MOSCOW, Idaho – University of Idaho Director of Athletics Terry Gawlik has named Chris Gonzalez as its seventh head volleyball coach. Coach Gonzalez will be joined by assistants Bryan Bastuba and Kalisha Goree. 

"First and foremost, I would like to thank our Director of Athletics Terry Gawlik for this occasion to return to college volleyball," Gonzalez said. "During the interview process, I was most compelled by the vision and goals Terry and the administration have set not only for volleyball but for the entirety of the athletic department. Her goals are clear and direct. The opportunity to work with an administrator with a volleyball background, someone who genuinely cares about the growth and evolution of our sport cannot be overstated. I am both honored and humbled to lead this program forward."

"When I considered the staff, thoughtfulness, progressive, caring, and detail-oriented were the characteristics I felt our program deserved," Gonzalez said. "I wanted to be a part of a staff that could challenge each other and our student-athletes. Kalisha and Bryan were my first calls, both are thinkers and educators, bright, and forward thinking. They are also terrific trainers with the rare ability to teach and skill-develop with the ball. On Day 1, we will have one of the top training staffs in the country and our student-athletes will benefit greatly from their expertise."

For the last two decades, Gonzalez has coached some of the top teams and players from around the world. His experience includes ten seasons at the NCAA Division I level and over 500 international and professional matches worldwide.

"I'm so excited for our volleyball program to have the opportunity to work with Chris and his staff," Gawlik said. "They bring a new energy and excitement to not only our volleyball program but our entire department. Chris is one of the premier volleyball analysts in not only the country, but the entire world. Chris was highly recommended to me by Kelly Sheffield, head coach at Wisconsin, who just won a national championship. We are thrilled to get someone of that caliber."

Gonzalez has also served as a head and assistant coach with the USA women's national team, Netherlands national team, and Czech Republic junior national teams.

From 2019-2022 Gonzalez served as the setting coach and offensive coordinator for the Denso Corporation in Japan's top professional V.League. During his two seasons, Denso earned back-to-back V.League Final Fours - Denso's first appearance since 2006. Denso also earned a bronze medal in the 2021 Empress Cup. Denso setter Kanami Tashiro was selected to the 2021 Japanese National Olympic team, and current setter Tamaki Matsui is widely considered Japan's next great setter as they prepare for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Domestically, coach Gonzalez has coached in the Pac-12, Big West, Big South, and Big 10 Conferences. During his time as an assistant, Chris coached in four NCAA Final Fours 1997-1999 and 2001, culminating in the first-ever undefeated NCAA National Championship while at Long Beach State University in 1998, finishing the season a perfect 36-0. Gonzalez assisted in training two undefeated teams (35-0, and 34-0) to the NCAA national championship match. During that time Chris also assisted in the development of 15 NCAA All-Americans and two NCAA Players of the Year. 

After five successful seasons at Long Beach State University, Gonzalez joined the USA women's national team staff as the head and assistant coach from 2001-2003. He coached Team USA to a medal at the FIVB World Championships, FIVB World Cup, FIVB World Grand Prix, and Pam American Games.

During his eight seasons in Europe, Gonzalez collaborated with some of the top teams and players in the world including 13 athletes who competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. In total, Gonzalez has trained over 30 Olympians from Russia, Cuba, Netherlands, Japan, Serbia, and the USA, including Brankica Mihajlovic, Nancy Carillo, Bojana Zivkovic, Femke Stoltenborg, Rosir Calderon, Robyn De Kruijf, Laura Dijkema, Evgenia Artamonova, Maret Grotheus and Yurie Nabeya.

Gonzalez led teams went on to win three European national championships, three Super Cups, and three National Beker Cups, including a national championship in his first attempt as a head coach in 2009. In each season abroad, Gonzalez's teams qualified for CEV European Cup competition including the CEV Champions League, CEV Cup, and CEV Challenge Cup.

Gonzalez has also had great success at the junior level coaching seven USAV and AAU national championship teams. Most recently, Gonzalez coached with Mintonette Sports (Columbus, Ohio) and Sunshine Volleyball Club (Los Angeles, CA). From 2018-2021, both clubs enjoyed great success, earning 28 USAV bids, a combined 15 USAV and AAU All-American selections, and four AAU and USAV national championships.

Gonzalez was born in Southern California and graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in communication studies.

Vandal Volleyball Coaches
1974-76 – Kathy Clark
1977-83 – Amanda Burk
1984-88 – Pam Bradetich
1989-96 – Tom Hilbert
1997-99 – Carl Ferreira
2000-21 – Debbie Buchanan
2022-Current – Chris Gonzalez
 

Bryan Bastuba 

Joining Gonzalez is assistant coach Bryan Bastuba, who comes from Southern Indiana.  
 
Bastuba, a native of Columbus, Ohio, joins the Vandals after previously serving as an assistant coach at the University of Southern Indiana. During his three-year tenure, Bastuba helped lead the Eagles to the program's first Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament title since 2004 after finishing 17-4 overall in the 2020-21 season. Southern Indiana also went on to clinch their first-ever AVCA national ranking after earning their first-ever win over a No. 1 ranked team.  

"Bryan has a terrific volleyball mind, he has a great understanding of nuance, and is adept at developing systems," Gonzalez said. "His ability to identify and correct technical deficiencies in all positions when training players will add to the quality of volleyball education we hope to provide our student-athletes. Bryan is a tireless recruiter and has a terrific eye for talent. He will play an integral part in our success going forward." 

In his first season at USI, Bastuba was instrumental in the development of Eagles' setters. The position group went on to average close to 11 assists per match in 2019. 

Before his stint at Southern Indiana, Bastuba garnered two years of coaching experience at the University of Northwestern Ohio (Lima), where he helped the Racers to a 48-25 overall record. His work at Northwestern Ohio also included a 26-win season in 2018 which is the fourth most wins in program history.  

Bastuba's first stop on the college circuit included two seasons as an assistant at Urbana University from 2015 to 2016. The 2016 season was one that saw the program earn their first winning season (20-14) since joining the NCAA while the team finished out the season with a hitting percentage that was ranked second best in the conference and placed top-25 in team kills at the Division ll level. 

In addition to his experience at the collegiate level, Bastuba also spent time at Mintonette Sports in Ohio. He spent seven seasons coaching athletes that would go on to commit at all three NCAA Divisions. 

Bastuba earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics with a minor in Spanish from Ohio Dominican University in 2012.
 

Kalisha Goree 

Kalisha "Keesh" Goree joins the staff after coaching one season as an assistant at the University of Akron. 

Goree, a native of Columbia City, Ind., spent four seasons as a member of the Ohio State volleyball program from 2014-17. She was instrumental in helping guide the Buckeyes to three straight NCAA Sweet 16 berths. In her final season in Columbus, Goree was selected for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and was honored as a three-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, and two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. In her career, Goree competed in 107 matches for Ohio State as a defensive specialist.

"Kalisha Goree brings a very unique blend of talents to our program," Gonzalez said. ""Keesh" is an extremely thoughtful coach. She has the ability to take very complex technical and organizational theory and translate them into applicable training concepts. Having competed at the highest level of college volleyball, she will be an invaluable resource for our student-athletes. This along with her ability to train and recruit, Keesh will be a large part of why we will be successful". 

Since the completion of her collegiate career, Goree has spent the past four years coaching at the club and collegiate levels. Goree most recently completed her first season as an assistant coach at the University of Akron, where she was responsible for training and helping in the recruitment process. 

Goree began her coaching career at the Elite Volleyball Training Center in Columbus, Ohio where she spent three seasons as a head coach and assistant coach for six club teams from 2018-21. 

Goree graduated from Ohio State in 2018, earning a bachelor's degree in sports management with a minor in business.

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