Jay Tremonti named lead assistant coach of Thunderbirds Men’s Volleyball

VANCOUVER – UBC Thunderbirds Men’s Volleyball is pleased to announce the hiring of Jay Tremonti as the new Lead Assistant Coach of the team.

Tremonti joins the Thunderbirds after an eight-year stint as head coach of the Douglas College Royals men’s team. Under Tremonti, the Royals had a record of 92-64 while winning two PACWEST regular season titles. He will be serving under head coach Mike Hawkins, entering his seventh season with UBC. After the T-Birds took bronze in both Canada West and at the U SPORTS Championships last year, Hawkins was named to the Team Canada Men’s Volleyball coaching staff at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“Mike (Hawkins) and I both are both doers by nature, and aren’t afraid of a little hard work in pursuit of our team’s goals,” said Tremonti. “We both understand the power of a connected team and value the brotherhood of a team. Being good colleagues but not having directly coached with Mike previously, I’m in a unique position to look critically at of our processes and seek out innovation with the men’s volleyball program.” 
 

Prior to coaching, Tremonti enjoyed a decorated career on the court as a middle. He grew up in Dryden, Ontario, near the Manitoba border, and was raised by parents who were both varsity basketball players at Lakehead University. A multi-sport athlete for most of his life, Tremonti shifted his focus to volleyball throughout high school, joining the Dryden Dynasty and being named a Manitoba Club Volleyball Provincial All-Star in his final season in 2009.

He then enrolled at the University of Toronto and began a U SPORTS career that saw him grow from a first-year role player to a four-year starter for the Varsity Blues. Tremonti was top-two on the team in blocks in each of his four seasons as a starter at U of T, also ranking third in both kills and points in his final campaign in 2013-14.

Soon after graduating with his Bachelor of Kinesiology & Physical Education, Tremonti came west to begin his coaching career. That same year he took over head coaching duties with the Delta Secondary Senior Boys Team and the Seaside Volleyball Boys 14U club team.

Within two years, Tremonti had established himself as a rising star in the coaching ranks and was given the reins as head coach of the Douglas College Royals men’s team as just 25 years-old, while also taking on greater responsibilities with Volleyball BC and Volleyball Canada. In his eight years at Douglas, Tremonti developed four conference players of the year and one national player of the year. He was named PACWEST Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons and was the CCAA Coach of the Year in 2018-19.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever really looked at my coaching as a career path but a passion, and a vocation,” reflected Tremonti. “Having a lot of great coaches who impacted my life definitely helped me be interested in coaching, and the fire for coaching was really ignited at Douglas College. What made it easy showing up to ‘work’ every day was knowing how transformational a positive varsity sport experience has on student athletes, and the role a coach plays to help facilitate it.”

 
Tremonti will now be working with a young T-Birds team with strong continuity from last season, looking to build on an impressive bronze medal finish on the national stage, despite a rash of injuries in the post-season. The Thunderbirds have made the playoffs in each of Coach Hawkins’ six seasons at the helm, and the team has not finished with a losing record in over a decade.
 
“What drew me to UBC was the legacy of excellence,” concluded Tremonti. “There is a strong history with the men’s volleyball program, and even stronger one with Thunderbirds Athletics. I’m ready to work with our current T-Bird athletes to help inspire them to reach their potential, and help them write their own chapter in the UBC history books.”
 
The ‘Birds begin training camp on August 26^th before their season opener at arch rival Trinity Western on October 5^th. The home opener is against Brandon University on Halloween night at War Memorial Gym.