The power of good assistants: Estero, Verot, Gulf Coast volleyball thriving with ex-college stars

Not many programs have the luxury of having quality and relatable assistant coaches at the same time.

That happens to be the case for three Southwest Florida volleyball teams. And all three are succeeding.

Estero's Taylor (Morgan) Reid, Gulf Coast's Snowy (Burnam) Stokes, and Bishop Verot's Mindie Mabry and Chelsey Lockey all played at the Division I level and their teams are in line to potentially post their best campaigns since 2008 when the Wildcats went 18-9, Gulf Coast finished 23-5 and Bishop Verot finished with a 22-1. All four coaches are in their first season as assistants at the high school level.

“It’s honestly inspirational," Estero senior Ashlynn Ban said. "To come back and coach after playing in college is a big difference. It takes a lot of love for the sport to do that. It’s very inspirational.”

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"She brings the energy. One thousand percent"

Reid is used to playing in loud and energetic environments.

Reid hails from Big Ten country and played at Minnesota for five seasons. She was a two-time Second Team All-Big Ten selection, helping the Golden Gophers to a combined 54-10 record in 2018 and 2019 as a redshirt junior and senior. In her final two seasons with Minnesota, Morgan posted 465 kills, 21 aces, 264 blocks, and a hitting percentage of .362.

Wanting to become a coach to follow in her father's footsteps, Reid coached at Louisville her first year out of college, helping the Cardinals win an ACC title before trekking to Florida SouthWestern to coach in 2021.

“I went to college to become a coach,” Reid said. “My dad is the head women’s track coach at the University of Minnesota. I definitely followed under Hugh McCutcheon, my former coach’s footsteps. I love coaching. I love volleyball. I want to spread as much knowledge as I have to everybody. I’ve always wanted to coach. I knew I wanted to coach.”

Ban played club volleyball under Reid at USA South. As a parent watching his daughter play, Estero head coach John Ban saw an opportunity. Why not give Reid the chance at the high school level?

Reid's addition ignited a spark under this year's Estero team and boosted team morale. The Wildcats sit at 15-9 entering district play.

“Having her in club season, it was great for her to come to the high school level,” Ashlynn Ban said. “She definitely brings a lot of discipline to our high school team which we didn’t have before. She’s a great coach overall. It’s been great.

“She brings the energy. One thousand percent. Last year we had energy, but she’s always cheering for everyone. She literally got a yellow card at the Wildcat tournament for cheering for us. It’s definitely the energy.”

Mabry, Lockey helping push Verot to its best season since 2016

The Vikings are on pace to post their best season in seven years, when Mabry was a senior. The 2016 News-Press Player of the Year returned to her alma mater this season with a goal of returning Bishop Verot to its former premier status.

“It’s really awesome (to see this program succeed)," Mabry said. "I couldn’t believe when I looked back, that the last time they won districts (was 2018). I’m really hoping that’s something we can bring back to the school if not this year, then years to come. We have a great program, we have great kids, and we have great coaches. I’m looking forward to bringing a district championship back here soon.”

Mabry played at a high level during her high school career. She was a member of the News-Press All-Decade team from the 2010s, a two-time News-Press Player of the Year finalist, and a two-time News-Press All-Area First Team selection before heading to Harvard. Mabry posted 588 kills in three seasons for the Crimson, adding 458 digs and 70 total blocks, making All-Ivy League Honorable Mention as a junior in 2019.

Working exclusively with hitters like Kerrigan Habing and Maddie Knaak, Mabry has seen the group grow as a unit. She said she's been building on their foundation as players and that they have been receptive to her coaching. Habing and Knaak lead Verot's attack with 319 and 198 kills, respectively.

“I think they started out having such a good reputation on the court, and now it’s just making them look outside of their duties on the pins and making them smarter as a pin hitter," Mabry said. "That’s what I’ve mainly been focusing with them on, fine-tuning everything, teaching them different skills they didn’t have before, so they have more tools in their toolbox."

Lockey, a former FGCU setter, joined Mabry as a first-year assistant. Lockey was a three-time All-ASUN First Team selection, a one-time All-ASUN Second Team selection, and made the ASUN All-Freshmen team in 2018.

In her Eagles career, Lockey posted 4,748 assists, 995 digs, and 219 kills over five seasons. Her 4,748 assists are the most in school history and rank fifth in the ASUN. Lockey was also a member of the USA Women's Collegiate National team following her senior season.

“I’m really grateful that I get to be a part of it because it is a unique season for them compared to years past," Lockey said." I think people can think the coaches are a big factor in it, but I think what we do is just an ounce of what they take and run with. We can only tell them so much. They’re the ones who have to apply it on the court. The girls are doing a really good job with that and making it special.

"It's been a lot of fun. It's obviously very different going from playing to coaching, but it's nice that I'm able to take what I learned from playing and applying it to the girls I'm coaching now."

Verot worked quietly hiring Lockey, and the players were caught by surprise when she arrived.

“I was extremely starstruck because I’ve been watching Chelsey for a long time, I’m pretty sure since she was a freshman or sophomore at FGCU,” said Vikings senior Ella Portu. “I love going to FGCU games. We try to go as much as possible. After that senior class graduated, I wondered where they all went because Dana Axner is now an assistant at FGCU. Chelsey, I hadn’t heard much about her, and then she walked into our gym and I was like, ‘What!’ I had no idea where she had gone since FGCU until she walked into our gym.”

The Vikings are in a loaded district with First Baptist, Canterbury, and Community School, all teams ranked inside the top seven locally. There's a chance that the district champion is the lone local squad to make the state tournament in Class 3A, as the region is stacked with teams up Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Tampa Bay area.

“The last couple of practices, Chelsey and I have been throwing a lot of higher-level learning at them,” Mabry said. “They’ve really been trying hard to get there. They left practice a few days ago saying that their heads hurt. And we were like, that’s good. We’re trying to throw everything against the wall and hope it sticks with them. They’ve been very, very diligent about trying it. As coaches, that’s all we can ask for.”

Having multiple assistant coaches on staff is a luxury for first-year head coach Christy Curtis, as the Vikings are set to eclipse the 20-win mark for the first time since 2017, sitting at 19-6 entering the district tournament. Curtis, her husband Mike, Lockey, and Mabry are all on the bench, discussing strategy and making in-game adjustments when necessary.

“I feel like your successes as head coach is being willing to bring in great coaches and not be intimidated by how great they are also,” Curtis said. “I tried to find the best I could find. Coach (Mike) Curtis does all of the metrics. We see crazy numbers. Their verts are way better. Their increase is good. Having Chelsey and Mindie, she works with the pins, Chelsey works with the setters, and also does the setter-hitter connection. It’s fantastic.”

FGCU alum providing spark for Sharks

The moment Stokes received a call from new Gulf Coast head coach John Alvarez to be his assistant, the FGCU graduate knew it would be the start of her coaching career.

Stokes starred for the Eagles from 2017-21, recording 682 kills, 57 aces, 658 digs, and 201 blocks. She was named the ASUN Freshman of the Year in 2017 and made Second Team All-ASUN in 2019, and has helped the Sharks to a 16-7 regular season record.

“As a coach, it’s exciting,” Stokes said. “It makes it a lot easier to come into a program that’s been doing pretty well. You get to step into that role and encourage and help them with their success. It is a little more pressure, because of the success and the fact that they’ve been winning. It’s a little pressure to step into that, but it's fun being able to coach really good girls.

Aside from serving as Alvarez's No. 1 assistant on the indoor circuit, Stokes works double duty, serving as an FGCU beach volleyball assistant coach. She is one of just two players in NCAA history to capture her conference’s top freshman award in both indoor and beach volleyball, along with Stanford's Kathryn Plummer.

“It’s very different," Stokes said. "Playing and coaching is not the same thing at all. I was laughing with John earlier, when you’re playing, you see everything very clearly. When a bad call is made, it’s like whatever, and you move on. When you’re coaching, the passion you have for the girls is different compared to when you’re playing. You get more excited, and there’s different levels of energy.

“I’ve had a chance to work with young players before, so it was a good transition. Part of my day, I work with college athletes, and then I come work with the younger girls. They’ve been super receptive. It’s fun to work on individual skills and the whole team game. The things I’m presenting to them, they’re taking it really well and also giving good feedback.”

Alvarez has known Stokes for years, having worked camps at FGCU. Alvarez wasn't necessarily looking for just another volleyball mind on the bench, but one who could do more, connecting with players and also serving as an example. Stokes represents that in his view, and hopes his players take after her as they grow older.

“I think one of the greatest attributes that she brings is that when she’s on the court and she plays with the girls, she falls back into that FGCU, outside hitter, right side hitter mindset," Alvarez said. "She holds the girls accountable, and the girls can see that it’s OK to hold each other accountable and still compete. I think it’s so big for these kids to understand that we can be friends, but when we’re on the court, we’ve got to hold each other accountable to the standard and the level of play. It’s great that she knows the game so well. I think that’s a secondary, a tertiary value. For me, the biggest value is the role model she is for the athletes.

"After volleyball, these kids are going to have a life. I’d rather they see what life looks like or who you could be after volleyball. They’re not all going to be volleyball players in college or professional, just be good people. Snowy is a great example of that; being a good person after you have a successful collegiate career. To me, that is the greatest thing about having her in our gym.”

Follow Southwest Florida Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: With ex-college stars as assistants, Estero, Verot, Gulf Coast volleyball thriving