COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 14, 2016) – USA Volleyball has named Greg Walker as the head coach for the U.S. Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team, while Joe Skinner has been hired as the U.S. Sitting Team Program training coach and men’s assistant coach.
Walker has been active with the U.S. Men’s Sitting Team since 2013. In his first year he served as head coach for the team that competed in an exhibition at the Defi Sportif in Montreal, Canada. Walker was an assistant coach at both the 2014 ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball World Championship and the 2015 ParaPan American American Games in Toronto where the team qualified for the 2016 Paralympic Games by finishing with the silver medal.
“I am very familiar with this this team and the support staff as I have been able to be on staff for the last quad,” Walker said. “I am excited to be able to continue the journey we all started a few years back and I know I am extremely excited to see the team at the end of the month at our monthly training camp in this new role.”
“I am pleased to announce the hiring of Greg Walker as the U.S. Men’s Sitting National Team head coach,” said Bill Hamiter, director of the U.S. Sitting Volleyball Program and head coach for the U.S. Women’s Sitting Team. “Greg has worked with the sitting program for many years and directly with the men’s team serving as assistant coach this quad. He brings a wealth of knowledge and a very high work ethic to the team. I look forward to Greg’s leadership during this Paralympic year.”
Walker accepted the head men’s volleyball coach at Sacred Heart University, an NCAA Division I university in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, in October 2015 and will continue in that role. As he coaches his collegiate team and works part-time for USA Volleyball, Skinner will be responsible for the daily training duties of the program’s resident athletes and oversee the training of the non-resident athletes effective Feb. 1.
“I want to thank USA Volleyball, the senior staff and Bill Hamiter for the opportunity to be a part of something very special,” Walker said. “Being an assistant coach for the program the last few years has been an incredible opportunity and I am very humbled and honored as well as excited to be able to take on this new opportunity with USA Volleyball. I am very thankful to my senior staff at Sacred Heart University and their support in allowing me to pursue this amazing opportunity.”
Prior to accepting his position at Sacred Heart, Walker was head men’s coach at Alderson Broaddus University from May 2014 to October 2015. He led the Battlers to a 21-6 overall record and 7-4 mark in NCAA competition as the program transitioned to Division I-II status. Four of his players earned Off the Block All-Independent Conference honors.
Walker was a women’s assistant coach at Mississippi State University for the 2013 collegiate season. He helped mentor two players who were named to the AVCA All-American Honorable Mention list.
Walker led Pfeiffer University men’s and women’s teams during the 2012-13 season. He guided the men’s squad to the Conference Carolinas conference championship in 2013 and coached the league’s player of the year.
Walker, who holds USA Volleyball Coaching Accreditation Program (CAP) Level III and is a lead coach at Gold Medal Squared Elite Volleyball Training, attended The Pennsylvania State University where he majored in Kinesiology and earned a bachelor of sport science in sport coaching at the United States Sports Academy.
Skinner has served as the U.S. Men’s Sitting Team technical coordinator and assistant coach since June 2014. His responsibilities include live video editing and maintaining statistics of each match and creating scout tapes of opponents using DataVolley and DataVideo, both products of USA Volleyball sponsor DataProject. Walker assisted the coaching staff in developing game plans for opponents.
“I’m excited to remain with the USA Volleyball family in this new role, and I want to thank Bill Hamiter for this opportunity to help train the athletes as we make our journey to Rio for the 2016 Paralympics,” Skinner said.
“Joe Skinner has done a marvelous job as statistician for the U.S. Sitting Men’s National Team the last two years,” Hamiter said. “He is gifted at training and refining skills. We are privileged to have Joe joining our staff to lead our resident training and assisting the men’s team. I look forward to seeing the development our players will make under his guidance.”
Skinner also held the dual role as assistant women’s volleyball coach at Fresno State University since February 2014. He served as director of volleyball and softball operations within the University of Oregon athletic department from August 2012 to February 2014 after being the interim director of volleyball operations at the school from April 2011 to July 2012.
Skinner earned his bachelor of science degree in journalism with an emphasis in electronic media from the University of Oregon.