Mariners recruiting the best

By Brent Dunlop

The Mariners Men's Volleyball team will be reloading for the 2008/09 season.  

The M’s will be losing some key personnel, but will still have some talented athletes returning for next season including Scott Weninger (5th year), Milo Warren (3rd year), Steve Clements (3rd year), Nigel Proch (2nd year), Drew Manson (2nd year), Devan Wright (2nd year), Brett Weninger (2nd year), Iain Harrington (2nd year), and Jason Anderson (1st year).  

With nine returning players, the Mariners will have a solid base to continue on with the Mariners winning tradition.  

Added to the 2008/09 roster will be a few key recruits and one returning player from the 2006/07 season.  The biggest impact will come from the addition of Robert Lanenga, who is re-joining the team.  Robert was an All-Canadian in his rookie season with the Mariners and was a key part to their National Silver Medal.  Robert's offensive capabilities and competitiveness will be a welcomed addition to the Mariners squad next year.  In addition to Robert, the Mariners will be adding the following 1st year recruits:

Ben Cudmore is a 6'4" left handed rightside player from Manitoba.  Ben has two National Club Championships under his belt and has been part of Team Manitoba. Having won two national championships, Ben's winning experience will fit in well with the Mariners program tradition.

Lee Hamilton is a 6'5"middle from Saskatchewan.  Lee has be involved with the Team Saskatchewan program for the past two years.  Lee's past provincial team experience will help make his transition to the next level much easier.

Kevin Basinger is a 6'6" rightside/leftside from Comox. Kevin was part of Team BC in 2006 and has been a big part of the Comox Volleyball Club's 18U Boys program.  

Duncan Smith is a 6'1" leftside from the Yukon.  Duncan has played for Team Yukon for the past two summers and has continued to improve.  Duncan's competitiveness and great arm swing are his strengths.  

Just added to the team will be Dan Metcalf a transfer student from College of the Rockies.  Dan was part of the Rockies program for the past two years.  He was the 2007 COTR Rookie of the year in 2007, has been part of the Team BC program for two years, and was the 2008 COTR Team Captain.  Dan's hard work and leadership will be a welcomed addition next year.

The Mariners will have a much larger team next year.  They will be carrying between 15-17 athletes with 3-4 of these athletes being redshirts on the team. By redshirting, these athletes will not be using any eligibility, but they will be gaining valuable experience while training with the team.  

The key to staying competitive and being one of the top programs is continually recruiting and keep players within the program.  With athletes graduating from programs or moving onto university, new players are needed every year.  By having athletes who are willing to redshirt and train with the team, these athletes are much better prepared for the next year.  

With the loss of five veteran players, the Mariners will look much younger, but have a solid recruiting class to add to the strong core of returning players.  The depth of the program this past season will pay off in the 2008/09 season.  The biggest effect will be felt with the addition of Robert Lanenga.  Overall it will be a new look Mariner squad who will be ready for a fresh start.  

The BCCAA league will be much younger next year.  Many of the teams are losing their 5th year athletes or will be losing athletes who will be transferring onto university.

The Mariners should continue to be one of the top teams in the BCCAA as well as in the CCAA.  Although the season officially starts in September, this team will be working hard this summer getting physically stronger. There seems to be a strong commitment from this group of athletes to working out this summer in order to be prepared for the 2008/09 season.  The key to success for next year's team will be team chemistry.  Plans have already been organized for team building activities and outings for next season.  Being able to see the Women's Volleyball team all season long, a key part of their gold medal success can be credited to their team chemistry.  This comes from strong leadership from their captains and head coach.