GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNC Greensboro Director of Athletics Nelson E. Bobb confirmed Tuesday that Spartan volleyball coach Shawn Garus has resigned to take the head coaching position at Boise State University.
In four seasons at UNCG, Garus compiled a mark of 71-64. However, he was 66-38 in his final three seasons in Greensboro.
Garus informed his team of the decision in a late-afternoon meeting on Monday. He departed to meet with Boise State officials and his new team on Tuesday.
Shawn Garus was 71-66 as the volleyball coach at UNCG, including
66 wins in the last three seasons. He resigned Tuesday to take the
head coaching position at Boise State.
"Certainly, this was a difficult decision. Boise State is a great
opportunity, but the strides we have made at UNCG made this a very
hard choice," said Garus. "I am thankful for the opportunity I have
been given at UNCG by Nelson and all of the university staff.
"Addressing the team last night was no easy task. The success we have had has been due to the hard work of those student-athletes. They have done so much for this program - putting it near the top of the league and making it a contender for conference titles again. I know that hard work will continue for the next coach and it will be a program to be reckoned with."
Garus led the Spartans to three straight 20-win seasons the last three seasons. He led the Spartans to consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since the program began the Division I era with five-straight 20 win seasons from 1991-95. UNCG won just five matches in his first season at the helm (2005), but went 23-13 the following year as Garus got the program on track. The Spartans made it to the Southern Conference Tournament's championship match that season – impressive for a program that had never won a game in the tournament since joining the league in 1997.
"UNCG is losing a great young coach today," said Bobb. "Shawn Garus has done a remarkable job with our volleyball program in a short span of time. Not only is he a great coach, but is a wonderful person, as well. While I am sad that the university will be losing him, I think it is a wonderful opportunity for him. (Boise State AD) Gene Bleymeier couldn't have made a better selection for his next head coach.
UNCG set several new program marks in 2006. Catherine Hanners and Lisa Fawell set single-season records for digs (653) and assists (1,683) while senior Theresa Hart set a new single-season mark for kills with 534. To cap the season, Hart was named to the All-SoCon first team, becoming the first Spartan to ever be selected to the All-SoCon team. Hart was also named to the All-Tournament team along with teammate Kaitlyn Nortz.
The following year, the Spartans were back in the SoCon Tournament's title match again, falling short but finishing with a 20-15 mark.
Shawn Garus led the Spartans to consecutive SoCon Tournament
title match appearances. Prior to his arrival in Greensboro, the
Spartans had never won a match in the tournament.
A 1995 graduate of California State University San Bernardino,
Garus served as the top assistant coach on the staff at the
University of San Francisco during the 2003 and 2004 seasons under
head coach Jeff Nelson.
During Garus' tenure at USF, the Dons compiled a mark of 35-27, including the programs first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in 2003. During the 2003 season, the Dons went 23-8, suffering all eight losses to teams ranked in the Top 25. In addition, the school earned its first victory over a ranked-opponent, winning on the road at 19th-ranked Washington State. It was also USF's first 20-win season and followed a three-year period in-which the Dons had gone just 27-54.
Prior to USF, Garus spent one season on Nelson's staff at Texas Tech and served as a head coach at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
At UCCS, Garus led the NCAA Division II squad to a 44-56 mark in three-plus seasons, including its first regional ranking. The Mountain Lions' 22-9 mark in 2001 was the best record in school history and resulted in their first trip to the conference tournament. He took over the program in the middle of the 1998 season after serving the first half of the year as an assistant coach. In his first full season (1999), he led the squad to its first 10-win season in five years with a 10-20 mark. The following year, the Mountain Lions went 10-14, including a school-best six wins in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, before their record-breaking 22-9 campaign in 2001.
He also held administrative duties as the school's NCAA compliance director, and is still regarded as one of top coaches to have served in any sport at the university.
At Cal State San Bernardino, Garus played four years on the University's club volleyball team (1991-94). He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a marketing specialization in 1995.
Garus also played professionally from 1994-2003, playing in several AVP Tour events (Association of Volleyball Professionals). He was the top-ranked volleyball player in the state of Colorado from 1999-2001 and had a career-best 13th-place finish at the 2001 AVP Michigan Open.
Garus, who was born in Glendale, Calif., and his wife, the former Cindy Bench, have a daughter, Emily, and a son, Trevor.
A national search, led by Interim Director of Athletics Rod Wyatt, will begin in the next few days.
- UNCG -