National Experience--Local Advantage
Lock Haven Assistant brings international feel to college volleyball

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – While most assistant coaches are busy running local camps and recruiting new players in the summer, Lock Haven University assistant volleyball coach Gen Kawakita has been doing something more prestigious.  Last month, he served as the top assistant to head coach Lang Ping and the US Women’s National Team.  The squad was competing in the 2005 World Grand Prix, traveling to China, Korea, Thailand and Kawakita’s home country of Japan.

This month, USA Volleyball is in Colorado preparing for the World Championship Qualifier which will be held in Puerto Rico in late August.  Kawakita rejoined the team on July 18 and will practice with them until the start of the Lock Haven volleyball season.

Kawakita loves his job, and his passion for coaching is evident in everything that he does.  He hopes that he can take what he has learned from this experience and instill it into the Lock Haven volleyball program.

“I’ve been coaching for eight years, and it doesn’t matter to me if I’m coaching in Japan, the United States or Lock Haven,” said Kawakita. “My philosophy is that I just want to improve everyone that I coach.”

One of his beliefs is the total team concept of volleyball.  He wants the team to achieve its full potential by utilizing every player that he has.

“If I have 18 women on my team,” said Kawakita, “I want to use all 18 women.  I think that improves the team so much, and when we win, everyone can feel that they were a part of it.”

Lock Haven head coach Tom Justice recalled many new ideas that Kawakita brought to LHU from overseas. 

“There is a lot of parallel thinking going on between Gen and most top level international coaches,” said Justice.  “That gives us an edge.  For example, we were the first team in the United States to utilize a double substitution with setters and right side players.  It brought a higher level of volleyball to Lock Haven.  Because of elements like these, we are thinking about volleyball from the world perspective, not just from a Pennsylvania or USA perspective.”

Kawakita also worked with Ping and the team last summer.  Because of that, he already knows most of the players and everyone feels comfortable with each other. 

“Gen is getting good experience training at this level,” said Ping.  “He is a hard worker, and he has learned a lot from being at the World Grand Prix this summer.”

An adjustment that Kawakita has made nicely is the transition from his hometown of Tokyo to Lock Haven.  Moving from the largest city in the world with a population of 8,273,900 to small-town LHU with a population of just over 9,000 has been pleasant.

“I have been here for the past five years,” said Kawakita, “and I truly consider Lock Haven my hometown.  I am very grateful for the opportunity that I have been given everywhere; in Japan, with the US Team and here at Lock Haven.”

Kawakita also possesses a quality familiar to most Americans.  He is very competitive.

“I don’t want to lose,” said Kawakita.  “I love to coach and I want us to win as a team.”

With all that he has learned this summer, coupled with the experience of Lock Haven’s two-time defending conference and regional championship teams, Lady Eagle volleyball will again be something special this season.

“One thing that I hope to bring back from my experience is the connection of the national team to our college program,” Kawakita said.  “I just want to do whatever it takes to win.”