Bennett's Breakdown: PART OF THE PACK

By Donnovan Bennett - Sportsnet TV Personality

Follow Donnovan on Twitter: @donnovanbennett

CIS sports is not always about Canadian kids excelling in high performance athletics. Much like the country it represents, it's also about being a welcoming safe haven for international students looking to improve their quality of life.

There is no better example of this than Thompson Rivers University student athlete VolodymyrIgorov. The Ukrainian basketball player arrived in Canada with just two duffel bags of basic possessions and told head coach Scott Clark he can't go home to his war torn native land and that he will work hard to get a degree and make a life for himself in Canada. He's been true to his word.

"When I arrived I had big bag with really just clothes that I needed and a backpack with my laptop inside. That was it," Volodymyr recalls.

Vlad was initially recruited through TRU's star women's volleyball player IuliiaPakhomenko. The two athletes knew each other from attending a sports camp in the Ukraine together when they were kids and remaining friends while attending the same high school. Like Igorov, both Iulliia and fellow women's volleyball player Alina Sopizhuk are originally from Donestk. His countrymen advocated for Coach Clark to take a chance on him.

Despite extra maintenance and the unknown with an international player he didn't recruit, Clark was unfazed in welcoming the foreign big man to the team. "I didn't think much of it when he came because he fits in here. Seventeen percent of the TRU student population is international students. There is a large Russian and Ukrainian student population and you name the country we have students on our campus from all over the world, so for me he fits right in."

Coach Clark was struck by him when Vlad first touched down in Canada. "My immediate impression was that he is just really a nice young man. Very appreciative of his situation. When I first went to pick him up,Iuliia came with me to Vancouver to get him. He was so impressed with the quality of the air, the beauty of the environment, the condition of the roads. He was amazed there is an infrastructure here that he wasn't accustomed to back home. He was very appreciative".

Basic things that other university players may take for granted, Vlad relishes. "When coach showed me the campus, and all the amazing facilities we have in Kamloops, my first thought was that I can improve my basketball skills and be a better athlete. I was excited and looked forward to the first practice and first game of the season."

Vlad's outlook and perspective has helped his teammates relish what they do have rather than concentrate on what they don't. "I hear the guys talk. Guys might feel a bit down or grouchy and then he says 'just smile.' If somebody were to spend a day where he's from they'd smile every day," admitted the reflective coach.

So far Igorovis loving his new Canadian way of life. "Biggest cultural adjustment I would say is food and tolerance. Canada has completely different food and so much choice and I like how Canada is tolerant to all cultures it has."

The cultural adjustment was made painstakingly obvious in his interactions with his new mentor. "He said to me 'coach do you know what I love about Canada? Bacon and peanut butter.' Those types of things aren't readily available where he's from. It is very refreshing. We went to Subway and I ordered my sandwich and he was right behind me. I said to the clerk I'll have lettuce and spinach. He said 'I'll have the same'. I said 'I'll have mayonnaise and he said 'same'. All the way through he said the same as me. When we sat down I said to him did you not understand what they were asking? He said 'yes I understood.' He was just overwhelmed by the choices we have. Something as simple as making a sandwich he holds dear."

Vlad hasn't had any issues making baskets. Clark describes his offensive prowess. "He has a good touch around the basket, he can shoot. In our conference he's been one of the best shooters and he's 6'7 and 235-240 pounds."

Volodymyr has fit in on the court leading TRU and ranking in the Canada West top 5 in points per game (18.4), field goal percentage (53.8) and three point percentage (44.3).

For Igorov there still was a learning curve on the hardwood. "I had to learn a bunch of stuff about basketball here in Canada. There is a big difference between European basketball philosophy and the North American one. There are more details involved in the preparation process and everything does matter. It's a pleasure to have such experience which makes me more proficient and mature in the game."

The ongoing challenge for Vlad will be making money not shots. The adjustment to a new economic reality is ongoing. "He's come from Ukraine in the last year and had to move while there for safety. He drove a cab to make a living. People make in one day here what they make in a month there. So he lives a very minimalist lifestyle. In Canada there is so much access that he's not accustom to."

Igorov has been doing odd jobs for spending money including working at summer volleyball and soccer games on campus and tutoring young players. Upon completion of his ESL classes he'll be given a work permit that will enable him to get full time work this summer.

"He's been able to get by because he's been able to work. He'll get through the year but he'll just get by. He can stay here for the summer so that should help him make money for next year," Clark admits.

With English not being his first language, academics were always going to be the Ukrainian's toughest challenge. "As for study, I had to change my approach because of the language barrier. I struggled my first month, but I ended well and passed all my classes last semester which made me proud of myself," Igorov says.

Igorov's success isn't without the help of those around him. "My coach Scott Clark has huge impact on me. Since day one he does everything to make myself feel comfortable in my new environment as well. I really appreciate that. I like my new teammates and they help me a lot on and off the court whether it is academic or personal matters. I got lucky to have such support."

The Thompson Rivers athletics department has checks and balances in place to foster Vlad's scholastic success. "First semester we make a mandatory study hall. We make sure to help him with his grammar for written papers. Also his teammates are supportive. He had an economics test first mid-term that he failed. He was disappointed but the other business students on the team supported him and helped him get a good mark. When you are on a team you support each other," stated his proud coach.

After leaving his friends and family, Vlad is savouring his new life opportunity with his Wolfpack family. "I'm looking forward to graduating from TRU and getting my degree in business because I understand that not everyone in my country has an opportunity to have high level education abroad and get a degree which would be recognized almost all over the world. It means a lot to me."

The leader of the team is more invested in the success the program may have in helping Vlad obtain a graduation ring rather than a championship ring. "The degree is the most important thing. If we fail to win a championship that wouldn't bother me near as much as if he didn't get his degree. He's going to be a productive member of society for a number of years. His productive years as a basketball player will dry up. You don't have to win a championship to be a champion."

Follow Donnovan on Twitter: @donnovanbennett