Laguna Blanca has hired Jason Donnelly as its new athletic director and girls volleyball coach, the school announced Monday.
Donnelly, a fixture in the local volleyball community, is currently the varsity boys and girls volleyball coach, associate athletic director and a PE teacher at Bishop Diego. He’ll replace Mike Biermann as the athletic director at Laguna Blanca. Biermann accepted the same position at Besant Hill, a boarding school in Ojai. Biermann lives in Ojai.
Donnelly will be returning to the coaching position he held for 10 years before leaving for an NCAA Division 1 assistant coaching job at Rutgers in New Jersey. Jim Alzina replaced Donnelly in 2008 and resigned after the 2014 season due to family and business reasons.
Jason Donnelly will be the new athletic director at Laguna Blanca.
Laguna Blanca was the first head coaching job for Donnelly. He and Todd Rogers were co-coaches in 1995 before Rogers turned his energy toward a pro beach volleyball career.
Under Donnelly, the Owls went to the CIF Finals five times and won the 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.
“Laguna is extremely fortunate to have Jason in these positions,” said Biermann in a statement. “His coaching resume speaks for itself and he will bring high energy and enthusiasm to the entire program. I couldn’t be happier for him and the Laguna community.”
Said Bishop Diego AD Dan Peeters: “I am excited for Jason. It has been a pleasure to work with him the past four years. He is an excellent coach and a quality person. I wish him nothing but the best and I know he will do well in his new position.”
Donnelly said he learned a lot during his time at Bishop Diego.
“Bishop has been a great place for me, nothing but an extremely positive experience,” he said. “The leadership there is top notch, and AD Dan Peeters gave me a great opportunity to learn the ins and outs of athletic administration. My years working with Dan, as well as Mike Biermann have prepared me to accept the challenges that come with being an independent school athletic director.”
Donnelly played volleyball for the legendary Jon Lee at San Marcos and was a member of the Royals’ 1991 CIF championship squad that included 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 before he and Rogers joined forces at Laguna Blanca.
“At the end of the day, this is a wonderful opportunity for my family, as well as for my professional career,” Donnelly said. “To be able to return to the sidelines of Merovick Gymnasium, where we built a program from the ground up and to help continue to grow an already outstanding athletic department was just too good to pass up.”
Donnelly has also been a successful club volleyball coach.
With Donnelly’s departure, Bishop Diego is looking for a varsity girls volleyball coach. Any one interested should contact Bishop AD Peeters.
Laguna Blanca is so lucky to have Jason Donnelly. Donnelly is not only a great coach and educator – but he truly is an excellent mentor and does everything in his capacity to make sure his student athletes find the right college and are on the right track for a bright future. He was the best all sports and life coach I’ve ever worked with. When we first met, I was a challenging teenager, and I became a better person for his guidance during those years. Congrats to the Donnelly family.