Utah Assistant JJ Riley Named 10th Montana State Head Volleyball Coach
1/21/2015 9:43:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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“During the search process Coach Riley was very impressive with his organizational thoughts on building a program and developing the student-athletes, both on and off the court,” Fields said. “JJ has a good handle on what it will take for us to get back to the upper-echelons of the Big Sky Conference. I was also impressed with his connectivity to all the different constituencies he met, as well as with the team.”
By: Tom Schulz
JJ Riley, who has served as assistant coach at the University of Utah the past three seasons, has been named the 10th head coach in Montana State volleyball history, announced Bobcat Director of Athletics Peter Fields.
"I would like to thank President Cruzado, Director of Athletics Peter Fields, Senior Associate Athletic Director Camie Bechtold, and the committee for giving me this wonderful opportunity to represent not only Montana State University but also the amazing community of Bozeman," Riley said. "I am very excited to join the Bobcat family. During my visit it was evident that the university and athletic department truly care about their student-athletes and their overall experience. Everyone instantly made me feel comfortable on campus and I knew right away that MSU would be a great place to not only build a high level program, but a great place to raise my family. The community support in Bozeman makes MSU a special place for all involved and I look forward to getting in the gym to start training this team."
Riley comes to Bozeman with extensive experience on both the women's and men's side of the game. Most recently, he helped guide the Utah women's squad to back-to-back 20-win seasons in the Pac-12 and to the second-round of the NCAA Tournament. In addition, Utah finished the season ranked No. 18 in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll. Riley spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Utah. This fall, the Utes boasted victories over No. 2 Washington, No. 13 Oregon, No. 15 UCLA, No. 17 Arizona State, No. 18 Colorado and No. 19 USC. Utah finished the season with a 20-13 overall mark and a 9-11 ledger in the Pac-12 – considered the nation's premier volleyball league.
"During the search process Coach Riley was very impressive with his organizational thoughts on building a program and developing the student-athletes, both on and off the court," Fields said. "JJ has a good handle on what it will take for us to get back to the upper-echelons of the Big Sky Conference. I was also impressed with his connectivity to all the different constituencies he met, as well as with the team."
Riley worked primarily with student-athletes at the setter, outside hitter and defensive specialist positions at Utah, and was instrumental in helping several Utes achieve postseason accolades such as AVCA First-Team All-Region and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American kudos, as well as Pac-12 recognition.
Riley brings an extensive and diverse volleyball background to MSU on both the collegiate and club levels. He served two seasons as an assistant coach with the USC men's volleyball team before joining the Utes, and has coached for both the men's and women's teams at Pepperdine.
Between the two programs, Riley helped guide seven teams to top-eight national finishes, coached in two NCAA Final Fours (most recently in 2011), mentored two first team All-American setters, and in his own playing career, led his team to the NCAA National Championship match as an All-American setter for Pepperdine.
While at USC, Riley helped coordinate the offense for one of the most successful squads in school history. The 2011 team amassed the most overall wins since 1999 (23-4), and held a No. 1 ranking in national polls throughout the entire season. The Trojans captured the MPSF league title, boasting a 20-2 league record (their first outright MPSF win since 1991 and most league wins since 1986).
The 2011 Trojans culminated their record-breaking season with a Final Four appearance, ranking third nationally in final AVCA polls. In addition, they led the nation in assists, kills, digs and its .351 hitting percentage was a school best in the rally scoring era.
Alongside head coach Bill Ferguson, the 2011 MPSF Coach of the Year recipient, Riley helped several Trojans earn national recognition, including setter Riley McKibbon (first team All-American) and opposite Murphy Troy (AVCA & MPSF National Player of The Year/first team All-American). Additionally, five players went on to earn professional volleyball contracts and four former Trojans were named members of the US Men's National Team.
Prior to USC, Riley experienced great success on the women's side as assistant coach for the Pepperdine Waves (2001-2003). In charge of the setters and offensive schemes, Pepperdine tallied an impressive 76-14 (.844) winning record during his tenure, reaching the Sweet Sixteen twice (2001, 2003), and an Elite Eight appearance (2002), as well as their first NCAA Regional Final appearance. The three year run marked the best consecutive seasons in program history, reaching an all-time high in 2003 as the Waves ranked fourth in AVCA poll, while also earning a first-ever No. 1 regional seed for the NCAA Tournament.
In addition, the Waves were named West Coast Conference champs by going undefeated in league play for three straight seasons. In final polls, Pepperdine ranked among the top-8 in the nation all three years. Two Pepperdine setter's garnished first team All-WCC honors under Riley's tutelage (Paola Rodriguez and Melissa Mehlhorn).
Riley also served as an assistant coach for two seasons with the Pepperdine men's team in 2000 and 2010 (under legendary coach Marv Dunphy). In 2000, he helped the Waves advance to the NCAA Final Four, while the 2010 squad finished in fifth-place, respectively, in final AVCA polls. Riley mentored first team All-American setter Kasey Crider, who led the nation in assists that season.
During each of Riley's coaching stints, his responsibilities went beyond setter training and offensive systems, as he also played a key role in practice planning, game time preparation and strategies, and technical skills training. He also assisted recruiting efforts that saw several ranked classes and landed many of the nation's top prep players.
Riley has also been successful at the club level, having coached the Southern California Volleyball Club 16 boys' team to a bronze medal at the 2011 Junior Olympics, and also taking Sports Shack's 16-1 girls' team to two consecutive top-five finishes at Reno Volleyball Festival (2003/2004).
Riley's biggest undertaking in club volleyball was his tenure at Oregon Volleyball Academy, a non-profit, youth club that he founded in an effort to grow the sport in the Central Oregon region. As Director and top coach from 2005-2009, Riley oversaw a staff of 20 coaches that serviced 16 teams at various age levels.
Additionally, Riley served as the girls' varsity head coach at Summit High School in Bend, Oregon for three seasons, in which time he turned a one-win team into a league contender and made the school's first-ever state tournament appearance in 2006 (5A division). Many of Riley's former prep players have gone on to enjoy successful collegiate careers at all levels of NCAA and NAIA competition.
As a collegiate player, Riley was a setter at Pepperdine from 1995 to 1999 and was named a Second-Team All-American in 1998 as the Waves won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title and reached the NCAA Championship match. He ended his career as Pepperdine's all-time assist leader with 3,788 and currently stands fourth in the school's record book.
As a prepster, Riley was a four-year letterwinner and multi-year all-state honoree in both volleyball and paddling at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii. Riley helped guide the volleyball team to a pair of state titles and contributed to a remarkable 11-year win streak. He also won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Junior Olympics in club volleyball, and represented the USA on the Youth National Team for two consecutive seasons (1993 and 1994).
Riley graduated from Pepperdine in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education, with an emphasis in sports medicine and athletic training. He also obtained a Master's in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University in Irvine, California in 2014. Additionally, Riley is a NESTA certified strength and conditioning coach and is SAQ certified.
His wife, the former Emily Rothman, played volleyball at Pepperdine. The couple has two sons; 2-year-old Rex, and newborn Nash.
A formal press conference to introduce Riley will be held on Friday, Jan. 23 at 10:30 a.m., in MSU's Hall of Fame Room.
Camie Bechtold Senior Associate AD/SWA/Chair, Volleyball Search Committee Montana State University
"Montana State is excited to have Coach Riley joining our staff. JJ immediately stood out as a strong candidate. His knowledge of the game was evident as well as his ability to genuinely connect with everyone he met. JJ has the skill set to take Montana State Volleyball to the next level and to give our student-athletes a valuable and memorable experience."
Bill Ferguson Head Coach USC Men's Volleyball
"I had the good fortune of having JJ Riley work on my coaching staff at USC in the fall of 2010. JJ was a terrific tactical and technical coach and role model for the student-athletes he mentored at USC. He is also a top-rate recruiter. JJ was also a great ambassador for our program in my place if I were not able to attend a function, or be in two places at once. As a recruiter, JJ has tremendous experience with all levels of recruiting. He has the experience with having coached at small schools, and schools on the biggest of stages. JJ has the eye for talent, the knowledge and the breadth of experience to identify the best student athletes-more importantly, the best fit for the student-athlete and institution."
Nina Matthies Head Coach Pepperdine Women's Volleyball Ten-Time West Coast Conference Coach of the Year
"JJ Riley brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience with him in his first stint as a collegiate head coach. He will be a tremendous asset to MSU- in all facets of the Athletic Department. I am very happy for JJ and Emily and their young family, and look forward to watching JJ go to work to establish his team, his personal style and creating a positive, hardworking, winning atmosphere. Pepperdine Volleyball is very proud of JJ and wishes him the best."
Dr. Marv Dunphy Head Coach Pepperdine Men's Volleyball Four-Time National Coach of the Year
"I have known JJ for many years and I can't imagine a better person for this position. JJ is an excellent coach, he has passion and enthusiasm for the sport, he is an incredibly hard worker, and he is a winner."
Mary Bowman, Ed.D Senior Associate Athletics Director/SWA University of Utah
"The approach JJ takes to his role and the way he treats student athletes is exemplary. He is encouraging, positive and caring. He does not accept mediocrity; consequently he will lift athletes up to the next level. I have complete confidence in his ability to be a successful head coach not only because of his knowledge and experience in coaching, but because of the other characteristics he has demonstrated as a coach."
