Ben JosephsonHead CoachEmail: ben.josephson@twu.ca Phone1: 604.513.2118 Company: 4th Location: Gym off of main floor Education: BA in Human Kinetics, TWU '03 When Ben Josephson took over has the Trinity Western men’s volleyball coach in 2007, the goal was plain and simple: improve every year and continually go further in the playoffs each season.
Four years later, and native of Strathmore, Alta. has done exactly that.
Culminating in winning the CIS national championship in 2011 on home court no less. In his four-year tenure as head coach the Spartans have gone from simply being a playoff challenger to re-establishing Trinity Western as one of the preeminent men’s volleyball programs in the country.
When Josephson took over the reins in 2007, after being an assistant coach from 2004-2007, Trinity Western had qualified for, and medalled at, each of the previous four CIS national championship tournaments. So, for the former Spartans setter, expectations were high.
In his first year as the TWU head coach, 2007-08, Josephson led the Spartans to the playoffs but saw his team lose in the first round against Winnipeg.
In his second year, 2008-09, Josephson guided the Spartans to a top four finish in the Canada West regular season and thus hosted a playoff series for the first time with Josephson at the helm. Despite losing to Thompson Rivers in a tightly-contested three-night series, the season was a solid block in which to build upon.
The following year, in 2009-10, the Spartans qualified for their first national championship under Josephson’s direction and, to the surprise of many, impressively came home with a silver medal after losing to Calgary in the championship match.
That result gave Josephson’s team just one more peg to climb in 2010-11. Playing on their home court in the national championship, Trinity Western beat three Canada West foes – Alberta, Calgary and Brandon – en route to winning CIS gold.
Before moving to the sidelines, Josephson was a stand-out player for the Spartans from 1998-2003 as he was twice named team co-captain and, in 2003, earned the school's first ever CIS All-Canadian award while, in that same year, also being named a Canada West First Team All-Star.
Along with his coaching duties at TWU, Josephson has also coached internationally as a guest assistant with Canada’s senior team in 2009 and with Canada’s World University Games teams in 2005 and 2011.
Josephson has a Bachelor of Human Kinetics Degree from Trinity Western and also earned a Certificate in Biblical Studies from Covenant Bible College in Strathmore. He is also an NCCP level three certified coach. | |
