Laguna Blanca's Dillan Bennett will be the youngest boys varsity volleyball coach in Santa Barbara County. (Photo by Arabella Weston-Smith)
Dillan Bennett is so passionate about volleyball, when he got hired to coach the boys team at Laguna Blanca School this spring, he tapped some of the best minds in the game to prepare himself for the job.
Bennett picked the brains of three-time Olympic gold medalist Karch Kiraly, UCLA coach Al Scates, Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy and current U.S. women’s national team coach Hugh McCutcheon, gleaning a wealth of information that would benefit a young coach.
“They have been great mentors and have answered many of my questions as far as coaching goes, and they have invited me to take part in their practices to learn first hand how they do what they do,” said Bennett.
At the tender age of 19, Bennett is the youngest high school varsity volleyball coach in the county and possibly in the CIF-Southern Section.
But he is quick to point out that his age should not make a difference in whether he can coach.
“My age should not play a part in any discussion,” he stressed. “The Laguna Blanca community and the volleyball community all know me and have the utmost confidence in my ability to coach volleyball.”
Mike Biermann, Laguna Blanca’s athletic director, said he couldn’t believe Bennett’s age when he interviewed him for a job as a coach of the girls volleyball team at the middle school last year.
“What first impressed me about Dillan was his maturity. He’s wise beyond his years,” Biermann said. “The first few minutes I was speaking with him I thought he was mid to late 20s.
“I was surprised when he revealed his age.”
Biermann also was impressed by Bennett’s references: retired San Marcos coach Jon Lee, former Laguna Blanca coach Jason Donnelly and current Laguna girls coach Jim Alzina, to name a few.
“They all said you can’t go wrong by hiring Dillan.”
As Biermann watched Bennett interact with middle school kids, he noticed the young man was no ordinary 19 year old.
“As I observed him coach, three things became clear; he’s very organized, he knows the game and how to teach it, and he had the respect of the kids.”
Those qualities helped Bennett land a job as the boys varsity assistant coach last spring and the girls frosh/soph coach in the fall.
“I wanted to observe him interacting and coaching student athletes in high school, some only a year or two younger than he is,” Biermann said. “Again he impressed me with his energy, his willingness to work and his complete devotion to the game and the kids. The high school kids respect him immensely. They respond to his demands. He is clear in his presentations, his breakdown of skills and his communication with the kids and parents. And, he’s very willing to learn and realizes he still has much to learn about the profession.”
Bennett said the support from the players, parents and faculty has been great.
“The parents got to know me last year as the assistant coach to Bob Sanchez,” he said. “I think without that first year of assisting the parents would be a little more hesitant. As far as the faculty here at Laguna goes, they have been nothing but supportive. The key mistake many people make in judging me is they look at my age and say, ‘This guy is 19, what does he know about anything?’ Once you sit down and have a conversation with me, those ideas dissolve because they realize I am very level headed. I think through all possible situations, and I don’t jump to conclusions on matters before thinking them through.”
A standout beach doubles player (he earned a AA beach rating before his 18th birthday, won several youth tournaments, and last summer captured a pair of U.S. Open beach titles: the men’s A and coed A), Bennett got his feet wet in coaching when he started working at Jon Lee’s youth beach volleyball camps and George Richardson’s Mr. Volleyball camps at age 15.
After playing his senior year at Dos Pueblos, he enrolled at City College, where he served as a volunteer coach for the men’s volleyball team. He is still taking classes at SBCC while juggling his coaching responsibilities.
Last fall, Bennett assisted Alzina with the Laguna Blanca girls varsity. In addition, he started and coached a boys 14-15 club team, the East Beach Volleyball Club.
“Since I began coaching volleyball on the beach at 15 years old, I have always dreamed of coaching a high school volleyball team and being involved with athletics,” Bennett said. “Laguna Blanca has a rich tradition of volleyball success, thanks to Jason Donnelly and Bob Sanchez, so the challenge of keeping the success at a high level is a challenge I look forward to.”
Biermann is confident Bennett will continue the winning tradition at Laguna Blanca.
“I’ve interviewed coaching candidates his age many times, and the majority of them aren’t ready to coach even at the middle school level,” he said. “Dillan is different in that respect. I think I made the right choice. Time will tell.”
Laguna Blanca chose wisely when they hired Dillan Bennett as the coach for the boys volleyball team. Given the chance Dillan will take the team further than anyone believed they could, especially led by a 19 yr old. I believe the enthusiasm,passion and love he has for the game will become contagious and infect all the players,turning them into an unstoppable force!!