That passion is something the players are well aware of according to Mutch, who says that the team is excited for the upcoming season while acknowledging that Grimm will be missed.
“We are all very excited to have Behlul as our head coach next year! Of course I will miss Chad, as it is probably my last year playing for the WolfPack, but I am excited to be a part of this new chapter for the team with Behlul at the head, and I believe that we will have an amazing year together.”
For Yavasgel, this opportunity represents the chance to continue giving back to a team, school and community that has meant so much to him.
“When I showed up here with no English, the community picked it up for me. Pat was more than a coach, he was this guy that could solve problems and he was there for me, he was the backbone of my existence in Canada. The athletic department, the student-athletes, my teachers, TRU was just this little village that was helping me to make my dreams come true.”
“Kamloops really took me in and really made it possible for me to live a life that I always imagined I could live. Every year it grew and grew after university I had no plans to leave Kamloops, I got a job, I met my wife Michelle who is from Kamloops, I have two sons now – Taylan (3) and Atlas (7 months) – and Kamloops just became home for me. Volleyball was just the start of that.”
Yavasgel will be joined on the bench this season by long-time assistant coach as well as former WolfPack player Sarah Loedel as well as Ezgi Dilik, a former professional player from Turkey who helped out with the WolfPack last season.
“I’m coming back home in a sense, while I have been an assistant coach after playing I’ve always had different jobs as well,” said Yavasgel. “But now I’m coming back to where I belong.”
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