GRADE-POINT ANECDOTES: ACC hires former Bobcat Ashfield

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This article was published 21/03/2023 (1163 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Joel Small is leaving Assiniboine Community College with a parting gift.

The nine-year men’s volleyball coach handed the Cougars his recommendation for his replacement and they liked the idea. ACC announced Dan Ashfield — former Brandon University Bobcat middle blocker and assistant coach — has accepted the job.

“We had a couple of other names but Dan in U Sports and the coaching experience he has there, we thought that would transition well to the Cougars,” said ACC Athletics manager Lindsay McLaughlin.

“That’s a high-calibre team and coaching underneath Grant (Wilson) for all those years, we thought he’d be a great asset to our program.”

It’s a big transition for the Ottawa native, switching out the blue and gold digs for ACC burgundy.

“It’s bittersweet. I wasn’t sure what I wanted. The BU program means a lot to me, the team and coaching staff but now that it’s out there, it feels exciting and can’t wait to get to know the boys and get going,” Ashfield said.

“Them bringing me the opportunity was something I couldn’t turn down, especially knowing Joel and being friends with him. Where he’s brought the team and where it’s at now, it’s something I really like and can’t wait to get going with it.”

Ashfield moved to Brandon in 2007 after two seasons of Ontario Colleges Athletic Association volleyball at his hometown Algonquin College.

The Wolves reached Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association nationals in Ashfield’s sophomore season. The middle blocker went from walk-on to the national podium with a bronze medal that season, catching the Bobcat coaching staff’s attention.

He played three seasons under then-BU coach Russ Paddock and grew attached to the Wheat City. He took a job with the City of Brandon after graduating and rejoined the Bobcats as one of Wilson’s assistants for five seasons.

Ashfield admits it’s tough to see that end but knows that time has helped prepare him for what’s next.

“There’s so much to learn. I still want to be around this team because there’s learning for me to do. Coaching is never ending learning, period,” Ashfield said. “The amount of work they put into all of this, nobody really sees but we definitely see that in Grant and what he’s done with the BU program.

“The way he carries himself, how he talks to his players … that goes a long way these days. They really respect that from him.”

Ashfield said Small is helping with recruitment for a while and he hopes to build on the steady growth of ACC from a non-playoff team to one with a realistic shot at a Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference title the past few seasons. They went 5-13 in 2022-23 and lost to the eventual champion Providence Pilots in the semifinals.

“It’s really just bringing a good culture to the team, which I think Joel has done already,” Ashfield said.

“Continue to be supportive and build good young men into individuals that are respectful and work hard. You can’t really ask for much more.”

QUICK HITS: Another former Bobcat assistant has landed a head coaching job. Brandonite Chad Jacobson was named Thompson Rivers WolfPack men’s basketball coach on Tuesday.

The Neelin product played two years with the Bobcats and helped them to a U Sports silver medal in 2007. He most recently was an assistant for the Saskatchewan Huskies men’s team.

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