By DAVID WINER
Mississauga Sports
Published January 7, 2026
Mississauga Pakmen have come leaps and bounds since their meager beginnings in 2002.
Cooked up by a dozen avid athletes who preprosperously implored their Grade 8 teacher to prolong their indoor season by forming a club to participate in the Ontario Volleyball Association.
With little backing and even less financing, the core consisting of integral David Leeder Middle School members Jessy Satti, Terrel Bramwell, Andre Smith, Kadeem Clarke, Wilson Kha and Jordan Langley, under the helmsmanship of teacher and coach Kelly Smith, departed on a wandering adventure.
And, according to famed 1500s explorer Sir Francis Drake, “From small, humble beginnings comes the foundation of greatness.”
Those pioneering Pakmen inexplicably accomplished the ultimate gold medal prize defeating well respected clubs for the Provincial indoor championship in their inaugural year.
The next year Pakmen included two teams in the OVA.
“We practiced at the David Leeder gyms at night twice a week and competed in OVA tournaments around the GTA and occasionally out of town,” brought back joyful memories for Pakmen founder Smith about those humble beginnings. “There was one tournament in Sudbury where we slept on the floor on gym mats and in sleeping bags in a classroom at the college where it was being held to save money.”
The Pakmen got off their collective mats the following years to eventually become the largest club in Canada with thousands of grassroots competitors and over 300 rep players.
Yet despite the massive numbers Pakmen continue to operate as a family akin to the popular sitcom Cheers beginning in the early 1980s.
“Where everyone knows your name. And they’re always glad you came. You wanna go where people know people are all the same. You wanna go where everybody knows your name.”
Attending any Pakmen practice, game, or tournament, present-day players often meet original members from that first Pakmen squad, including club head coach Satti.
And on an especially special day Pakmen youngsters may meet and be greeted by Canadian Senior National Team stars and Olympians Xander Ketrzynski and Sharone Vernon-Evans, who grew up through the ranks and currently play professionally.
On another day it might be National stars Cory Schoenherr and Jackson Young paying a visit. Or youngsters may shake hands with Next Gen Men’s National Team members Cole Duncanson, Kaden Schmidt and Tom Sorra, or Next Gen women’s member Raeven Chase, or beach volleyball Olympian Daniel Dearing.
“The kids are always amazed when Sharone walks into the building … ”
Kelly Smith
“The kids are always amazed when Sharone walks into the building — both because of his sheer size — 6-foot-9 and because of his charisma and kindness,” says Smith. “They will literally wait in line for his autograph at the end of the day. He will give the same time and attention to a reporter that he gives to an 8-year-old who asks him a question.”
Alumni often returning to their roots brings Smith immense pride. Not just National Team members and international professionals.
“I was fortunate to have been a middle school teacher for 30 years where I met thousands of great kids and we ended up hiring many of them down the road,” proudly says Smith. “It didn’t matter if they were great volleyball players or not, we were looking for great people.
“We now have 100 coaches in the club and I taught or coached at least half of them.”
And together with their players they all share the joys and thrills of watching Pakmen graduates generate the oohs and aahs with gobsmasking highlights recorded on youtube.
“It always impresses me to see how far our Pakmen alumni have come,” says Smith. “It feels like every week I see a new highlight — whether it’s a university game in Canada or a professional league clip from Korea, Poland, or elsewhere.
“I truly believe the (club greats) are a big part of the Pakmen reputation. Today’s athletes love watching high-level volleyball, whether it’s live at college matches or online through professional leagues. What’s really special is seeing how volleyball players are becoming more like public figures in our community.
“Sharone, Jackson, Xander and others are becoming household names within Pakmen. We constantly have younger athletes asking about them, watching their highlights, and talking about wanting to play like them one day.
“What makes it even better is that many of these athletes come back and help with our programs. That means a lot to us, because they’re not just succeeding individually — they’re giving back and strengthening the community that helped shape them. That impact goes far beyond volleyball and plays a huge role in building our program and our reputation.
“Our brand has grown significantly over the years. We’ve always developed players who moved on to compete at the university level, but now we’re seeing more of our athletes take that next step and represent Canada or play in top international leagues. When you’re coaching them, you see them as talented kids with huge potential. But years later, seeing what they’ve become is something that still amazes me.
“It was incredible to realize that even in other parts of the world, people are talking about our club.”
Kelly Smith
“We were fortunate to have some guest coaches from USA Volleyball join us this past summer at our facility in Mississauga — Alan Knipe (Long Beach), John Kessel (USA Volleyball), and Doug Beal (USA Volleyball) — to run clinics with our program. One thing that really stood out to us was how familiar they already were with Pakmen and the work we do. It was incredible to realize that even in other parts of the world, people are talking about our club and recognize the impact we’ve had on the sport. Seeing that level of awareness and respect from such established coaches was very humbling and extremely rewarding.”
Despite all of the club’s successes as well as their graduates’ national and international achievements, Smith is often caught off guard at how dramatically the Pakmen brand has grown in the past two decades.
“A day does not go by without me wondering how this all happened,” reflects Smith. “Every time I go to Square One, I see at least one person wearing a Pakmen T-Shirt or hoodie. Our landlord’s kids were in Pakmen. The owner of another unit in our building’s daughter was in the club. A FedEx driver dropped off a parcel the other day and commented that his kid is in Pakmen. It never ceases to amaze — and delight me.”
National Team head coach Daniel Lewis is well aware of the Pakmen reputation with two of their grads helping to comprise the 10th best program in the world behind the likes of Poland, Italy, Brazil, France and the USA and rated higher than Germany, Cuba, Serbia, Turkey and Belgium.
“Xander and Sharone have been great additions to the men’s national program … ”
Daniel Lewis
“Xander and Sharone have been great additions to the men’s national program,” said Lewis, who took over the National Team this year. “Although they took different pathways, they both arrived at the top level of international volleyball.
“Sharone brings a unique physical frame and capacity and was able to accelerate to professional volleyball very quickly after his youth programs (attending the full time training centre in Gatineau straight out of Agincourt Collegiate). This was a very unique pathway and was only accomplished once before to my knowledge. He is good spirited and determined with a strong volleyball knowledge. I’m excited to work with Sho at the top level internationally.
“Xander,” added Lewis, “is a special athlete who gives 100 percent effort all the time and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that before where an athlete is capable of giving 100 percent full effort systematically day after day. In my opinion, he’s a 10 out of 10 character and an important part to the men’s program.”
“I believe athletes from Pakmen have a strong reputation for high-level volleyball, a strong skill base and understanding of the game,” continued Lewis. “And, the athletes who have made the top level have always had good character. I’ve also met many Pakmen athletes while I was coaching Rep and they all have had good skill levels, were well mannered and were a pleasure to train on the court.”
“The future for Xander and Vernon-Evans is a strong continued professional career with a well balanced mix of National Team (representation) as we pursue an Olympic berth at the LA 2028 Olympics.”
By then, Ketrzynski and Vernon-Evans may be joined by other Pakmen grads on that LA Olympic squad.
Schmidt, Duncanson and Sorra train under the guidance of Next Gen head coach Dave Preston, who was a legendary head coach for over two decades at McMaster, coached the Australian men’s team and assisted with the Canadian National Team.
Returning home earlier this week from Gatineau where he worked eight months, nine times a week with Next Gen players, who are one retirement or an injury away from stepping up to the National Team.
I think (Pakmen’s) breadth and scope is different from any other club … ”
Dave Preston
“Over the Olympic cycle the (National senior team) can turn over due to life’s circumstances,” explains Preston whose Next Gen players provide, “depth in the roster.”
Preston adds Sorra, Duncanson and Schmidt “are all at different points in their careers.
“Sorra is a seasoned veteran playing at a high level, who is showing great leadership. Cole is on the rise, who was the top middle blocker at the Pan-Am Cup. He’s just starting his pro career.
“Schmidt is in university ripping up the CanWest who leads the country in kills per set.”
The fact that all three players are products of the Pakmen program doesn’t surprise Preston.
“I think (Pakmen’s) breadth and scope is different from any other club I know from grassroots to the performance stages.”
Preston adds that “the grassroots base (at Pakmen) fall in love with the game and there’s a linear pathway for them with Pakmen offering two to three teams per age group all the way up to the National level.”
And supervising the successful Pakmen program is head coach and original member Satti. With his experience over the years graduating from player to coach, Satti isn’t surprised with any of the graduates’ accomplishments, yet still thrilled as a proud dad, or perhaps older brother.
“It’s really cool for me to see how far so many of our alumni have come and where volleyball has taken their careers,” said Satti.
“I coached Sharone from when he was 14. At that time he was very tall for his age, but still uncoordinated, so we knew he had a lot of potential based on his physical tools and work ethic. Watching him grow into a professional volleyball player by the age of 18 was pretty impressive, but seeing him become an Olympian and represent our country was one of the proudest moments I’ve ever had with a former athlete.”
Satti is just as proud with Ketrzynski and Young even if he didn’t coach them as long.
“Jackson Young and Xander both played 18U for me, and I always knew they had a huge capacity for the sport,” said Satti. “With Xander’s size and sheer power, I knew he was going to be a force. In his first year of U SPORTS, he made a massive impact and became an All-Canadian, which didn’t surprise me at all. Seeing that level of dominance translate to the national team and then to the Olympics just confirmed what we already knew — there was always going to be a place for someone with his physical abilities in the game.
“Jackson was interesting because he started volleyball later than most athletes. He didn’t get much exposure to the sport until he joined the club at 17U. But Jackson is a freak athlete — his vertical jump and athleticism immediately stood out. Over his university career, he developed a high volleyball IQ and became much more complete as a player. He was definitely a late bloomer, and I love seeing how he continues to improve his skill set every year.
“Tom Sorra was a phenomenal setter, and the opposite of Jackson in that he was a top player from the moment he picked up a volleyball. I remember watching Tom before he joined Pakmen at 13/14U and being really impressed with his volleyball IQ at such a young age. His deep understanding of the game is what allowed him to develop into such a high-level setter. He’s always been a great leader and someone who ran a strong, organized offense for his teams.
“I always call Kaden a Pakmen lifer. He started in our developmental house league programs and played his entire club career with us from 13U to 18U. Kaden is now a physical force at Trinity Western and is having an outstanding collegiate career. I’m really excited to see his trajectory because he’s still young and has already started contributing to our national team programs.”
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Schmidt has been an outside hitter for the Trinity Western Spartans in Langley, B.C. the past three years. He owes much of his success to his earlier training.
“Being pushed to be your best every day isn’t something you’ll get everywhere”
Schmidt
“I believe that the Pakmen coaches really put an emphasis on serve/pass which at the next level is everything,” said Schmidt. “The coaches made it clear how important it was clearly showing their passion each and every day to help teach me and my teammates.
“I think the biggest way Pakmen separates themselves from the rest is that they teach us how to win, which in itself I believe is a skill. Being pushed to be your best every day isn”t something you”ll get everywhere.”
“Pakmen helped me develop and grow into who I am today,” added Schmidt. “Looking back at my time with Pakmen, I can think of so many lessons I learnt. How to be a good teammate, how to be a good opponent, the principles of showing up on time and respecting my coaches and teammates along with many more, but I think the skills I learned there will definitely translate into whatever I choose to do next in life.”
Schmidt will likely go the professional route as has his Next Gen Pakmen teammates Duncanson, a 6-foot-9 middle blocker and the 6-foot-3 Sorra, a setter, are currently teammates in the Czech Republic for SKV Usti nad Labem with fellow Canadian Max Haronga.
“My time with the National Team this summer was nothing short of amazing,” explained Schmidt. “Being able to train with the best in the country is something I”ll be able to take with me for the rest of my life and I also think that it really helped me develop as an athlete especially. I think training with those guys in summer will really help me to prepare for when I decide to go play pro in the future. This past summer was my first summer with the next (Gen) team, but I played on the year 21 team two years prior.”
But for now, Schmidt continues to lead Trinity in their fight for the No. 1 ranking in the West and all of Canada.
“Life has been great at university,” says Schmidt. “I’m currently living with my teammates right now, and I think us doing life together off the court a ton has really translated to us performing well on the court.”
Unlike many top ranked Pakmen grads, Ketrzynski grew up on the volleyball court and knew what sport he was going to pursue from an early age.
Xander followed in his father Alex’s footsteps, who helped Canada earn their best-ever finish at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, finishing just out of the medals in fourth. Among Alex’s other achievements was winning silver the year before at the World University Games.
Xander was born close to 16 years after his dad’s Olympics, but he’s heard many of the heroics over time.
“(My dad) has shared a lot of stories about his adventures and experiences playing for the National Team. He would talk a lot about the enjoyment he found in working hard to achieve greatness with his teammates!”
Perhaps more than anything, Xander and his talented volleyball playing brothers Trent and Cole, have learned what it takes to succeed from their father.
“He would always talk about how he used to workout for two hours then practice as hard as he could and that his favourite part of volleyball was pushing himself as hard as he could.”
Combined with the Pakmen experience, it’s no surprise Xander has excelled at every level.
Graduating to the Toronto Metropolitan University, Xander settled in immediately being named USports Rookie of the Year, as well as OUA Player of the Year.
After a dominant collegiate career, the 25-year-old has played internationally beginning in 2020 with Al Sadd in Doha, Qatar, followed by stops in Serbia with Ribnica Kraljevo, Austria with SK Aich/Dob, Germany with SVG Luneburg, and this year in France with AS Cannes Dragons.
In the midst of it all, Ketrzynski has represented Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Canada placed 10th.
“(Pakmen and my dad) were big parts of the journey,” said Xander. “I learned a lot from both. Pakmen was a great place to develop my skills and compete with and against the best in the province. And my dad spent a lot of time playing with me and my brothers teaching us a lot about the game.”
Xander’s final year with Pakmen remains among his favorite moments.
“My favourite memory was winning 18U Nationals …”
Xander Ketrzynski
“My favourite memory was winning 18U Nationals because it was something we worked to achieve for so many years, so when it happened, it was such an incredible moment,” said Xander. “One of the biggest things that impacted me during that season was the goal setting we made at the beginning of the season which set the tone for the season and every time we practiced or played.
“We often talk about our road to winning in 2018 and how we went from almost being eliminated to not losing a set in the playoffs.”
Good times have continued on the international level with the National squad.
“I’ve had some amazing experiences with the team and hopefully there’s more to come,” said Xander. “I didn’t come with any expectations, but I’ve enjoyed competing and training with the team and I’m looking forward to more opportunities to compete with them!
“A special moment for me with the national team was when we first stepped on the court this past summer. It was special because you could feel that the guys were excited and ready to compete and also play for each other. It’s hard to describe, but it’s special to play with a group with that much energy.”
Unlike Xander, Vernon-Evans had no volleyball figures to look up to. Growing up in Scarborough, basketball drew much of his attention.
But somewhere along the way, Vernon-Evans” attention turned to volleyball and his interests grew in a big way.
“I always thought the travelling time and distance to Pakmen practices (in Mississauga) was worth it. I took the public transit so often I knew playing for Pakmen is something I wanted to do, otherwise I wouldn’t have been willing to make that trip 3-4 times a week to play.
“I credit Pakmen a lot for believing in me from the start even when I showed no signs of being as good as I have become. They are a major part of that support system. I am always in touch with Pakmen. Some of my best friends came from there. I’ve also been coaching summer camps the past four years giving me a great way to stay in touch.
“I’m usually coaching summer camps, so I’m not often with the rep kids to see them playing, but I hope they are aspiring to be the best version of themselves that they can be. I do feel like many rep kids recognize me and the club often does a great job celebrating my accomplishments.”
And the accomplishments continue to ascend with every highlight play and winning accomplishment.
Vernon-Evans began his professional career with ONICO Warszawa in Poland in 2017. After two years in Warsaw, he competed for two years in Italy with Consar Ravenna, followed by Sir Safety Perugia. Next stop for the 27-year-old opposite hitter was with the Osaka Blazers in Japan for four seasons. This year, Vernon-Evans is in Suwon, Korea with the KEPCO Vixtorm.
No matter where Vernon-Evans plays, he’s always kept his Pakmen family close to heart.
Both figuratively and literally.
Vernon-Evans met and fell in love with former Pakmen five-year rep team star Kaylee Glagau and they tied the knot two years ago. While Vernon-Evans was competing in Asia, Glagau recently completed a standout collegiate career at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, where she was a four-time All-Conference player and a two-time AVCA first-team All-American.
“I thank everyone along the way, notably Kelly, Jessy, Phil (Rodriguez) and Parvir (Jhajj). And some of my best friends come from the club including Parvir, Kadeem, Terrel (Bramwell), Alex Dang, Arjun (Selhi) etc. etc. They all mean a lot to me.
“I don’t tend to think about the past too much as I’m always focused on where I am and where I am headed. But I always believed if I set my mind to my goals I could achieve it. I am definitely blessed with a great support system throughout my journey that has given me everything I need to pursue those dreams.”
“Going to the (Tokyo) Olympics (in 2020) was a dream come true ”
Sharone Vernon-Evans
And Sharone’s decade away from home has left him with a myriad of experiences.
“Some highlights include going to different countries and getting to play the sport I love. Having a chance to learn about different cultures,” he said, adding, “Going to the (Tokyo) Olympics (in 2020) was a dream come true and being able to compete on that elite stage representing myself and those who helped me get there was such a special moment.”
Stepping away from the indoor game from 2022-2024, Vernon-Evans enjoyed a number of beach volleyball accomplishments before recently returning to the National indoor program.
“Well really I just wanted a break from the indoor team and wanted to be home,” explained Vernon-Evans. “Beach allowed me to continue playing while also giving me the chance to spend more time at home, which was the main reason for me after dedicating many years to the Olympic push.
“I decided to return because my mother wished to see me play on the national team again so I did it for her. I don’t find it so difficult to switch back and forth as I’ve done it for many years of my volleyball career, I also don’t change my style of play much from indoor to beach so that helps substantially.”
After a break from the indoor program, Vernon-Evans returned without missing a step.
“It was nice to get back out there and play,” said Vernon-Evans. “I always love to compete so having the chance is always special. I enjoyed just playing. The game gives me so much peace and certainty in my abilities that allows me to just play free and not focus on the outcome of my performance.
“Being out there representing my family and friends is always something I love to do. They give me so much strength to be able to do this year in and year out.”
While Pakmen have made an imprint on the National stage “year in and year out’, whispers of Pakmen accomplishments are beginning to appear abroad in such countries as France, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Japan, Korea, etc. as Pakmen heroics continue to grow professionally and with Canada’s international accomplishments.