Niagara alum is taking over men’s volleyball program Stone back with the Knights for his third time around
A St. Catharines native who helped Niagara College earn its first national medal in men’s volleyball wants to coach the Knights to their next one.
Steve Stone is taking over the men’s program at the region’s community college, succeeding Tommy Sloan who coached both the men’s and women’s teams last season.
The Eden High School grad, who began his coaching career at the club level with the Niagara Rapids Volleyball Club, is returning to Niagara for a third time. He played three of his five seasons in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) with the Knights and two at Ancaster’s Redeemer University.
“If I had a year left, I’d probably be back playing,” the 31-year-old said with a chuckle.
Stone, who works in landscaping and lives in Vineland with his wife Kendall and their 1 1 ⁄2-year-old son Duke, also served as an assistant on the women’s volleyball teams at Niagara and at Brock University. In 2017-18, he was men’s volleyball head coach at Mohawk College in Hamilton.
He doesn’t feel any pressure taking over a program that won an OCAA championship and settled for the silver medals at nationals in 2013-14.
“No, not at all. I love having pressure, I love having people watching. I thrive under those conditions,” Stone said. “The fact that I had success as an athlete in the program actually puts me more at ease because I know I’m capable of doing it and I know the program is capable of doing it. I think it just puts me in a good place to have success and for the program to have success.”
He was still in high school when he began coaching in the Niagara Rapids Ontario Volleyball Association Spikes program.
“In all the sports I played, I never thought I was the most skilled or the most athletic, but I love watching sports and analyzing and figuring things out,” Stone said. “That aspect of coaching I really, really enjoy.”
He is happy to be back coaching in the OCAA.
“I think it’s a great atmosphere, it’s high competition. The camaraderie between the boys on your team is great,” he said. “Being able to go out and compete against other top teams is something that I dream about as a competitor and as an athlete, so being able to be back in the league and surrounded in that atmosphere is something I don’t take for granted.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he added.
Stone has been coaching at the club level for several years and is currently coaching an under-18 boys team, a group he has moved up with since they were 16.
The fact that I had success as an athlete in the program actually puts me more at ease because I know I’m capable of doing it and I know the program is capable of doing it. STEVE STONE NIAGARA COLLEGE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL COACH
He doesn’t believe the time commitments needed to run the men’s program at the college would allow him to continue coaching in the Rapids organization. “I think it would probably be hard to fit in, but never say never,” Stone said.
He doesn’t feel behind the 8-ball as far as recruiting players for the 2022-23 season is concerned.
“There are quite a few returning players for the Knights. I’m definitely a little late to the game, but there are guys still out there looking and undecided about where they want to go,” Stone said. “I don’t think the door is ever closed on anything. You can see recruits until September if you have to.
“I’m not too worried about the recruiting aspect.”
Stone began his post-secondary playing career with Niagara in 2010 before transferring to Redeemer, where he earned a silver medal at provincials the following season.
After returning to Niagara in 2014, the six-foot-two setter captained the Knights to an OCAA gold and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) bronze.
Athletic director Michele O’keefe is happy to welcome back the Niagara graduate. “As a proud alum, Steve understands the culture we are working to strengthen at Niagara College and will fit easily in with our team,” she said. “His work at the club level will allow him to step right into the recruiting world and no doubt continue to build our strong foundation with our men’s volleyball team.”
In 2020, Niagara went 3-6 during a pandemic-shortened men’s volleyball regular season and then were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.