MVB SIGN 2ND WHITE ROCK PLAYER (RICHTER)
For immediate Release: February 10, 2009
Kamloops, BC—If there are two cities in British Columbia who’ve helped in the development of the Men’s Volleyball program at Thompson Rivers University, it would have to be Prince George and White Rock. Both those cities are proving to be a pipeline for outstanding young talent which has found its way to TRU.
WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly is pleased to announce the signing of his third player from White Rock. 17 year old left side Stephen Richter of Semiahmoo has committed to the TRU program effective the fall of 2009.
The 6’3” Richter is following high school and club teammate Alex Davis to TRU. Both played for the Semiahmoo team which captured the gold medal at the 2008 BC “AAA” high school championships. Richter was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
“The attention that coach Hennelly has paid to me was a huge factor in me signing here,” said Richter, who plans to major in business.“ The program itself is first class. Everything that they offer here—from the schooling, to the volleyball to the volunteering aspect of the athletes is something that really appealed to me.”
Richter was looking at three BC Colleges: Camosun(Victoria), UBC Okanagan and Malispina (now Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo) but decided to try his luck in the CIS with Thompson Rivers.
He credits Davis (6-7, middle) with initially connecting his family and Hennelly together. “ I saw how well Alex was treated by Pat. It made my decision a lot easier.” Davis made TRU history by committing to the WolfPack volleyball program last September.
Hennelly feels his newest acquisition will bring a lot to the team. “Richter is a great blend of skill and offense, he is an accomplished beach player and showed at provincials he can play when it counts. “
Richter is the fifth member of the 2007 Provincial U-17 program to commit to TRU. He joins Davis, Matt Krueger (MEI), Colin Carson (PG) and Spencer Reed (PG). He believes that familiarity will help with the adjustment to CIS and campus life in general. “Definitely having those people here will make it easier. I won’t be singled out as the only rookie,” he adds “ I’m sure we’ll all be looking out for each other in the classroom as well.” He also has played club volleyball (Fraser Valley) with Davis and Krueger.
That instant camaraderie hasn’t been lost on the coach. “I think that coming in as a large group makes life easier”. says Hennelly. “It is a big adjustment from high school to CIS volleyball and university life and having a group of peers for support can only help. These guys have competed against and with each other and i think they respect each other's abilities. “
Hennelly says the signing of Stephen Richter is just another piece on what he intends to be a continuing power in Canada West Men’s Volleyball. “ We know we will be graduating players in 2010 and with the graduation of Andy Haley we do not have much depth at the power hitter position. We are putting guys in place with an eye for them to take over when we graduate current players. The guys we have signed have all been accepting of an apprenticeship role and will get to learn and play with some great players. For Stephen he will get to learn from Gord Perrin(2nd year, Creston, BC) and Behlul Yavasgel(4th year, Aydin, Turkey), two very good players in his position.”
Richter knows that with the talent TRU has at left side, he’ll have to bide his time getting into the line up. “I’m totally aware of that. The calibre of the players that are here can only make me a better player when I practice against them in the first year. Gord and Behlul are great players.”
‘I’m really looking forward to playing at the Tournament Capital Center. It looks like a great facility.” Richter adds.
Says coach Hennelly: “I am glad that we have signed Stephen. He adds to what is a nice recruiting class of local BC talent. I think Stephen will be a leader in the classroom and on the court and will be a great addition to our program.”
SIDEOUTS: Richter is gearing up for his second year of Beach Volleyball . He competed in the U17 BC Summer Games and along with teammate Dan Caverly captured the Gold. He then teamed up with AJ McFarland for U18 Provincials, taking Gold and U18 Nationals where they finished fifth. He will join Davis and libero Kyle Donen (going into his fourth year in 2009-10) as Semiahmoo alum with TRU. Hennelly on the Semiahmoo connection: “Semiahmoo is a great volleyball school and we have established the connection starting with Kyle Donen, we also have played scrimmages in their gym twice in pre-season. It is a program that has produced and I think will continue to produce under Coach Kyra Ianonne.”