Clay HS volleyball coach Warren Bynum named NIC Volleyball Coach of the Year
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — South Bend Clay鈥檚 Head Volleyball Coach Warren Bynum, Sr. earned top honors from the Northern Indiana Conference this season. The NIC named Bynum their Coach of the Year after he led Clay鈥檚 Varsity team to claim their first-ever volleyball conference championship for their school.
Coach Bynum has been leading Clay鈥檚 Varsity team for just 2 years (he spent 5 years as a middle school volleyball coach) and has been with the school corporation for 16 years. When it comes to his team鈥檚 success, he says it all comes down to commitment. 鈥淲e had a solid team core committed to improving by attending all off-season workouts,鈥� he explains. 鈥淭hey made significant gains in the weight room, which helped them become more comfortable and confident players. Their attitude was also crucial to success. They know that mistakes are part of the game and that we have a long way to go to get where we want to be. They developed a next-ball mentality that allowed them to move on from mistakes, something we struggled with last year.鈥�
Bynum teaches his athletes that there is power in words when you 鈥渟peak it, believe it, and work to achieve it.鈥� The most crucial life lesson he has learned from coaching is to never lower your expectations. 鈥淭he more you expect from a team or individual, the more you will get,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚鈥檓 so glad I discovered this early in coaching. I go into every season expecting to win, on and off the court.鈥�
And that off-court success is just as crucial as what happens during the game. Bynum believes that all successes should be recognized and celebrated, and all failures should serve as motivation to improve during the next game. 鈥淗aving this mindset allows me to give my best effort and receive the best efforts of my players,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here is no greater joy than watching a player achieve something they thought they never could. That could be anything from acing a test or leading the conference in scoring.鈥�
Bynum鈥檚 proudest coaching moments, however, are staying in touch with players after graduation and watching them grow into successful individuals. His current assistant coach, Mykala Baylor, is a former player he鈥檚 stayed in touch with since she was a sixth grader. Since she has gone on to play collegiate basketball and obtained a teaching degree, Mykala now works with Coach Bynum in the same school she played for years ago. 鈥淚 am incredibly proud of her, as I am of all of my former students and athletes,鈥� Bynum says. 鈥淏uilding and maintaining these relationships is why I coach. My driving force is positively impacting my athletes and pushing them to be their best. I need them to understand anything is possible if you truly believe in it and willing to work for it. Their only limitations are the ones they put on themselves.鈥�
Bynum and the entire team will take away a few memorable games from the season, including a surprising recovery to win against Jimtown. 鈥淲e played horribly in the first set, losing 25-9 in a blowout,鈥� Bynum recalls. 鈥淪omehow we regained our focus and won the following three sets.鈥� The next must-win game was against cross-town rivals Riley High School. Because it was their senior night, there were a lot of fans in the stands and the team was a little tight. 鈥淲e ended up winning in three sets to secure our share of the North-South Division title鈥攖he first in the school鈥檚 history! They put the work in and deserved the moment! I was so excited for our team and their achievement.鈥�
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