Long Beach State University Athletics
Andy Read named men's volleyball interim head coach
6/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
June 1, 2009
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Athletics director Vic Cegles announced today that long-time Long Beach State assistant coach Andy Read will serve as interim head coach of the men's volleyball program. Read will lead the program while Alan Knipe serves as the USA National Team head coach through the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England.
"Andy is the right guy to fill in for Alan," Cegles said. "He understands the program, he knows the kids and he is a highly respected coach. Under Andy's guidance the program will continue to flourish."
Read, who has spent the last 13 seasons as an assistant under Knipe at The Beach, also boasts NCAA Division I head coaching experience on his resume. He was the head coach at UC Irvine from 1992-96.
"Being the head coach at Long Beach State is the coaching opportunity of a lifetime," Read said. "There is no better place for men's volleyball than right here. A university that supports its athletes in every way possible, a local fan community that adopts the team as its own, an active volleyball alumni who are always in our corner and a group of athletes who want to train to be the best, as true 49ers."
"I would like to thank Alan Knipe and the athletic administration for their confidence in me to guide this program for the next three years during Alan's time with USA Volleyball," Read continued. "It is time to mount up and leave no doubt."
As an assistant at LBSU, working primarily with the setters, Read tutored former 49er Chris Seiffert, a three-time All-American and starter on the United States National Team, and Tyler Hildebrand, also a three-time All-American.
Read has coached several USA Developmental Teams including seven players from last summer's Gold Medal USA Olympic Team.
Read was the head coach of the Boy's Youth National Team last summer, leading the team to the title at the NORCECA Championships in Miami, Fla., where the team didn't lose a game. This summer, Read will coach the same group at the Boy's Youth World Championships in Italy.
Read was the head coach for the USA Men's Junior National Team in 2006, leading the team to a second-place finish at NORCECA and a berth in the Men's Junior World Championships in Morocco.
At the World Championships, the USA team finished seventh (tied for the best finish ever by a USA Men's Junior Team) and along the way defeated the then reigning champion from Russia in straight sets.
Read has also served as scout and consultant for the USA Men's National Team in several international tournaments, most recently the 2006 World Championships in Japan.
In January 2005, Read was named the USA Development Coach of the Year after serving as head coach of the USA Boy's Youth National Team that earned a gold medal at the NORCECA Youth Championships in Mexico City with a record of 6-0. The team won its last 17 games in a row en route to earning a berth in the 2005 Boy's Youth World Championships. Read also worked with the USA Men's National Team in Colorado and Texas in 2005.
Prior to the 2004 season, Read was an assistant on the U.S. Men's Volleyball team that competed in the World University Games in Korea. Read helped lead 49er teammates David Lee, Scott Touzinsky, Tyler Hildebrand and others to a bronze medal in a 3-2 victory over France in the medal round. Read also spent time as an advisor to the U.S. Men's Volleyball National team that competed in Mexico for a qualifying spot in the 2004 Olympics in Greece. On that squad were former 49ers Tom Hoff, Jim Polster, and David McKienzie.
In 2002, Read coached the USA Youth "High Performance" camp at the Colorado Springs Training Center. In the summer of 2001, Read served as the head coach for the U.S. Junior National Team which traveled to Brazil. Former 49ers Touzinsky and Jeff Wootton were members of that U.S. squad.
Prior to his stint at UC Irvine, Read was an assistant coach at Pepperdine from 1990-92. In his final year at Pepperdine, the Waves captured the 1992 NCAA National Championship.
On the international level, Read served as an assistant coach for the World University Games in both 1995 and 1997. In 2005, Read was the head coach for the USA Men's Junior National Team and in 1998 and 1999 he coached the U.S. Youth National Team. In 1999 he coached with the USA Volleyball staff at the 1999 World Cup in Japan.
Read's connection with Long Beach State began when he was the head coach of the Marina High School boy's team from 1988-89, where he coached Knipe.
Aside from his coaching duties, Read will continue to serve as a science teacher at Westminster High School in Westminster. He is a 1981 graduate of Biola University with a degree in biological science.
