Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Possessing an intriguing arsenal of moves, a terrific shot and a nose for the net, the latest addition to MacEwan men's soccer head coach Adam Loga's 2024 recruiting class is among the top talents in the city.
Miles Frett-Baptiste out of BTB Soccer Academy, who has tons of potential to be a strong striker for the Griffins for years to come, will kick off his Canada West career with MacEwan in 2024-25.
"I'm really excited for the future, the potential he could have at MacEwan," said Loga, who first saw Frett-Baptiste at a Whitecaps camp, getting to know him even better through a friend's training program (Strides Athletics) in the city. "He's so smooth, athletic. His biomechanics … he moves so well. Good size to him.
"With (veterans) Tobie (Abass Ajibade), Ricky (Rakan Yassin), Stew (Stewart Jamieson) and Chance (Carter) all in their last season with us, Miles doesn't need to come in and make an impact tomorrow. If he does, amazing. But with managed expectations, he can focus on his development over the next 8-12 months and hopefully will be a huge player for us in the future."
That he's been able to develop at BTB Academy under current Griffins assistant coach Allan Zebie – alongside a few current Griffins players, to boot – has been huge, as well. It's becoming a bit of a pipeline to the Griffins, most notably producing U SPORTS All-Rookie team member and Griffins leading scorer Philip Masri last season.
"It's nice they've been under the guidance of Allan," said Loga. "He knows what we're about at MacEwan, he knows what we like as a staff, as a program and as a department. It's one thing for them to be talented on the pitch, but for them to be humans we want within the program and classroom … they fit what we want, they fit our mold.
"Being first-year athletes, it makes it a bit more seamless for them – for myself to build that relationship, but to have that familiar face in Allan with us on the sideline and at training will hopefully make the transition to university footie a bit easier for them."
Frett-Baptiste's resume includes winning an Edmonton Minor Soccer Association crown and provincial title with BTB's U17 squad in 2023, while also helping them finish second at nationals. Also in 2023, he was named Man of the Match at the FTF Showcase in Edmonton.
The striker has big potential to create offence for the Griffins as he grows into the level at Canada West.
"He'll cause problems for the opposition, for sure, with his size, pace and athleticism," said Loga. "We're going to try and develop his game sense a bit more and get him a bit more of a bite. I think that will come with more competitive training environment and competitive games as he develops.
"He's a smart kid, as well. He'll be great for MacEwan as a whole."
