Redeemer Royals Men's Volleyball Head Coach Wayne Harris has been named the top men's volleyball coach in Canadian College sport as he was awarded the CCAA Coach of the Year Award at the National Championship Awards Banquet on Wednesday. The award is historic for Redeemer as it is the first CCAA Coach of the Year award for the Royals in it's history. It is a fitting end to the season and to the career of Coach Harris as Wayne expects to step down as Head Coach this season.

Wayne Harris has brought stability and success to the Redeemer Royals volleyball program for the past 5 years.  His calm and mentally tough teams have been built on excellent ball control and an intelligent approach to the game.  

This is the first time since 2005 that a coach at an Ontario institution has won the Men's Volleyball CCAA Coach of the Year Award. This is also only the 5th time in the awards history that the winner has come from an Ontario Men's Volleyball program. Coach Harris has been nominated for this award before. In 2009-2010, Harris won the OCAA Coach of the Year Award but came up just short of winning the National Award.

Harris was honoured to receive the award saying, "Given the number of excellent coaches that work in the CCAA, winning this award is a great honour and completely unexpected".

When Harris was asked what winning the award meant to him he said, "It means that we did some very, very good things in our program this season, that we played this game we love with passion, precision, and purpose. It means that I was able to work with outstanding, 'coachable' young men and an excellent co-coach. This award belongs to the 16 of us who shared a vision and worked tirelessly towards building the team we became."

Athletic Director Dave Mantel applauded Wayne for his time and impact as a member of the Royals Coaching Staff. "Every student-athlete that we've asked, has praised Wayne for his leadership, knowledge, and attitude towards them", said Mantel.  "Wayne is always respectful of everyone and demanded the same from his team - something which both Wayne and everyone associated with Redeemer is very proud of. We are very thankful for the time, effort, and care that Wayne has invested in to the program.  He is a special man and his regular appearances on our campus will be greatly missed"

With Wayne stepping down from head coach duties, this gold standard of coaching is likely to carry on, as Brad Douwes, who shares the title of CCAA Coach of the Year in many ways, has studied the game under Harris's guidance for the past 3 seasons.  Mantel added, "Brad's energy and attention to detail, along with his knowledge were also key contributions to the team and are a big part of why the team has excelled."  Redeemer's men's volleyball program is not likely to fall off from its current level of excellence.  Harris will continue to support the program while Douwes takes over the official coaching duties next year.
 
“Wayne’s built a very strong program at Redeemer,” says Ray Sarkis, CCAA men’s volleyball convenor. “The Redeemer Royals have risen to the top thanks to his coaching experience and great recruiting, and they’ve enjoyed great results this year.”
 
The squad ranked as high as second place in the CCAA national rankings, qualified for the OCAA provincial championships, and took home a bronze medal. The Royals finished with a 14-4 record which included a record-breaking 11 game win streak.
 
Harris is a NCCP certified coach with over 30 years’ experience. He’s earned three OCAA provincial medals in the last five years, and his goal as a coach is to have every player committed to the team. Wayne will be completing his career at Redeemer and stepping down as one of the most successful Head Coach's in Royals history.  He finishes his Redeemer coaching career with a record of 57 wins in just 5 OCAA seasons.

Coach Profile: Wayne Harris

• Redeemer Royals Men's Volleyball Coach from 2008-2013
• 57 wins and 29 losses over the course of 5 seasons
• 4 Championship appearances in 5 years
• 3 OCAA Medals in 5 years (Bronze: 2009-10, Silver: 2010-11, Bronze: 2012-13)
• OCAA Coach of the Year and CCAA Nominee in 2009-2010
• 11 All-Stars, 3 All-Canadians, 1 Player of the Year in 5 seasons
• Expanded recruiting base across the Country (specifically B.C)
• Initiated Christmas Break exhibition trip out West
• Led 8-10 team to OCAA Silver Medal
• Took 5-6 team in 2007-08 to 12-4 in 2008-2009 in first year coaching
• Captured 1st OCAA Men’s League Sport medal for Redeemer in 2009-10
• One of Redeemer's Winningest Men’s Coach's in Royals history
• Coaches in the very competitive OCAA West Division

 
2012-2013 Accomplishments

• 14-4 Record
• Tie for 1st place in the OCAA West Division
• 9-3 Exhibition record.
• Humber Cup Champion
• Seneca Sting Tournament Runner up
• OCAA Bronze Medalists
• OCAA Coach of the Year

 
Other candidates for the 2013 CCAA Men’s Volleyball Coach of the Year were Nathan Bennett of the Capilano Blues, Justin Lynch of the UKC Blue Devils, Steven Russell of the Medicine Hat Rattlers and Paul Tamburrini of the Griffons de l’Outaouais.
 
Harris received the award Wednesday, March 6 at the Coca-Cola CCAA Championship Awards Banquet at the 2013 Ironwood Wealth Management Group CCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship in Welland, Ont. CCAA Coaches of the Year receive a customized ring provided by Jostens, the official ring supplier of the CCAA Championship Awards Banquet. 
 
The 2013 CCAA Ironwood Wealth Management Group Men’s Volleyball National Championship takes place March 7-9 at Niagara College in Welland, Ont.