Jason Donnelly, a fixture in the Santa Barbara volleyball community who left town four years ago to accept an assistant coaching position with the Rutgers women’s program, is back on the local high school sidelines as the boys coach at Bishop Diego.
Before leaving for New Jersey, Donnelly built Laguna Blanca into a volleyball powerhouse. As the girls coach, his teams played in five CIF finals and won the school’s first title in 2006. He was named CIF co-coach of the Year and the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table’s high school coach of the year.
Jason Donnelly is the head boys volleyball coach at Bishop Diego.
His boys teams captured seven Condor League titles.
He also was successful with the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club, taking a team to Junior Olympics national championships in 2007. He is currently coaching the club’s 18-under girls team.
Donnelly played for Jon Lee at San Marcos and was a member of the Royals’ 1991 CIF championship squad that included Todd Rogers and Dax Holdren.
After a four-year playing career at Pacific, where he received his degree in psychology, Donnelly returned to Santa Barbara to start his coaching career. He worked as an assistant for Lee at San Marcos in 1995 and the following year became co-head coach with Rogers at Laguna Blanca.
He took over the program when Rogers decided to devote full time to a career as a pro beach volleyball player.
Donnelly’s first match will be against his alma mater on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Jon Lee Court.
Presidiosports asked Donnelly to spend some time answering questions about his return to Santa Barbara:
PS: The first one is the obvious. Why you decided to come back to Santa Barbara after your stint at Rutgers?
JD: Our decision to come back to Santa Barbara was a very difficult one. When my wife, Kim, and I made the move, basically for me to be able to get some college coaching experience, we said that after three full seasons we were going to evaluate where we were and make a decision about our future. When that time came, after this past season, it was pretty clear that to both of us that it was time to come home.
PS: Tell us about your experience coaching at the Division 1 level.
JD: I really enjoyed coaching at the Division I level. Being at a big-time college sports school, in the middle of the Big East conference, was a great experience for me. I was able to learn a lot about the administrative and business side of college athletics, and now have a great handle on the entire recruiting process.
From a volleyball stand point, I was given a great deal of responsibility and am very proud of our efforts in the gym. Getting a Division I program off the ground is not an easy task, especially when not dealing with an equal allotment of scholarships, but with a lot of hard work on all ends of the spectrum, Rutgers volleyball is now on the map.
PS: From that experience, have you changed in the way you handle athletes?
JD: I’m not sure if my handling of athletes has changed too much. The difference between working with high school student-athletes and college student-athletes has mainly to do with the period of their lives you are helping them get through, and the amount of time you spend with them. In college, you can practice longer, competitions are longer, and when you add the amount of travel time, you literally spend more time with the team than with your family.
PS: How did you get the Bishop Diego job? Did they contact you?
JD: To be honest, I read on presidiosports.com, which is how I stayed in touch with the SB sports scene, that Joe Reiken was changing jobs at Bishop Diego, and would be no longer coaching volleyball. When I knew we were thinking about coming home, I called (athletic director) Dan Peeters and we talked about the boys job. He gave me some time to sort through a pretty big decision, and once it was official that we were coming home, he was one of the first calls I made to accept the position
PS: What kind of reaction did you get from the volleyball community when they heard you were returning to Santa Barbara?
JD: I think for the most part the volleyball community was happy for me to be coming home. The people who know me well knew that coaching in college was a goal of mine, and this was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. But the bottom line is that Santa Barbara is our home, and this is where we wanted to be.
PS: So, now that you’re back, I imagine you expect to guide Bishop to the CIF Finals, right?
JD: I want to work for a school that wants to produce high level student-athletes, and is willing to do what it takes to compete for championships in their respective division. In college athletics, without the necessary funding, it’s nearly impossible to compete with some of the top volleyball schools. At Bishop Diego, and you can see it in the success of other sports, the administration recognizes the value in high school athletics and aspires for league and CIF Championships. There is a buzz around town about Bishop, and I’m glad to be on board.
PS: Dillan Bennett, all of 19 years old, is the new coach at Laguna. What is your reaction to that?
JD: I was really excited when I heard that Dillan was getting the opportunity to coach at Laguna. His passion for volleyball is evident to anyone he comes in contact with and I can only imagine how much his kids see that. Even though he’s a little on the young side, his experience around volleyball and the support from his AD will afford him the opportunity to have a steep learning curve, and work towards becoming a great coach.
PS: How good does it feel to back home?
JD: Kim and I had a great experience on the east coast. We took a calculated risk in moving across the country, and it really paid off for us. I’m constantly trying to push our athletes outside their comfort zones, and here I was, living in Santa Barbara, as comfortable as one could ever be, needing a new challenge. We were happy to go and see a different part of the U.S., but that level of happiness pales in comparison to how it feels to be back in SB. Like the old saying goes, there’s no place like home.
Nice article Coach :)