It was a natural fit for Jordan Foot.
Foot, a six-foot-five middle blocker and outside hitter, will play his post-secondary volleyball for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack of Kamloops. The Grade 12 D.P. Todd student is the first recruit for TRU's 2013-14 season in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association. His signing was announced on Wednesday.
Foot's older sister, Elise, suited up for the TRU women's team in 2009-10 and Foot himself has attended WolfPack volleyball camps in Prince George since he was a kid.
"I chose to go to TRU because I am very familiar with the program," Foot said. "I am very familiar with the town and the layout of the university, along with knowing a number of the current players."
Foot becomes the latest in a long line of Prince George players to join the WolfPack men's team. The trend started with Tim Flannigan and Graham Allard, who helped TRU win a bronze medal at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport nationals in 2008. And, currently, the WolfPack feature P.G. products Colin Carson, Spencer Reed, Nic Balazs and Jared Mitchell.
WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly has had his eyes on Foot for a long time and started talking to him more seriously in the summer.
"I first saw him at our camp in P.G. six years ago," Hennelly said. "He was at our first camp in the youngest age group. I have watched Jordan develop into a starter for Team B.C. and he continues to get better every year and he improves physically as well. He touched 11-foot-3 this past summer at Team B.C. [camp], putting him in the middle of spike vertical for our team.
"Jordan will bring some offence to our team and a great work ethic," Hennelly added. "He will have older players ahead of him, but from what I have seen, he will strive to improve."
Hennelly was one of the people responsible for assembling a 17-U/16-U version of Team B.C. that claimed a silver medal at the Western Elite championships in July in Winnipeg. Foot was a key member of the squad.
Aside from high school and Team B.C. volleyball, Foot has been a long-time member of the Prince George Youth Volleyball Club. The players who blazed the path to TRU were also PGYVC graduates.
"The Prince George connection is very important," Hennelly said. "Dan Drezet and the PGYVC do a great job of getting boys to play volleyball and developing them into Team B.C. and post-secondary players."
Local high school grads used to be able to continue their playing careers at the College of New Caledonia but CNC spiked its volleyball program after the 2007-08 B.C. Colleges Athletic Association season. Since then, TRU has become an attractive alternative.
"The WolfPack men's volleyball program has had a huge impact on us and our members," Drezet said. "Without a post-secondary volleyball program in Prince George, many of the boys graduating from the club's 18-U program would love the opportunity to play for Thompson Rivers."
Drezet expects Foot to grow into an impact player for the WolfPack.
"He is very physical and extremely competitive," Drezet said. "He has a lot of natural ability but has also worked very hard the last couple of years to be a more rounded player."
