Jens Watt ready for big matches, Senior Night

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/02/2024 (587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jens Watt made arguably the play of the Canada West season last weekend, one which perfectly encapsulated the player he became more than five years ago as a Brandon University Bobcat.

He took off from behind the three-metre line to attack when setter J.J. Love dug the ball, only to realize it was too far in front of him to score. So he adjusted mid-flight and bumped it to the left side, on the money for Liam Pauls to pound down on the Mount Royal Cougars’ side.

While Watt has never been one to crave the spotlight, deferring to any star attacker he played alongside, he brought the Healthy Living Centre crowd to its feet in a big way.

His way.

“It sums up being a libero and being an outside pretty close to a T,” Watt said of his impressive highlight.

“(Left side) Liam Kindle says I do wacky stuff on the court so I’ll just chalk it up to being a little bit wacky.”

The Lethbridge, Alta., product — who plays his final regular season home weekend game against Thompson Rivers tonight at 7:45 and Saturday night at 6:45 — was a left side when he joined the Bobcats and played wherever coach Grant Wilson needed him from libero to right side and left side.

While his position changed, two things remained certain: He’d bring unrivalled intensity and excel a whole lot more often than not.

The six-foot-three libero/outside hitter might not have predicted how soon he’d impact big matches as a rookie in 2019-20. Looking back, he said the jump to U Sports volleyball is massive, regardless of club and provincial team experience.

“It’s so different, especially coming into my first year, with guys like Seth Friesen, Elliott Viles and Robin Baghdady who are all giants and unreal volleyball players,” Watt said.

“I go to block a right side ball and Elliott Viles is contacting it two-and-a-half feet above my block. It’s just a shock to the system coming out of high school and club.

“I think for the most part I adjusted pretty well, as well as I could given the situations with those guys I was playing against.”

He cracked the lineup as a serve-receive libero, sharing the alternate jersey with Liam Nohr and Michael Flor.

Brandon went 11-1 that semester, coming off a Canada West title and national silver medal. However, disaster struck when Friesen and Baghdady both suffered concussions on the team’s California trip during the Christmas break.

Watt and Max Brook filled their spots at left side, however, it wasn’t pretty. The Bobcats won just two matches all semester — the two Friesen return to play his final home weekend against Manitoba.

The Bobcats still hosted the Calgary Dinos and swept them in the quarterfinals, then lost Match 1 of the semifinals at Trinity Western before the night Watt considers the highlight of his career. He came off the bench in the third set and helped the Bobcats to a 3-2 win, forcing a third match they lost 3-1.

“Getting to play in that semifinal game where we won against maybe one of the greatest Trinity Western teams of all time, it was incredible. To get into that game and have the trust from those guys and (head coach) Grant (Wilson) and the rest of my team, it was awesome.

“I can remember that game so clearly. I got subbed in and got aced by Jesse Elser immediately and kind of settled down. I made a few cool digs I’ll never forget and then Robin getting the final kill, the atmosphere on the court, in the locker room, at the hotel and into the next game was electric.

“It was unfortunate we couldn’t pull it out, but the experience gained from that game set the tone for my career.”

Following the lost 2020-21 season, Watt started at libero in 2021-22, spending the first semester at or near the top of the conference in digs. He shifted to right side in the second semester and racked up a career-high 19 kills against the Winnipeg Wesmen one night.

The Bobcats reached the Canada West final four, this time losing a one-match semifinal to TWU and the bronze game to Calgary.

Watt moved to libero full-time last season with Max Brook and Tom Friesen leading the team’s offence from the left side.

He stayed there at the start of this year, but following a 1-3 start, he rejoined the attack and was instrumental in turning the season around on a 12-2 stretch before the pair of losses to Mount Royal last weekend.

Watt’s numbers seldom jump off the page, though 16 kills, eight digs and four blocks against Fraser Valley in December were remarkable. But he only cared about the final score.

“I go into every weekend and just try to do everything I possibly can to help the guy beside me,” Watt said.

“If it means getting a few more kills here and there, by all means, I’ll take the kills. If it means being a third, fourth, or fifth option with Liam, Paycen (Warkentin), Philipp (Lauter), Riley (Grusing) and JJ, by all means, those guys can take the spotlight away from me.”

Watt is rarely the taller player in a matchup against opposing right sides, but carved out a role by not only defending and passing exceptionally well, but also scoring creatively, often using blocks to his advantage.

Love trusts him and has given him the ball time and time again in big moments this season.

“He’s a Swiss Army knife,” Love said. “He shows he can do it all and in practice, his determination to be the best at what he does really shows.

“Whenever Grant puts him in, whether he has to pass half the court, get a lot of volume that night, block, he can do it all and he just accepts his role, really wants to push us to be better.”

Off the court, Watt has embraced the community outside of BU Athletics, whether around campus or the city.

He joined the BU senate, which opened his eyes to a lot of the behind-the-scenes work which makes the athletics program possible.

Watt did colour commentary for the BU women’s volleyball matches against the Regina Cougars in January, alongside BU athlete services and events co-ordinator Tyler Crayston and found out how complex the Westman Communications Group operation is to deliver a quality broadcast to TV viewers and streamers on Canada West TV.

“Tyler Crayston’s going to different organizations to get sponsorships to let us come to school and take the burden off of us financially just a little bit, so he’s huge in the program,” Watt said.

“I could go through everyone in this program, from T-Cray to (sports information and marketing officer Matt) Packwood to Grant to (athletic director) Russ (Paddock), to every prof at BU who’s caring about every student that’s been through here.

“It’s definitely awesome to see what we give to the community, the community also gives back to us, coming to games and supporting us.”

Watt is finishing a bachelor of science degree and figuring out his next steps. While it’s an important time in his life, he felt it was important to keep being part of the Bobcats’ presence in the community.

“This year especially, I’ve tried to get every experience I could from Brandon,” he said.

“Whether it’s with the athletics program to go to different community events, whether it be ‘I Love to Read Month’ or working with different senior homes or working Mini Cats on Sundays after you either win or lose and you don’t always have the energy but you always find a way because those kids look up to you, not just you but this program and everything it stands for.”

STILL A LOT TO PLAY FOR

When you’re 13-7, Senior Night can be about getting past the emotions and delivering, like the Bobcats need to against a WolfPack team (10-10) which could still bounce them from the playoff picture.

The Bobcats clinch a spot with a split this weekend, but also could secure home-court advantage for the semifinals with three wins in their final four matches. They close the regular season at UBC (14-6) next weekend.

It’s a strange time for the seniors, who have to come to terms with the idea that it could all be over as early as nine days from now and it could last through the national final on March 17.

But it will end, and no matter what, it’ll have gone by far too quickly.

“I don’t think people coming in explicitly realize it comes to an end at a certain point,” Watt said.

“When you get here it’s all happy-go-lucky. I’m in university, I’m playing the highest volleyball level in Canada you can do without playing on the national team.

“It’s a great honour and experience and privilege that not many people get. It’s all gone by really quick and if I could talk to myself in the past, I’d just say ‘Enjoy each moment a little bit more.’”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

» Instagram: @thomasfriesen5