Former Burris volleyball coach John Rodriguez works with a player during a 2013 practice. Rodriguez has resigned after two seasons with the Owls.
Burris volleyball coach John Rodriguez has resigned his position after two seasons.
Rodriguez said he initially planned to resign to accept an assistant coaching position at the collegiate level. However, after further reflection and discussion with his family, he elected not to pursue the collegiate opportunity, though he still plans to step away from the Owls.
He informed his players of his resignation Wednesday. He said he leaves the Owls satisfied his two squads lived up to their potential.
“The two seasons at Burris, I thought we maximized our talent as much as I could,” Rodriguez said. “I think we got a lot more out of our players than probably what they could give.”
Rodriguez won sectional titles in each of his two seasons with the Owls and also claimed a regional title in 2014.
“He was a hard worker,” Burris athletic director Chad Wlodarek said. “He always communicated with me, he was continuing to build the program back to where Burris is accustomed to being, two sectional titles in a row, we got to semistate this year. So I’m very proud of the efforts he did, and he was making an effort to build the program from the elementary up, which is my vision as well.”
Rodriguez, whose prior coaching stops include Bishop Chatard and Marion, came to Burris after a three-year stint as the coach at Union.
His successor will be the third coach of the post-Steve Shondell era. Shondell guided the Owls to 21 state titles before accepting the Ball State women’s volleyball coaching position after the 2009 season.
Thanh Harnish took over and won a state title in 2010, the 22nd in school history. The Owls didn’t get out of sectionals in either of Harnish’s final two seasons, each time falling to eventual state champion Wapahani. After Harnish resigned, Rodriguez then coached the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Wlodarek said he hopes to fill the position soon to maximize summer conditioning time. The 2014 Owls had a senior-laden roster, but Wlodarek spoke positively of the situation Rodriguez’s successor will inherit.
“Our eighth grade, middle school is coming up, they were undefeated last year,” Wlodarek said. “The JV had a strong record. So I believe the future is looking bright. And our next coach will have a blank slate, with those seniors graduating, to kind of fit Burris into their mold of what they want to accomplish and what I’m looking forward to accomplishing.”
Contact prep sports reporter Sam Wilson at (765) 213-5807. Follow him on Twitter @SamWilsonTSP.