By Jadon Frank

Briercrest volleyball’s Scott Willms is a man of many talents, and he wants to use those gifts to glorify God and help those around him, both near and far.

The second-year middle stands at only 6’ 1,” making him small by positional standards, but he plays a large role, both athletically and as a leader to those around him.

“Scott is one of those athletes that has the ability to play at a consistent level and in a way that is extremely effective,” head coach Nigel Mullan said. “He is able to see the game at a unique level and think through things at a different rate which allows him to maximize his efforts to help the team succeed.”

The Calgary, AB native wants to serve his teammates perform to the best of their abilities.

“I think I bring a very calm and consistent manner in my mind and I think it shows on the court,” Willms said. “I play sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, but I think I have the same level in my head and I can help the other guys maintain that same consistent mindset as they play. That is very important in volleyball and I am going to try to do that for the guys this year.”

“Finding middles that want to serve the team and work to become efficient in a thankless position is quite difficult and having Scott on our team has allowed us to sure up our presence in the middle,” Mullan said.

Willms had already completed a degree before coming to Briercrest to play volleyball and this added maturity has made him an asset from a maturity and leadership stand point.

“He has worked hard to mentor his new teammates both on and off the floor,” said Mullan. “His desire to see both his team and his teammates grow and develop is evident in how he conducts himself.  He is consistently trying to go over and beyond what has been asked of him.”

Willms’ priority to see his teammates succeed is evident in his goals as an athlete.

“My goal is to win the ACAC provincials this year,” Willms said. “It is something I feel we missed out on last year, so I would like to pick up where we left off last season.  And, obviously, making it to nationals in Niagara Falls with the guys this year would be awesome.”

“The group of guys we have here is really special,” Willms said. “We are very tightly knit, you don’t find that on a lot of other teams. And just the fact that we have the similar goal of playing for God, it is awesome to share that with 14 other guys.”

Willms has been influenced and shaped in major ways by his Dad.

“He has modeled what a man after God’s own heart looks like,” Willms said. “I have seen him use his gifts for serving the Lord and blessing His kingdom. I have also seen him be challenged by his weaknesses and respond to these challenges with reverence and a motivation to learn and improve. I hope I can grow up to be half the man he is!”

“The best piece of advice I have ever received is to meditate on what it means to truly trust in the Lord and give our lives to Him in sacrifice,” Willms said. “Rather than worrying about our problems, we could be using that time to solve many others. In other words, embrace the present because God has control of the future.”

Though Willms is already in his sixth year of post-secondary education, he does not plan to quit anytime soon.

“When I am done at Briercrest I want to get into med school, to be either an orthopedic surgeon or a pediatrician, and then take that with me and travel,” Willms said. “I was in Europe this summer (in Italy leading a team of volunteers to serve at a kid’s camp) and would love to continue to do that and see more places. There are some beautiful spots that God has created. I would like to split my time between North America and other parts of the world where I could serve using the talents God has given me.”