Langley middle signs with Bobcats

Grant Wilson feels like he just stole something off his archrival’s front porch.

The Brandon University Bobcats head coach signed Luke Schroeder of Langley, B.C., who lives down the street from the Trinity Western Spartans’ home gymnasium, for the 2026-27 Canada West men’s volleyball season.

“His jumping is good, his physicality is very high, he hits the ball like a man and has for a couple of years, honestly. When you watch him play, he stands out on the court with pretty much everything he does,” Wilson said.

“His serve is extremely strong, his block lateral movement is good. He just has a really calm presence about himself.

“He lives in their backyard, so for us to land a recruit of his skill and ability and his overall personality, it’s a great fit, and we’re very excited to add him.”

Schroeder visited BU last month, on the weekend the Bobcats held their alumni game. He recently visited TWU and a few other schools, then made up his mind.

“It was a very obvious decision after I finished my last visit at Trinity,” Schroeder said. “It just made sense to come here. The coaches, everything there was better in general.

“The community, the boys on the team … the way they run their practices, their lifts, their environment, and their attitude towards volleyball was up my alley.”

According to Trinity Western, the school did not offer Schoeder a spot.

The six-foot-five middle blocker started playing for his school team in Grade 8, then joined the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club’s B-team the following year.

It wasn’t until Grade 10, and in part due to a Brandon connection, that he saw his full potential.

He made the Junior Cascades roster and played for Grant’s son Reece.

“The season I had with him was really good. I learned a lot. He’s very serious about the game, he knows the game, and he really wanted to make the boys better on that team and it showed,” Schroeder said.

Sure enough, the team won 16U provincials and defended their crown in 17U last year.

Schroeder is confident in his mobility at the net and versatility to attack from multiple positions. He has an 11-foot-four spike touch and an elite serve for the 18U level.

He plans to study kinesiology at BU and work towards a physiotherapy degree afterwards.

Shroeder joins Winkler middle blocker Alfredo Enns, London, Ont., outside hitter Mason Lange and Dauphin opposite Gabe Beaudin in a stacked class of 2026.

“Probably our best rookie class ever, I would say,” Wilson said. “You add it to the guys we added this year with Ethan (Baraniuk), Kingston (Thomas), Cooper (Bevan), Jobe (McAuley), Matt (Siebenga) from last year, and Matt Lefebvre this year, we’re trying to build for the future.

“We’ve got a really good young corps of guys that we like, not just skill-wise but personality-wise too.”

The Bobcats (0-2) play their home opener against the Mount Royal Cougars (4-0) on Friday at 7:45 p.m.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

» Instagram: @thomasfriesen5