Wilkins named CCAA Coach of the Year

Wayne Wilkins of the Humber Hawks has been named the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men’s Volleyball Coach of the Year.

Wilkins received the award at the 2020 CCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship banquet, hosted by St. Thomas University in Fredericton, NB. He previously won the CCAA award in 2005.

“Wayne is as dedicated and passionate a volleyball coach that you will find in Canada,” said Ray Sarkis, CCAA Men’s Volleyball Convenor. “He is a tireless worker in pursuit of excellence – overseeing all areas where a student-athlete can realize success, be it in strength and conditioning, in the classroom or performance on the court.”

After back-to-back 10-8 seasons, Wilkins revamped his team with youth and athleticism in 2017. Desperate for players to join the squad, he even took a pitcher from the college baseball team with minimal volleyball experience and helped develop the student-athlete into a two-time Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) All-Star and arguably the top middle in the conference.

Wilkins led his squad to consecutive OCAA title matches in 2017-18 and 2018-19, falling short on both occasions to the Fanshawe Falcons.

This season, with the same squad, Wilkins has turned his program into the top-ranked team in the CCAA for the first time since 2012. He guided the Hawks to a perfect 18-0 regular season record to finish atop the OCAA West Division standings. And this time, the Hawks defeated the Durham Lords in three straight sets to capture the conference crown at the OCAA Championship.

Leading the Hawks for a quarter-century, Wilkins continues to live by the mantra “trust, belief and accountability.” He’s created a culture where the entire program has bought into team success over individual success, and this culture is on display for every set.

Throughout the year, Wilkins oversees numerous youth volleyball camps at Humber and coaches the Magnes Spartans of the Canadian Volleyball League.

Other nominees for the CCAA Men’s Volleyball Coach of the Year award were Jay Tremonti of the Douglas Royals (Pacific Western Athletic Association), Ryan Marsden of the Olds Broncos (Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference), Paul Tamburrini of the Griffons de l’Outaouais (Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec) and Henri Mallet of the St. Thomas Tommies (Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association).

CCAA Coach of the Year winners receive a customized ring provided by Jostens Canada, the Official Ring Supplier of the CCAA Championship banquet.