Nick’s journey to coaching volleyball is an unconventional one. Between 1999-2002, he played 4 years of varsity volleyball at a small private school in Long Beach. Following his high school stint, he maintained a casual relationship with the sport – playing intramurals in college, attending open gyms, and joining the occasional adult league/tournament – but had no desire to coach the sport. Nick graduated from SDSU in 2007 with his BS in Electrical Engineering, and currently works as a software engineering manager at a defense contractor during the day.
In 2014, Nick was presented with an opportunity to head coach a high school volleyball program for a small private school, Lighthouse Christian Academy (LCA), in its inaugural year. Initially, he was reluctant to take the position as coaching had never been on his radar. However, shortly after accepting the role, he discovered that he had an innate fulfillment and joy from sharing his love for the sport and using it as a platform to develop youth and teach them life lessons. Nick found his passion.
Since 2014, he has continued to focus on his growth as a coach by consuming every bit of knowledge he can from books, reputable digital resources, mentors, and new opportunities. He head coached and administrated the program at LCA until 2018. He then moved on to coach freshmen and assist varsity at Patrick Henry High School (2018-2020). His club coaching career kicked off at East County Volleyball Academy in 2018 where he first assisted the 17-1s, then proceeded to head coach the 15-1s (2019-2020) and 16-1s (2020-2021).
Nick’s ultimate goal is to help players develop holistically both on and off the court. He strives to establish a collaborative connection with his players and understands that coaches must be servants and students: constantly putting self aside for the betterment of the team and seeking to learn new ways of doing things. He emphasizes leadership, accountability, self-care, and teamwork in the path to developing a holistic player and person. Nick has also found that his technical job and education has lent him skills he can leverage to break down team’s challenges in ways that can better facilitate implicit learning and growth. He is a strong believer in the ecological approach to coaching where his primary purpose is to create an environment that promotes self-discovery and long-term skill retention.
In his free time, Nick can be found hanging out with his wife and daughter; brewing and drinking artisan coffee roasts; and trying to improve his beach volleyball game.