RallyNorth.net

Coaches' Corner: Gannon Paris, Central Catholic volleyball

Thursday, September, 11 By Chris Helms
Staff writer

Gannon Paris is a hometown guy.

Whether rooting for the Red Sox as they face the Rays this week or looking back on his days as a student at Merrimack College, he's always been a part of the area.

Maybe that's why he's enjoyed so much success as the head coach of the Central Catholic girls volleyball team. The 2007 squad went 20-2 (a school record) and earned MVC Division 1 state champion honors, only to lose in the Division 2 semifinals.

With a 33-11 career record heading into his third season at the helm, the former Eagle-Tribune Boys Volleyball Coach of the Year award winner recently took some time to answer some of our questions about his team, his history and the Patriots' chances now that Tom Brady's done for the year.

How did you get into coaching?

I played volleyball for three years in high school and went to Merrimack COllege, but they didn't have a men's team and I wanted to stay involved. So I volunteered at the Prep and eventually Central with my friend [Salem girls volleyball head coach and Central boys assistant coach] Dan Young. From there, I started off as an assistant around the same time as [former girls head coach] Nathalee Black and ended up in the head coaching job three years ago.

Tell us a little about your background. You mentioned you're a Merrimack grad; how about high school and earlier?

I was born in Lawrence and attended Methuen public schools. I graduated from St. John's Prep in 1997 and as we discussed, I attended Merrimack after that.

What about Central attracted you to the coaching position?

First, I had several friends that went there while I was at St. John's. My Dad also went there. A big factor was the quality of the student-athletes. It's just one of those places, like Merrimack, that people immediately associate with the area.

What's your day job?

I'm a teacher. It's my seventh year teaching fifth grade reading and science at Parthum School (Lawrence).

What are some similarities between your profession of teaching and coaching the girls volleyball team?

Management. It's always present. You have to manage your team and you have to manage the classroom. There are obviously more kids in the school setting, so it's kind of like non-stop action. Also, motivation is big - how you motivate both your players and students.

What sports did you play growing up?

I did a lot of youth sports - basketball, baseball, soccer. Everything.

Being a local guy, you must be a fan of some of the hometown teams. What do you think of this Sox-Rays series and the Patriots losing Brady?

Sox-Rays is nice, it's refreshing. The Rays are a good young team with great pitching. It's usually the Sox and Yanks... but I'm happy as long as it's the Sox and somebody. And Brady, what can you say? They still have a chance, it's not time to shut it down yet. He's the reigning MVP, though. It'll be tough.

You're entering your third season as the head coach of the girls team. How do you feel you've progressed?

Having your own team is pretty big, it's a big difference from being an assistant. Sure, you have some responsibility as an assistant coach, but you have to oversee everything as the head coach. I've got a couple years coaching the boys team, too, and I also coached a couple Junior Olympics teams.

What's the hardest part of coaching?

The balance between keeping the team happy and winning. You have six girls on the court and 15 on the total roster and don't want any of them getting stale. You need to keep everyone involved.

Most rewarding?

Seeing the kids have fun. That's why I do it.