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Ken Ko enters his second season as an assistant coach for the University of San Francisco volleyball team.
USF head coach, Gilad Doron, announced the addition of Ko to his staff on September 17, 2010.
His hiring at USF was a homecoming of sorts for Ko, who began
his collegiate coaching career at USF in 2000 as a volunteer
assistant coach. Ko is a Bay Area native and attended Skyline High
School in Oakland.
“I’ve pretty much been out of the Bay Area for the last
10 years, so it’s great to be home,” Ko said.
“Then on the professional side of it, I have the opportunity
to work with Gilad. His staff has worked so hard to accomplish what
they have here. The direction the program is heading looks really
good.”
Ko replaced Scott Wong, who was with the Dons for one season before becoming the associate head coach at the University of Hawaii.
A 16-year coaching veteran, Ko came to the Hilltop after a two-year stint at the University of Florida. During both seasons, the Gators advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament and finished 25-6 last season and 27-4 in 2008. Florida won the Southeastern Conference Championship in 2008.
Ko’s responsibilities at Florida included assisting with offensive coordination and opponent scouting, while also acting as the recruiting coordinator for the Gators.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to work with Ken,” Doron said. “I think he brings a wealth of experience from different programs and conferences. Mostly, his personality and his approach on how to train are very compatible to my attitude. He has great passion for the game and is very competitive.”
Before moving to Gainesville, Ko spent three seasons at Washington State University from 2005-07. He served as the associate head coach during his final two seasons in Pullman. Ko’s responsibilities included coordinating the team’s defensive and blocking schemes. During his time with the Cougars, his team won a Pac-10 conference blocking title and finished in the top 10 in blocking in the country in 2005.
With seven new freshmen on the Dons' roster in 2010 and a total of 10 underclassmen on the 2011 roster, Ko’s experience working with young players will be advantageous for USF.
In his first year at Florida, Kristy Jaeckel and Colleen Ward were both named to the SEC All-Freshman team, with Kelly Murphy earning Freshman-of-the Year honors. Four of his players were named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Freshman team in Ko’s three years at Washington State.
“I think with the experience of working with young teams, you understand what a lot of these young players are going through and the unique dynamics of a new group forming,” Ko said. “Just knowing the things we can do as a team and a staff to be proactive and get through the adjustment period and build a strong foundation for success will help.”
Ko spent three years at California State Fullerton from 2002-04, where he helped guide the Titans to a school-record 11 home wins in 2004. Before heading to Fullerton, Ko was an assistant coach for one season at Colgate University.
In addition to his collegiate experience, Ko has significant experience working with the USA Volleyball program. He was an assistant coach for the Junior National Select A1 Team in Fort Lauderdale in 2008, along with being an assistant coach for the Junior National Select A2 Team in both 2005 and 2006.
Ko began his coaching career at Miramonte High School in Orinda, Calif. as head coach and program director for the girl’s program in 1995. In six seasons, his teams went 151-24 and won four league titles. His 1996 Miramonte team won a California Interscholastic Federation section title and advanced to the state semifinals. Ko was named Contra Costa Times Coach of the Year in 1998. In 2001, Ko took over the boy’s program at Miramonte for one season.
While at Miramonte, Ko coached Nicole Branagh, who went on to become a two-time All-American at Minnesota and the 2005 AVP Tour Rookie of the Year. Branagh was also a member of the United States’ No. 2 beach volleyball team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic games.
Ko received his bachelor of science degree in Physical Education (Biomechanics) from the University of California-Davis in 1993. He played volleyball for the Aggies for three seasons as an outside hitter. After graduation he worked in the physical therapy field until 2000.
