Clay HS volleyball coach Warren Bynum named NIC Volleyball Coach of the Year
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — South Bend Clay’s Head Volleyball Coach Warren Bynum, Sr. earned top honors from the Northern Indiana Conference this season. The NIC named Bynum their Coach of the Year after he led Clay’s Varsity team to claim their first-ever volleyball conference championship for their school.
Coach Bynum has been leading Clay’s Varsity team for just 2 years (he spent 5 years as a middle school volleyball coach) and has been with the school corporation for 16 years. When it comes to his team’s success, he says it all comes down to commitment. “We had a solid team core committed to improving by attending all off-season workouts,” he explains. “They made significant gains in the weight room, which helped them become more comfortable and confident players. Their attitude was also crucial to success. They know that mistakes are part of the game and that we have a long way to go to get where we want to be. They developed a next-ball mentality that allowed them to move on from mistakes, something we struggled with last year.”
Bynum teaches his athletes that there is power in words when you “speak it, believe it, and work to achieve it.” The most crucial life lesson he has learned from coaching is to never lower your expectations. “The more you expect from a team or individual, the more you will get,” he explains. “I’m so glad I discovered this early in coaching. I go into every season expecting to win, on and off the court.”
And that off-court success is just as crucial as what happens during the game. Bynum believes that all successes should be recognized and celebrated, and all failures should serve as motivation to improve during the next game. “Having this mindset allows me to give my best effort and receive the best efforts of my players,” he says. “There is no greater joy than watching a player achieve something they thought they never could. That could be anything from acing a test or leading the conference in scoring.”
Bynum’s proudest coaching moments, however, are staying in touch with players after graduation and watching them grow into successful individuals. His current assistant coach, Mykala Baylor, is a former player he’s stayed in touch with since she was a sixth grader. Since she has gone on to play collegiate basketball and obtained a teaching degree, Mykala now works with Coach Bynum in the same school she played for years ago. “I am incredibly proud of her, as I am of all of my former students and athletes,” Bynum says. “Building and maintaining these relationships is why I coach. My driving force is positively impacting my athletes and pushing them to be their best. I need them to understand anything is possible if you truly believe in it and willing to work for it. Their only limitations are the ones they put on themselves.”
Bynum and the entire team will take away a few memorable games from the season, including a surprising recovery to win against Jimtown. “We played horribly in the first set, losing 25-9 in a blowout,” Bynum recalls. “Somehow we regained our focus and won the following three sets.” The next must-win game was against cross-town rivals Riley High School. Because it was their senior night, there were a lot of fans in the stands and the team was a little tight. “We ended up winning in three sets to secure our share of the North-South Division title—the first in the school’s history! They put the work in and deserved the moment! I was so excited for our team and their achievement.”
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