Jason Tanaka Named Assistant Coach
3/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
HOUSTON - The University of Houston Volleyball program has added Jason Tanaka as the new assistant coach for the 2015 season, Head Coach Kaddie Platt announced Tuesday.
"We are excited to add Jason Tanaka to the coaching staff," Platt said. "Jason brings a variety of valuable high-level experiences to our coaching staff. Tanaka's recruiting connections, ability to train, and competitive collegiate experiences will help move the program forward."
Tanaka will take over the responsibilities of preparing scouting plans for matches and the offensive side of the game.
"I would like to thank Kaddie Platt, Jason Allen and the University of Houston Athletic Department Administration for giving me this opportunity to work with a great athletic department," Tanaka said.
"I'm looking forward to working with our student athletes and helping our volleyball program. There have been many talented players that have gone through the University of Houston and that has drawn my interest to help Kaddie and her staff continue this strong tradition."
Tanaka comes to Houston after 13 seasons at TCU as Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.
"Jason is very familiar with high school and club coaches in Texas, Midwest, and California. He was also responsible for game scouting and statistical analysis during the match and is well-known to be a great developer of talent and excellent trainer."
"This staff has a lot of experience, work ethic, and determination to build The UH Volleyball program to a nationally competitive program. I feel confident the UH Volleyball program is headed in the right direction," Platt said.
While working with the TCU Volleyball program, Tanaka has been selected several summers to work with the USA Volleyball and its developmental programs.
In the summer of 2006, he was selected to work with the USA Volleyball Youth High Performance Program in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The program featured 60 of the top players in the country.
Again, in 2007, USA Volleyball named him the assistant coach for the USA Select Girls' 1A squad. It featured 50 of the top 15-and-under volleyball players in the country. A successful run through the tournament landed Tanaka's group a silver medal in the High Performance tournament.
In the summer of 2008, he was selected to coach the Youth Girls' A2 group. Summer 2009 saw Tanaka head up the USA Select Continental squad.
Similar to the past four summers, Tanaka again returned to USA Volleyball in 2010 to serve as an A3 head coach at the USA High Performance Training Camp.
Since he joined the TCU staff in 2002, Tanaka was the recruiting coordinator and was responsible for match preparation/scouting. He helped TCU reach its first-ever NCAA tournament berth in 2009 and second-place finishes in Conference USA in 2004 and in the Mountain West in 2009.
Fourteen players have earned all-league recognition at TCU including the program's first-ever All-Americans in 2009.
Prior to his arrival at TCU, Tanaka spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh. With the Panthers, Tanaka's responsibilities included coordinating the team's training and assisting with the recruiting efforts.
He also served two seasons at Baylor (1998 and 1999). He helped lead the Bears to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth and a school-record 26-9 record in 1999. Baylor finished the season ranked 20th nationally and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual champion Penn State.
Before his two-year stint at Baylor, Tanaka spent one season at his alma mater, Arizona, as a volunteer assistant. Tanaka as served as a manager for head coach David Rubio from 1994-1997 during his undergraduate studies.
Tanaka began his coaching career in 1991 when he was appointed head coach of the Huntington Beach High School freshman volleyball team in Huntington Beach, Calif. He later went on to serve as an assistant for the school's boy's and girl's varsity squads. The boys won back-to-back California Interscholastic Federation championships in 1993 and 1994.
Tanaka graduate from the University of Arizona in 1997 with a degree in communications.
"We are thrilled to welcome Jason and his fiancé Zachia Choe to the University of Houston family."
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