Connor Grandbois bet on himself and now he's making sure it pays off. Grandbois, a 6-foot-7 forward from Dakota Collegiate and Central Canada Prep, is the newest member of Mike Raimbault's 2025 men's basketball recruiting class, joining a burgeoning group of top-level local talent.
A product of Kenora, Ont., Grandbois made a crucial decision prior to his Grade 12 year to leave home with the primary goal of one day playing post-secondary basketball.
The leap might not have been easy for some, but Grandbois said it was important he gave himself every opportunity to play university ball. He joined the Lancers for his Grade 12 year, was named a graduating all-star, and then played a post-grad season for CCP and head coach Nick Lother.
"I wanted to take (basketball) further and my dad just kind of said 'Well, if you want to try and do something, we gotta make a move,'" Grandbois said.
"I was moving away from my family and there were certainly some difficulties with that but, at the same time, I was just so certain about it. I was just pretty excited to get the opportunity, more than anything."
The decision was made easier for Grandbois by the fact his aunt and uncle both lived in Winnipeg and provided him a landing spot. Another added benefit, both of them have experience as elite athletes: his aunt, Charlene Mash, played university basketball for Manitoba in the late-80s and his uncle is Terry Hadlow, a renowned national-team weightlifter who was selected for the Canadian Olympic squads in 1980 and 1984.
"They were super-helpful with information on training and nutrition, recovery, how to take care of my body, and my aunt was always — and still is — quite supportive with advice on effort and competition and drive, things like that," he said. "They've really helped so, so much just being able to be in that environment."
Lother, a former Wesmen, and Dakota coach Dean Favoni both played key roles in linking Grandbois with Raimbault. They met in the Fall of 2024 and Grandbois said he quickly bought into what the Wesmen coach was preaching.
"Connor is an intelligent young man with a high work ethic," Raimbault said. "He has a lot of room to grow and we are excited about the opportunity to work with him."
Grandbois said he's not shy about putting in the work, and is excited for the next step in his basketball career.
"I think I have a lot of room to grow, but I think I bring a positive attitude to the team and I'm someone who will bring a lot of hustle and I will just get what needs to get done for us to be a winning team.
"It gets better and better every day. The more time I spend with the team or doing workouts, the closer we get to that first day it gets more and more exciting."