Pat Hennelly hasn’t had a Newfoundlander under his wing in the 13 years he’s held the position of head coach with the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack varsity men’s volleyball team.
He’s hoping that changes in the near future.
Hennelly is interested in having Corner Brook native Christopher LeRoy become a member of the Wolfpack recruits for the 2019 USport campaign.
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He has invited LeRoy to check out the school and the team for the Wolfpack season opening weekend Oct. 25-27 in Kamloops, B.C. where the team will tangle with rival University of British Columbia.
LeRoy was a member of the Eastern Impact men’s volleyball squad that competed at the national U17 men’s club volleyball championships in Edmonton when Wolfpack assistant coach Ken Lavin noticed LeRoy as a potential prospect for the 2019 edition of the Wolfpack.
Physicality is the word that pierced the lips of coach Hennelly when asked why LeRoy was a player he felt would fit in with the Wolfpack.
“He’s not a super tall guy, but he’s an incredible vertical and he also has a long wingspan so he actually plays much bigger than he looks,” Hennelly said from Tuesday afternoon from Thompson Rivers University.
While Hennelly couldn’t recall the athlete’s name, but he remembers being an assistant coach with the University of British Columbia before his tenure with the Wolfpack and having a player from Newfoundland who impressed him with a great attitude and strong work ethic.
He figures LeRoy could be another one of those gems so he’s excited about finding out if it will be a great fit for both sides.
“Basically, we think he’s good enough to play at this level,” he said. “It’s a little more of a decision on whether he wants to come across the country and play volleyball and would like to pursue a degree and be a varsity athlete.”
LeRoy, a Level 2 student at Corner Brook High, was caught off guard when he was approached by Lavin when his team was eliminated from contention in Edmonton.
He wasn’t expecting anybody to be interested in him so it turned out to be an exciting exchange with Lavin when it was made clear that the Wolfpack wanted him to think about joining the team.
“I just hope it’s going to be a good atmosphere to be in,” LeRoy said, noting it’s important he see how they embrace and gel with new players.
With a great opportunity presented to him, LeRoy figures he will have his work cut out for him so his plan is to be more active than ever this summer.
He plans on picking up a game of beach volleyball to keep the rust off and regular trips to the gym is how he plans on spending his summer.
“I feel like I have to train harder now so I can fit in more up there,” he said. “I have to make sure I keep myself in shape.”
