Damon Mays

Boys Club Director/MVC 17 Black Head Coach

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Girls Club Director - Nationals Teams

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Coaching position: Boys Club Director/Boys 17N Black Head Coach  

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Damon has been playing volleyball both recreationally and competitively for over 15 years. Damon was a multi-sport athlete in high school but focused his efforts mainly on tennis throughout the majority of his career. With tennis and volleyball both being spring sports, he was forced to choose one over the other. He chose to play tennis and was a varsity player all 4 years and eventually earned a scholarship to play at Grand Canyon University. In high school, he was the number 1 ranked player on the team for 3 years in a row in singles and doubles. He was also named Region Player of the Year during his sophomore year and reached the quarterfinals of state his senior year. Although volleyball was his second sport, he convinced his coaches to let him play both sports at the same time his senior year of high school. Damon has had a passion for volleyball since he was introduced to the sport at 8 years old.

 
Years of coaching experience:

• 5 years High School

• 2 years Club

Places/Levels/Ages coached:

• Club

• Momentum Boys 17N Black Head Coach  (2019 – Present)  

• Momentum Boys 16N Black Head Coach (2019)

• Momentum Boys 14U Developmental Team Program Director/Coach (2019)

• Momentum Boys 16N Black Assistant Coach (2018 – 2019)

• High School

• Ironwood HS Boys JV Head Coach/Varsity Assistant (2017 – Present)

• Ironwood HS Boys Varsity Assistant Coach (2012 – 2013)

Coaching education/certification (ex. Impact, Cap I, II):

• B.S. Sports Management

• M.S. Leadership

• Impact

• Safe Sport

 
Greatest personal coaching moment: Beating the number 1 ranked team in the state (5A Boys Division) as the number 16 ranked team. Going into the match as the underdogs, I asked the team to focus on one word, which was “BELIEVE”. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the game but I received a call right after the match from one of my players yelling and ecstatic saying, “thank you so much coach for believing in us even when we didn’t believe in ourselves”.
 
Coaching Philosophy/Why you love to coach: There are two things that you are always in 100% control of. Your ATTITUDE and EFFORT. Focusing on these two things day in and day out will allow you to strive for excellence and reach your full potential.    

I love coaching because it allows me to truly make a difference in people’s lives. There are so many valuable life lessons that are embedded into playing sports that players can learn from and use to help them in all aspects of life. Being able to see a person grow and become a better athlete and person gives me great gratification. If I’m able to inspire or impact at least one person to never give up and pursue their dreams in life then I’ve done my job. 

Hobbies:

• Playing and watching sports

• Working out

• Traveling

• Hanging out with family and friends