Photo credit: Bernd Franke, Niagara Dailies
The Niagara College Department of Athletics and Recreation is pleased to introduce Tommy Sloan as the head coach of the Niagara Knights men's volleyball program. He becomes just the eighth head coach in program history. Sloan joins the Knights after spending last season as an assistant coach with the Brandon University Bobcats women's volleyball team.
"We are extremely excited for Tommy to get started with our men's volleyball program," said Athletics & Recreation Associate Director Michele O'Keefe. "He brings a wealth of experience on and off the court that will serve as an invaluable resource to our student-athletes. We are looking forward to seeing the impact that Tommy will have on the program in 2018 and beyond."
Prior to his stint with the Bobcats, Sloan served as the Head Coach of the Keyano College Huskies women's program for three seasons from 2014-17 in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC). His coaching resume also includes a stop at Grant MacEwan University as an assistant coach during the 2013-14 season.
Alongside his coaching experience, Sloan is no stranger to the court as a player. He spent four years as a member of the Keyano Huskies. A libero and left side hitter, Sloan is the school's all-team leader in digs with 492. He was named an ACAC all-star during the 2008-09 season.
A teacher by trade, Sloan holds an Education Degree from the University of Alberta. He has recently relocated from his hometown of Fort McMurray, Alberta to the Niagara Region in advance of his first season at the helm of the Knights.
Sloan inherits a squad that advanced to the OCAA Championship in 2017-18 following a fourth place in the OCAA West Division with a 10-8 regular season record. He is excited about the opportunity that lies in front of him as he looks to return the Niagara Knights to the top of the OCAA volleyball conference.
"I'm looking forward to meeting the team and seeing the talent in the program first hand," said the new coach. In discussing why he made the move to Ontario, Sloan noted that "Niagara College is committed to both athletics and academics and being a coach at an institution that values student-athletes is something that appealed to me."
Sloan's first course of action will be hosting Knights training camp, which kicks off Tuesday, September 11th at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre. His first regular season game will come on September 20th when the Knights host the defending OCAA Champion Fanshawe Falcons.
