Blazers MVB Ink Rising Star Adrian Deer
The CMU Men's Volleyball program is very pleased to announce the commitment of Adrian Deer for the 2024-25 MCAC season. The Glenlawn and 204 Volleyball Club product will bring a high level of athleticism and passion for bringing his game to the next level with the Blazers in the fall.
Playing both at middle and left side throughout the high school season, Deer led the Lions to an MHSAA "AAAA" Provincials Final Fours appearance as co-captain, the first time that Glenlawn has reached the provincial semi final in over twenty years. The team was successful throughout the year, featuring in the final in the University of Winnipeg Invitational, Men's St Vital Invitational, and DMCI Varsity Boys Tournament prior to the ultimate Manitoba championship. Deer was named MHSAA Graduating All-Star for his impact during the season, and parlayed his improvement over the year and experience playing in plenty of big-game situations into a promotion to the top 204 Gold team for his final year of club eligibility. Also a member of Glenlawn's varsity hockey and basketball teams, Deer works on his all-around athleticism over the entire year. An assistant captain with the hockey team, Deer continues to work on his leadership skills, and is someone who leads by example on and off the playing surface. The varsity basketball squad were winners of the Garden Valley Collegiate Varsity Boys Tournament, and with his high school sports commitments now done for the year, Deer looks to ramp up his volleyball once again for the club season.
Within the 204 Club system, Deer has featured primarily in the middle, using his athleticism to beat out taller competition in the middle of the court. His development from the 204 Cardinal squad to the Gold squad is notable, as he now faces bigger challenges on a weekly basis in practices and competitions, continuing his upward rise in the ranks, aided also by his off-court training regimen. Earlier this spring the team competed at the Best of the West tournament in Calgary, and will look forward to the provincial championships and then Volleyball Canada Youth Nationals held in Edmonton in May.
Deer will face off with a few other of the Blazers' newest recruits at Volleyball Manitoba Provincial Club Championships, including members of WinMan Volleyball Levi Johnston and Curran Chan, as well as Brandon Volleyball Club's Xavier Folkerts. He looks forward to competing against higher competition and older student-athletes at the university level, and is eager to test his skills at that level. Blazers head coach Don Dulder knows he's getting a player that will push his teammates to improve along with him, noting "Adrian comes from successful programs at Glenlawn and 204 Gold, and with hard work he can become a good college player and add to our team success. A versatile player that can play middle or left side, he will give our team depth at both positions. I like players who want to be part of our program, with a team first attitude, and Adrian fits the bill in that regard."
Following a seventh-consecutive MCAC Finals appearance this February, the Blazers will once again look to make an appearance on the national stage next season when the CCAA Men's Volleyball Nationals are held here in Manitoba, hosted by the Providence Pilots. For the first time in CCAA history, two teams from Manitoba will make the championships in a bid to increase the middle province's visibility on the national stage and show why Manitoba is still a hot bed of top talent in the country. The CCAA is the national body for collegiate athletics in Canada, offering 10 national championships in seven sports. Now finished its third full year of participation, the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference joins five other established CCAA conferences; PacWest (BC), ACAC (Alberta-Sask), OCAA (Ontario), RSEQ (Quebec) and ACAA (Atlantic).
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