TRU and the returnees have made a name for themselves around the CIS. The outside hitters are definitely some of the tops in the country and I know that Pat will be fielding a strong group of guys around their existing core.”
“He really worked on his skills at UBC-O,” added Hennelly “ Especially in the way he executes off the floor and his blocking. Our goal over the next couple of years is to take his athletism and get him up to speed in the CIS Level. In terms of size and jump, he is there already.”
Caschetto becomes the fourth player from the White Rock area to potentially suit up for TRU in 2009-10. He played club volleyball with current WolfPack libero Kyle Donen where they won the provincial title as U-18 players. Both were members of the Team BC U-19 squad. He outlines why the South Surrey/White Rock area is becoming such a hotbed for volleyball. “ There have been some good coaches in the area. Chris MacIver, Sharon Carter, Kyra Iannone and Paul Bruce have all put their time in with the respective athletes in the area. I played for Sharon and Paul in my short three years of high school volleyball. Not just White Rock, but the Fraser Valley is really well known in BC for fielding strong programs year after year.” Other White Rock players committing to TRU are freshmen Stephen Richter and Alex Davis (Semiahmoo) .
“Shane Donen (Kyle’s Dad) has been a great advocate for us in that community,” says Hennelly. “With a daughter still playing in high school, Shane is always out promoting how well our program treats athletes and our success. That has truly helped in us getting these players.”
The newest WolfPack believes he’ll see quite a step up moving to CIS. But, he is ready for the challenge: “I think there will be a bit of a learning curve in the beginning, but I have no double that I am capable of doing it. We have had the opportunity the last two seasons at UBCO to compete against some CIS teams. I’m looking forward to playing in that environment on a regular basis starting this fall.”
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