When Baylor players and coaches assemble each November to watch the NCAA women’s volleyball selection show, eight-year coach Ryan McGuyre previews it by playing video of the 2016 Bears watching the selection show. That was the first time in program history Baylor made the NCAA Tournament, and McGuyre likes to illustrate the level of appreciation a tournament berth should elicit.
No matter what happens when the No. 15 Bears play their Big 12 showdown Saturday night at No. 1 Texas, they know their name will be called a week from Sunday when the selections are announced on ESPNU.
Baylor (22-5 overall, 11-3 Big 12) has an NCAA RPI of 16. But a few months ago, Baylor might have been perceived as anything but a lock to make the tournament.
Not only did the team graduate 11 seniors – “That’s almost a whole roster right there,” McGuyre said — McGuyre lost his entire support staff, save for Kellianne Layton. Layton moved from director of ops to director of player development.
Most notably, associate head coaches Jason Williams and Sam Erger left for other jobs. Erger is the head coach at SMU and has led the Mustangs to a 20-8 overall record, 13-3 in the AAC. Williams remained in the Big 12 to take over TCU, which is 9-5 in the conference, 14-10 overall.
So much has changed, yet so much has remained the same for the Bears. The new assistants have blended in seamlessly, and the freshmen — McGuyre said he has had as many as five on the floor this season — have played beyond their years.
To fill his assistant spots, McGuyre brought in two coaches with national-championship experience.
Yajaira Cadet played for McGuyre when he coached the California Baptist women’s team to back-to-back NAIA titles (2004-05). McGuyre describes her as bringing passion and fire to the court as well as sharing a “like-minded” approach to the game.
Josh Walker was coming national championships with the Hawaii men’s team. He played for the Rainbow Warriosrs and then as an assistant. McGuyre said he and Walker see the game “in a very similar manner technically and tactically.”
Walker didn’t come aboard until June, because McGuyre agreed to allow him to finish up his duties at Hawaii.
“Learning what the new coaches’ strengths are over the summer took a little time,” McGuyre said. “I love how we have adapted as a team and what we have accomplished.”
No amount of coaching pedigree matters if the players don’t respond….
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