KAMLOOPS – The Thompson Rivers WolfPack women’s volleyball team will have a new coach at the helm for the 2022-23 season, as head coach Chad Grimm will take a one year leave of absence.

It won’t be an unfamiliar face that takes the interim head coach title however, with long-time assistant coach Behlul Yavasgel assuming the reins for a program that has made the Canada West playoffs in four of the past six seasons.

“Behlul was the obvious choice to step in and lead the program this year, I trust in him to provide the team with the best student-athlete experience possible both on and off the court,” said TRU director of athletics and recreation Curtis Atkinson. “Chad is someone that has meant so much to this program and I wish him and his family the best as they embark upon this journey.”

Grimm’s leave will allow him to spend the year living abroad with his family. The winningest coach in program history will be joined by his wife Anne and children Naya and Odin in Anne’s home country of Denmark.

“This leave is obviously something that we have planned out over the past few years in order to make it happen, but it was important to us that our kids had the opportunity to live and go to school in Denmark,” said Grimm. “Being exposed to another culture, studying in another language, being close to their Danish family and being pushed out of their comfort zone, forced to be flexible and generally gaining some life skills were the most important factors in taking this leave.”

A former standout player for the WolfPack, Yavasgel’s journey to interim head coach of the ‘Pack is a fascinating one. After playing professionally and for the youth national team in his native Turkey, a chance encounter with a TRU World employee set him on a path that would change his life forever.

“I was playing for the national team, so my volleyball career was on the rise and I was really making a name for myself, this continued until I was 17 and I was really near the peak of my career, but I had a shoulder injury and then things really turned dark a bit,” said Yavasgel. “That’s when I started to understand that volleyball was not just a fun game, it was a business.

“When I was 18, TRU World sent a representative to a university festival in Istanbul and the TRU representative approached me and he had watched me play a volleyball game in Slovenia. I gave him a CD of my highlights and he took that CD on a flight all the way back to Kamloops and gave it to (then TRU director of athletics and recreation) Ken Olynyk. Ken gave it to men’s volleyball head coach Pat Hennelly and the next thing I knew I was flying in.”

Joining the ‘Pack in 2005 knowing very little English, Yavasgel quickly became a crowd favourite in Kamloops and helped lead the ‘Pack to three U SPORTS National Championship appearances. In 2010 Yavasgel became the first TRU student-athlete to graduate after completing all five years of eligibility at the U SPORTS level.

“To be the first TRU athlete to complete five years of eligibility at the U SPORTS level was a really big accomplishment for me,” said Yavasgel. “There were so many great student-athletes that came through the program, and I just think it shows that I was very dedicated and fueled by my passion to stay and work here and be a part of this community.”

Staying in Kamloops after graduating, Yavasgel worked on and off as an informal coach with Hennelly for the WolfPack men’s program for a couple years before stopping. That is until a call from Grimm in 2017 brought him back into the fold. 

“Chad had coached me as an assistant with Pat in university so we were good friends,” said Yavasgel. “He asked me to see if I had any interest to come help him out, just come to practices here and there with no structure. That was the time that I started to coach more regularly and seriously.”

Stepping into the lead assistant role the year after, Yavasgel has been at Grimm’s side through some of the best seasons in program history, including a 2019-20 campaign that saw the team finish fourth in the conference.

“I wanted someone to take over that - first of all - wanted to be a head coach, and it was vital to me and the group that this person had the social skills and was able to build the relationships necessary to allow the group to feel safe and be able to continue to grow and develop as individuals and as a team,” said Grimm. “Behlul is able to show empathy and is not afraid to be clear in his messaging. He will hold a high standard in his expectations while giving players room to make decisions and take responsibility for their own growth as well. I know Behlul will always put his best foot forward and will put the team first, so my level of trust in him is very high. We communicate on a daily basis and I am excited for him to bring some new perspective to the group and am excited to follow along in the journey from afar.”

Entering her fourth year of eligibility and fifth season with the WolfPack in 2022-23, Erin Mutch is a veteran player that sees Yavasgel’s willingness to collaborate with student-athletes as a positive.

“He has a lot of knowledge to share, and he has a super infectious competitive spirit,” said Mutch. “His style is typically more fast-paced and aims to challenge us beyond the usual flow of the game, which introduces a unique element to our training. He is also open to feedback from us players and is always interested in our points of view on both individual technique and team strategy.” 

Determined to make his mark on the program in his one year in charge, Yavasgel is passionate about helping student-athletes to be their best selves both on and off the court. 

“If I don’t take this program and leave it in a better place at the end of the year then I didn’t do my job right. The standards this year will be just as high if not higher. I’ve never once stepped on a volleyball court just to have a good time. The main thing will be making sure the team reaches their goals both academically and as volleyball players, so I will do everything in my power to help them reach their goals.”

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.”