Ian Blanchard loved molding the minds of young student-athletes while he was a social studies teacher and volleyball coach at Dulaney High School in Baltimore County in the late 1990s.
He led the Lions to a 90-6 record and won state titles in 1999 and 2000 during his five years running the program. But at some point toward the end of his tenure, he realized he wanted something more: the opportunity to coach at the college level.
So Blanchard decided to make a life-altering career change, which took him in less than five years from head coach at Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville, to an assistant at Towson University, to University of Maryland, Baltimore County head coach. He is currently in his second year running the Retrievers program.
“I absolutely love coming to work,” Blanchard said. “Not too many people can say that.”
Blanchard is just one of a number of local volleyball coaches who made their name at the high school level before taking their abilities to college. The list includes Goucher coach Mike Bossom, who recently left Centennial after winning eight state titles in 12 seasons.
And Broadneck coach Romonzo Beans is pulling double duty at Anne Arundel Community College also.
Blanchard said while he gained a lot of valuable experience coaching in high school, most of the preparation he had for college coaching came at the club level. There, much like in college, coaches are constantly out trying to recruit the best players locally, throughout the region and even the country.
“The biggest change for me is all the preparation that is involved with coaching college volleyball,” Blanchard said. “From recruiting to breaking down film, it is a much more complicated job.”
For Beans, he said he hopes the experience he is gaining at AACC will do for his career what coaching at CCBC-Catonsville did for Blanchard. He has already accomplished a lot in his years at Broadneck, leading the Bruins to state titles in 2001, ?02 and ?04.
“Coaching at Anne Arundel is definitely a change for me, as I haven?t had these girls for three or four years like I?ve had at Broadneck,” Beans said. “It?s more of a building process here, especially in the first year, as a lot of local girls that mighthave gone here went to Catonsville or Howard Community College instead.”
Volleyball notes
» When Ian Blanchard?s Dulaney team won its second straight state title in 2000, it did so against Broadneck, which was coached by Romonzo Beans.
» Blanchard is 15-24, including 4-6 this season, so far as UMBC?s coach.
» As of Thursday, Goucher was 6-1 record with Mike Bossom as coach. The start is the best for the Gophers in 13 years.
