Prep notebook: Archbishop Murphy volleyball coach steps down after two straight trips to state tourney

Published 4:03 pm Monday, December 15, 2008

In two years as Archbishop Murphy High School’s head volleyball coach, Jim Hardy guided the Wildcats to back-to-back state tournament appearances.

Now Hardy is moving on. He resigned late last month.

“We’ve built the program and it’s in place. We spent six years building from nothing and now I’m running out of things to add on,” said Hardy, who was an Archbishop Murphy assistant for four years before he became head coach.

During his time with Murphy the program achieved all sorts of firsts. Last year the Wildcats won a top-eight trophy at the state tourney for the first time, finishing fifth in Class 2A. This season Murphy beat King’s of Shoreline for the first time, earned a share of the Cascade Conference championship and went to state for the third consecutive year.

“I thought Jim did a really outstanding job for Archbishop Murphy. Two state appearances in two years really spoke for itself,” said Rick Stubrud, the school’s athletic director. “I hope our community (is) appreciative of the work he put in.”

Last month the Washington Volleyball Coaches Association picked Murphy to win the 2A state title, based mainly on the unranked Wildcats’ draw. But Murphy went two-and-out, losing to Grandview and Fife.

Murphy’s performance at state was not the reason Hardy resigned, Hardy said. One factor was his disillusionment with how the dramatic surge in year-round training and select team commitments affect the sport, he said.

Student-athletes pay about $3,000 per year to play for traveling select (non-high school) programs, Hardy said. The select system, which Hardy said he once promoted, puts too much emphasis on individual achievement and not enough on team success, said Hardy.

Hardy said he will stay involved in volleyball. This winter and spring he will continue as director of the Mill Creek Volleyball Club. Hardy is also interested in coaching for the Special Olympics.

Murphy will post the volleyball head coach job in early January and hopes to hire Hardy’s successor by late February, Stubrud said.

Gym dedication Friday

The gym at the Marysville Secondary Campus on the Tulalip Reservation will be dedicated to Francis J. Sheldon, a former tribal leader, 6:30 p.m. Friday. The ceremony will take place after the 5 p.m. Heritage versus Lummi girls basketball game, and before the start of the 7:30 p.m. Heritage versus Lummi boys basketball game. Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Admission is free for students with ASB cards and children age 6 and younger. For more information call Greg Erickson at 360-657-6135.

Murphy seeks coach

Archbishop Murphy is accepting applications for head softball coach until Jan. 16. The Wildcats’ last coach, Linsi Moy, left after two seasons and became an assistant at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Jackson softball grads invited to alumni dinner

Former Jackson High varsity softball players are invited to the first annual Jackson High School Softball Alumni Dinner 6 p.m. Dec. 29. To RSVP and get more information, contact Mike Moran at mmoran@everettsd.org.

Mike Cane, Herald Writer