AIRDRIE, Alberta — Months ago, the UBC Okanagan Heat’s head coach Brad Hudson received a video showing Ashton South in action. The 16-year-old volleyball player’s height and athleticism caught the skipper’s eye. Hudson noticed the player’s potential and decided to get in touch with him.

“We started talking through social media” recalled Hudson, who has led the Heat since 2016.

During the conversation, South’s character and determination stood out and Hudson confirmed that the prospect from Airdrie and the Okanagan University volleyball program were on the same page.

“For our program, the values matter,” Hudson said. “We look for traits like gratitude, passion and care. The more we talk with Ashton, the more we realize that his values are mostly aligned with ours.”

South plays right-side hitter and middle blocker and committed last December to play with the Heat starting this fall. In the meantime, UBC is preparing an onboarding plan (both academic and athletic) for South.

“He would need to become stronger and build physical strength,” Hudson explained. “Canada West is extremely competitive and physical, so Ashton will need to develop a foundation of skills, strength and maturity that are going to allow him to succeed moving forward. Those are going to be the primary building blocks.”

The Heat skipper stated that the UBC program won’t be putting too much pressure on an athlete this young in the short term.

“It is important for him to get settled, build habits and routines,” Hudson said. “In his first years, he has a lot of learning to do, a lot of growth. We are going to challenge him to be the best he can.”

Hudson said South’s skills are great, but he needs to continue improving in order to be successful at the college level.

“He has a good foundation of skills which he will continue to explore and hone,” Hudson said. “I will expect him to see more time as a middle and some time as an opposite, but everything is on the table. If Ashton shows confidence in one area, we will continue to build on that, and we should try to put him in the best spot possible for him and for us.”

High school MVP 

George McDougall Mustangs’ senior boys volleyball team head coach Tim Massé has witnessed South’s talent as well. He coached him in high school and foresees endless opportunities on the court.

South was the Mustangs’ captain and one of the leaders of the team. During his last season at high school level, he played left side, middle, right side and even had a game as libero. He won the MVP of the Rocky View High School Athletic League while the Mustangs finished in third place.

“He is a very tall athlete, which is a very important factor in volleyball and for college teams,” Massé highlighted. “But he is also a good leader and a positive athlete, too. When things were not coming our way, he wanted always to be involved in the solution.”

South is already 6-foot-7 (which is the same size as the current Canadian team’s middle Graham Vigrass) and will continue to grow.

The coach from Airdrie noted that middle is one of the most difficult positions to play in volleyball.

“In the outside and inside positions, athletes need to be good blockers and identify how the hitters are going to hit,” he said. “They should also be good back-row hitters. Ashton has all those things at his level. His level is very high considering his age and he will continue learning in college.”

Massé made South play on the left side for a large part of the season and he hopes this will contribute to his development.

“He hadn’t played that position before,” Massé said. “He struggled at the start but he got a lot better towards the end and helped us out. Having the ability to play all three positions I feel would help him to get in the starting lineup at UBCO much sooner than playing in a single position.”

Massé stated that playing at the college level could be very challenging for South, who is already a member of the 17U Team Alberta and attended the regional squad summer camp.

“He will find the same at the university: players much higher in size than in high school, with more abilities, more creative and consistent,” Massé said. “Plus, the game there is much faster. At the university, you will get to the next level of speed. If he can crack that level, he will make the next stage, which is the national team, which represents, again, a jump in speed.

“By the second or third year, he will be a starter at UBCO. Then the sky is the limit. He could be able to be a professional player in Europe at some point in his career. Once he becomes ingrained in the sport, the little things will happen naturally, then he will work on the bigger things.”

South currently trains with the Canuck Stuff Volleyball Club U18 men’s team and awaits the fall to show his abilities in Kelowna.

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