Head Coach Miyashita Returning to Japan
After three years as Head Coach of Canada’s National Women’s program, and five years as the Assistant Coach, Naoki Miyashita will be returning to Japan to coach a women’s professional team.
“It has been a pleasure to see Canada improve and grow as a competitive international team,” stated Miyashita. ” Team Canada has a young program and this makes for a very bright and exciting future. I would like to see Canada continue to succeed and reach their goals.”
Naoki Miyashita (Miya) was hired as the Assistant Coach in 2001, to work with Head Coach, Dr. Lorne Sawula. In the spring of 2006 Miya replaced Dr. Sawula as Head Coach. Most recently the team lost to Cuba in the final of the NORCECA Olympic Qualifier in Mexico, for a berth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“Over the past couple years we have once again experienced positive results with the Women’s program, and this is largely due to the leadership of Miya,” said John Blacher, Director of Operations at the Team Canada Volleyball Centre. “He has instilled in the team a new confidence that we hope will continue as the team looks towards the future. We are once again competing at the same levels and finishing ahead of Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic at zone competitions, and we must continue with this positive momentum as we move into the 2009-2012 quadrennial, and most urgently as we look at 2009 as a qualifying year for the 2010 World Championship.”
Source: VC
