Indigenous athlete Nashim finding his stride amid learning curve from ACAC to Canada West

Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – At the crossroads of his athletics journey coming out of high school, Ethan Nashim had a tough choice to make between baseball and volleyball.

Not easy for the young lad, considering he was a promising hard-throwing southpaw pitcher attracting interest from scouts after his play in the Bonnyville AA program.

But Nashim felt he couldn’t pass up a selection on Team Alberta’s volleyball squad for the 2017 North American Indigenous Games in Toronto.

“I had to make a choice,” explained the MacEwan Griffins men’s volleyball outside hitter, who is Metis, Lebanese and Scottish. “I was either going to those Indigenous Games or I was going to baseball provincials where scouts and people I’ve been talking to were at.

“I made the decision to go to volleyball and it’s been awesome so far. But you never know what would have happened if I’d stuck with baseball.”

We do know, however, that the volleyball community is pretty lucky he chose them.

Nashim, who spent three seasons with the Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves, transferred to MacEwan this season for his final two years of university eligibility. And the results are already starting to show promise.

After recording 29 kills in a pair of contests against Calgary to pace the Griffins in the team’s last weekend of action Nov. 12-13, Nashim will lead MacEwan into a home weekend series vs. Mount Royal University on Friday (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday (6:30 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV presented by Co-op).

“I think he’s come in and done some good things,” said Griffins head coach Brad Poplawski. “Obviously, there’s a pretty steep learning curve coming from ACAC to U SPORTS. It’s a massive, massive jump. But I think he’s been putting the work in.

“I thought two weeks ago in Calgary was probably the most comfortable he’s looked on the Saturday. He really showed some of the stuff he’s been working on. That was good to see he had that progression and was able to get some results. I think a lot of times when you’re working hard and it’s not happening some doubt creeps in. I think to be able to put up some good numbers and have some success is big for an offensive guy.”

Nashim is one of three new ACAC transfers on the Griffins this season – along with former Lakeland Rustlers outside hitter Alexei Walisser and former SAIT Trojans setter Alexander Lyndon – and all of them are beginning to make an impact.

But it isn’t easy to make the transition.

“Honestly, the best comparison is AHL to NHL,” said Poplawski. “What got you to that level doesn’t necessarily work at the next level. Guys will come in and they’re used to hitting shots and doing certain things that don’t work at the U SPORTS level. Some guys are able to adjust and some guys aren’t.”

Ethan Nashim led the Griffins with 29 kills in a pair of matches against Calgary Nov. 12-13 (Eduardo Perez photo).

Nashim posted 125 kills in just 12 matches during his final season at GPRC in 2019-20. His kills/game average (2.84) was tied for 10^th best in the ACAC.

Still, what he was able to do at that level just gets his foot in the door at Canada West where players are bigger, stronger and more talented.

“I’m standing at 6-3,” he noted. “In the ACAC, I’m one of the taller guys, but I came into that first weekend (in Canada West) and I’m one of the shorter guys on the court. That was a little different. When you’re going up against guys 6-8 who are blocking you on the other side, it’s a whole different game.

“You’ve got to swing different and you’ve got to make smarter shots, otherwise they’re going to shut you down. That was probably the biggest shift was just the physicality.”

An advantage he does have, though, is the fact he swings left-handed. That provides a different look that keeps blockers on their toes.

“My dad is an avid sports lover,” explained Nashim. “I do most of the things with my right hand, but when I was a kid, he put a hockey stick in my hand left-handed because he said ‘that’s going to build you so many more opportunities in life.’ He would just constantly put stuff in my left hand and say ‘throw with your left.’ I played baseball and I’m a left-handed pitcher. It opened up so many doors for me in that respect.

“But give me a pencil and I’ll write with my right.”

Coming out of high school in Lac La Biche, where he played with and against current Griffins teammates Tyler Jodoin and Daniel Hebert, Nashim switched from being a setter to a right side. His big break in volleyball came next when he made Team Alberta for the North American Indigenous Games. He was recruited to GPRC shortly thereafter after the coach there saw his tryout.

“There’s a lot of guys in that tournament who play now in U SPORTS and the ACAC level,” he said of opportunities opening up for Indigenous athletes. “It’s cool to see.

“Being an Indigenous athlete, I’ve gained a lot of respect from the communities I’m involved in. Sport is huge in indigenous communities. I played hockey and baseball for Kikino, which is a Metis settlement. I’ve represented those places and they treat me with a lot of respect.”

And he tries to give back, too.

“Those kids, I love playing with them,” said Nashim. “Every opportunity I can, I say ‘hey, let’s talk to this coach and open up some doors here’ because there are a lot of amazing athletes in those communities that don’t get the recognition they deserve. I see that all the time.

“It’s something I hope gets out there more and it’s awesome. There are a lot of people from those small communities who have been playing ACAC for a little bit and U SPORTS. They deserve it. They work so hard.”