Coach of the Year, 2013-2014: Bruce Shang
On Saturday afternoons, while students sleep in or head to sports games, coach Bruce Shang is engrossed in the NCAA volleyball game playing on his TV. A former college volleyball player, Bruce Shang has always had a strong passion for the sport. So when he came to Exeter, it was no surprise that he decided to coach girls’ varsity volleyball. Shang has now been the girls’ volleyball coach for three full years. He also coaches girls’ squash and recently founded the first boys’ volleyball team at Exeter.
“This is my passion, and the girls here have been a joy to work with everyday,” Shang said of the girls’ volleyball team. “We strive for perfection and push one another to get better every day. What results is usually something that we are all proud of.”
Shang went on to explain his coaching methods, which he utilizes to help his players grow as athletes.
“My philosophy on coaching is pretty simple,” he said. “Lots of perfect repetitions, with lots of instant feedback. I really love my players and appreciate them more than they know. It's their wins, their team, their accomplishments. I am just here to help.”
It’s not only Shang’s strategic coaching that makes him an excellent mentor, it’s also his compassion towards the team. Shang shares unique relationships with each player and loves to enjoy a laugh with them, even during volleyball practice.
“I feel like everyone on the team respected him, but also felt really comfortable with him,” senior captain Weilin Chan, who has known Shang for four years, said. “He often came to practice smiling and isn't afraid to poke fun at us sometimes. He coaches in a way that makes the players want to do well for him because we don't want to disappoint him.”
These relationships aren’t limited to volleyball practice. Even outside of volleyball, Shang is always supporting members of the team, whether its coming to one of the player’s basketball games or simply giving a hug to a passing player and engaging them in a conversation.
“He is probably one of the closest coaches to the team friendwise,” upper Brooke Detwiler said. “At the same time though there is that level of respect, all the girls respect him. He is a great guy. If I need help with anything at Exeter, he is probably the first person I go to and I am sure all the girls do the same.”
Although Shang loves to crack jokes, he knows when it is time to be serious. He is very knowledgeable about the sport from his former experiences with volleyball and is intent on sharing this knowledge with all players of the team.
“He honestly wants each of his players to improve and reach their potential, and he is always willing to work one on one with players to fix their weaknesses,” Chan explained.
One of Shang’s best coaching qualities is his ability to guide the team without upsetting anyone or discluding players. According to varsity girls’ volleyball player Michelle Bosche, he focuses on making the team better as a whole and keeping them united. He gives everyone an equal opportunity to shine and is fair about who gets on the court and who still needs a bit more practice.
Prep Rachel Lou explained how Shang has helped her rise up to her potential as a varsity girls’ volleyball player through his coaching.
“I went to prep camp before my first season at Exeter not even knowing how to spike a ball,” she said. “He was really patient while teaching me the game and never got mad when I messed up. Since then, we have gotten pretty close. It's only changed in the way that I trust and feel more comfortable talking to him now, about my game, or about life in general.“
Shang is so in love with coaching volleyball that he couldn’t stop with just girls. This year he built the first ever boys’ volleyball team at Exeter. Although most of the players could not even complete a pass during volleyball tryouts, Shang has confidence that the boys will be able to rise up to the challenge.
“The difference between coaching the boys and the girls is most of the girls have come here with years of experience, as opposed to the boys that are learning the sport for the first time,” Shang said. “But I think within three years the boys will be able to make a run at the championship.”
Kevin Flynn, a member of the men’s volleyball team, commented on Shang’s determination to make the boys a championship winning team.
“Shang is really motivated and certainly pushes us really hard together as a team,” he said. “But also if you ask him one on one, he is even better as a coach because he is a very personal guy. He has so much knowledge and so much experience that he is able to give us that on the volleyball court.”
Graham Rutledge also commented on Shang’s coaching methods which have helped the team improve tremendously.
“He has such a strong presence and brings so much more to volleyball practice than just knowledge which he has tons of,” Rutledge said. “He is intense and straightforward and he tells you what you need to know. If you mess up, he won't hesitate to let you know and he'll tell you when you're doing well. He is everything I like in a coach.”
Although there is still lots of room for improvement for the new mens volleyball team, Luo, like Shang, believes the team will be able to rise up to very high standard—the athletes have already won multiple games this season-but they will need the persistence of Shang to reach this goal.
“The fact that he even took on the task of turning fourteen guys who had almost no experience in volleyball into a team is incredible,” Luo said “You should've seen these guys their first few days, but he's managed to teach them what I've learned over a course of years. They're not amazing yet, but under Shang I think they can be.”
And to top it all off, Shang also helps out with girls’ squash during the winter. With the guidance of Shang, and of course the head coach Freddie Brussel, the girls’ squash team placed number one in nationals this year. And with Shang’s strong determination, this won’t be the last year. In all his sports, coach Bruce Shang facilitates success for all his players.