Feb. 4, 2009
ATLANTA – Craig Bere, who has spent 15 years in the collegiate volleyball ranks, has joined first-year head coach Tonya Johnson’s staff at Georgia Tech as an assistant coach, the school announced Wednesday.
“I am very excited to have Craig join my staff,” Johnson said. “He brings an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience with him. He is good at every facet of the game, and I am looking forward to him having a huge impact on the Georgia Tech volleyball program.”
Bere spent the last two seasons on the Louisville staff following a successful stint as an assistant at LSU from 2004-2006. He has been a part of an NCAA Tournament team each of the last four years, including both seasons at Louisville. The Cardinals received an automatic bid to last year’s NCAA Tournament by capturing the 2008 BIG EAST title, one year after finishing as the runner-up in the 2007 BIG EAST Tournament.
“This is a great opportunity for me to join an established athletic department with national success and recognition along with Tonya Johnson, a head coach who has a tremendous amount of respect and experience at the highest levels of collegiate volleyball,” Bere said. “It is truly an honor for my family to join the Georgia Tech family, and I look forward to helping move the volleyball program forward in the years to come.”
Prior to his appointment at Louisville, Bere was responsible for game strategy, recruiting and practice planning for three years under LSU head coach Fran Flory. He helped guide the Tigers back to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 following a 13-year hiatus, while LSU captured a share of its first Southeastern Conference Western Division title in school history the same season. The following year, LSU repeated as SEC Western Division champions and made a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Under his tutelage, setters Daniela Romero and Heather Fierce both ranked in the top 10 in the league in assists per game, while LSU posted the fourth-best hitting percentage in the SEC in 2005.
Bere returned to Division I volleyball at LSU following a successful stint as the head coach at Southern Indiana, where he posted a 47-17 record in two seasons. He guided the Screaming Eagles to their first bid in the NCAA Division II Tournament after capturing the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament crown in 2002, and came within three points of a repeat GLVC title and tournament berth the following season. His .734 winning percentage at Southern Indiana still ranks as the third-best winning percentage in the school’s history.
Southern Indiana setter Kim Boehmer became the first Screaming Eagle to receive All-America honors when she was named to the honorable mention squad in Bere’s first season at USI. She also received first-team All-GLVC honors in 2002 and 2003, while Kristi Kavanaugh earned first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors under Bere.
Bere began his coaching career at Morehead State, where he served as a student assistant in 1993 before being promoted to full-time assistant coach for the 1994 season. While on staff with the Eagles, Morehead State captured the 1993 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and finished as the runner-up in the regular season OVC race in 1994. The Eagles also returned to the title match of the 1995 OVC Tournament, taking runner-up honors.
Following his tenure at Morehead State, Bere joined the Mississippi State staff, where he served as an assistant coach from 1997-2001. There he was responsible for coordinating the Bulldog defense while working closely with Mississippi State’s outside hitters. Bere also headed up the team’s recruiting efforts while performing additional administrative duties off the court.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Bere attended Morehead State, where he was a three-year letterwinner on the Eagle football team and a four-year member of the men’s volleyball club team, which led him to a career in college coaching. Bere earned his degree in Health from Morehead State in 1995 and went on to receive his Masters in Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1997.
A member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, Bere has served as a camp instructor in summer volleyball camps in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana and Michigan. He is married to the former Shannon Krebs, and the couple has one son, Blake.
Bere Year-by-Year Coaching Record
Year School Position Record Postseason1993 Morehead State Student Asst. 20-18 OVC Champions, NIVC First Round1994 Morehead State Assistant 23-151995 Morehead State Assistant 22-17 OVC Runner-up1996 Morehead State Assistant 12-211997 Mississippi State Assistant 12-221998 Mississippi State Assistant 9-201999 Mississippi State Assistant 11-162000 Mississippi State Assistant 16-142001 Mississippi State Assistant 8-172002 Southern Indiana Head Coach 26-8 NCAA DII Second Round, GLVC Champs2003 Southern Indiana Head Coach 21-92004 LSU Assistant 17-122005 LSU Assistant 21-8 NCAA First Round, SEC West Co-Champs2006 LSU Assistant 24-7 NCAA First Round, SEC Western Champs2007 Louisville Assistant 22-8 NCAA First Round, BIG EAST Runner-up2008 Louisville Assistant 19-11 NCAA First Round, BIG EAST Champs
Bere (Pronounced “Berry”) Quick Facts
Birthday: July 13, 1972
Hometown: Louisville, Kent.
Family: Wife Shannon, Son Blake
Education: Morehead State, 1995; Masters from Morehead State in 1997
Years in College Coaching: 15 (two as Head Coach)
