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Message: [QUOTE="CuseLegacy, post: 4290533, member: 469"] [HEADING=1]GANESHARATNAM TAKES REINS OF VOLLEYBALL PROGRAM[/HEADING] 6/27/2022 4:24:00 PM | Volleyball A veteran head coach and championship player, [URL='https://cuse.com/staff.aspx?staff=2929']Bakeer Ganesharatnam[/URL] is Syracuse University's new women's volleyball coach. He joins the Orange after serving as the head coach at Temple from 2011 through 2021. The seventh head coach in Syracuse history, Ganesharatnam guided the Owls to 173 wins in 11 seasons, including four 20-win campaigns. "Bakeer is highly respected in the volleyball arena by elite coaches and administrators and is an excellent recruiter who builds positive program culture," said Syracuse Director of Athletic [URL='https://cuse.com/staff.aspx?staff=572']John Wildhack[/URL]. "His 11 years as a head coach and his sincere, calm, glass half-full demeanor are the right combination for our program." The 2020-21 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) North Region Coach of the Year and American Athletic Conference (AAC) co-Coach of the Year guided the Owls to the 2020-21 AAC Tournament Championship Game. During that season he mentored an AVCA All-Region honorable mention selection who was the AAC Libero of the Year and an all-league selection, in addition to two all-conference and two AAC All-Tournament selections. He also led the Owls to the 2017 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) second round, the 2016 Philadelphia Big Five title, and the 2012 Atlantic 10 Tournament. "I am humbled and honored to be chosen as the head coach for Syracuse University," Ganesharatnam said. "I feel proud to be part of such a prestigious athletics department and fine university. I thank [URL='https://cuse.com/staff.aspx?staff=572']John Wildhack[/URL], [URL='https://cuse.com/staff.aspx?staff=265']Herman Frazier[/URL], [URL='https://cuse.com/staff.aspx?staff=2905']Kirsten Elleby[/URL] and the rest of the search committee, for trusting me to lead this program. From the moment I stepped foot on campus, everyone has been welcoming. I would also like to thank my family for their support and for allowing me to take on this endeavor. We look forward to being a part of the Syracuse community. "I am excited about this opportunity and the enormous potential this program holds. Throughout the process, the administration has demonstrated its commitment to building a successful program, and I look forward to what we can accomplish together. I know we can create something special – a program we can all be proud of." At Temple, Ganesharatnam mentored five AVCA All-Region selections, an AAC Setter of the Year, Libero of the Year and Rookie of the Year, an Atlantic 10 Libero of the Year, one Academic All-American, 15 All-AAC honorees, two All-Atlantic 10 players and one A-10 All-Rookie selection. His 2014 and 2015 squads earned the AAC Academic Team Award. He guided the Owls to 20-win seasons in four consecutive years (2014 through 2017) and led Temple back to the national postseason in 2017 for the first time in 15 years. The Owls finished 20-10 overall, advancing to the second round of the NIVC, and were second in The American with a 15-5 record in conference play. In addition to Ganesharatnam's work on the court at Temple, he was actively involved in collegiate volleyball operations. He's represented Temple on the AVCA All-Region All-American Committee since 2018 and as a voter for the AVCA Division I Coaches Top-25 Poll. Prior to his arrival at Temple, Ganesharatnam spent five years at West Virginia University as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for three seasons and a graduate assistant coach for the first two. Ganesharatnam started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Cedar Valley College in Grand Prairie, Texas in 2005. During his one season there in 2005-06, the Suns reached their co-conference championship. He also served as the head coach of the 17's ACE Elite Team at Arlington Courts in Dallas, Texas, for the 2006 season. As a student-athlete at Queens College, Ganesharatnam helped lead the Knights to two conference championships. He earned his bachelor's degree in political science with minors in economics and German literature in 2005 from Queens and his master's degree in athletic coaching education in 2007 from West Virginia. Ganesharatnam, who was born in Sri Lanka, but moved to Germany when he was five, began playing volleyball when he was nine. In Germany, he competed on a very successful club team from 1990 to 2000, VFL Sindelfingen, winning the regional championship and the state championship many times. Ganesharatnam and his team also made numerous appearances at the national championship. Ganesharatnam and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Priya and Naveen. [/QUOTE]

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