Montana State head volleyball coach JJ Riley, who completed his second season with the Bobcats last fall, announced his resignation from the position on Wednesday afternoon. Riley stated family reasons for his decision to return to the Bend, Ore., area at the end of the month.
In addition, Montana State Director of Athletics Leon Costello announced that current assistant coach Daniel Jones will serve as interim head coach for the 2017 season.
“We respect the hard decision that Coach Riley had to make and understand that he had to do what was best for his family,” Costello said. “JJ has done an outstanding job in his two years as the head of the volleyball program creating a culture based on the best possible experience for our student-athletes. He has brought outstanding talent to the team and will leave the program in a better position because of his efforts. We thank him for his service to MSU and wish nothing but the best for him and his family as they move onto the next chapter.”
Riley, who took the reins of the Bobcat program on Jan. 20, 2015, was tasked with turning the program around. In two seasons, Riley posted an 8-41 overall and 4-28 slate in Big Sky action. The Bobcats moved up 45 spots in the NCAA Division I RPI during his tenure with a roster comprised mostly of freshmen, sophomores and pair of junior college transfers. In addition, MSU finished fifth in the Big Sky North Division last season, after placing sixth in 2015.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to step down as the head volleyball coach at Montana State,” Riley said. “Recently my wife and I were presented with some different opportunities that will allow us to raise our boys near family as well as provide me the opportunity to be more involved in their young lives. These two factors were the driving force behind this difficult decision. It is very hard to walk away from a career path that I have been on for over 13 years and especially hard to walk away from such an amazing place as Montana State, this team, program, and community.
“I want to thank Leon, Camie (Bechtold), my coaching staff, and this department for their amazing support and understanding that they have demonstrated toward my family during this difficult decision making process,” Riley stated. “I also want to thank the team for all of their dedication, hard work, and sacrifices that they have put forth in building this foundation on which to grow on. With the current athletes, incoming athletes, and recruits that we have, I truly believe the future is bright.
“Montana State and Bozeman have been wonderful to my family, and these memories will be a part of us forever,” Riley continued. “I will always be a Bobcat and I am excited to watch the continued growth and success of all programs from afar. I thank all of the amazing fans for their support and pride in Bobcat athletics.”
Prior to Montana State, Riley served as an assistant coach at Utah, USC and Pepperdine.
Jones has served the past two seasons as lead assistant coach at MSU. The native of New Zealand came to MSU following a one-year stint as an assistant at Utah Valley. Prior to his time in Orem, he worked alongside Riley for four seasons as part of the University of Utah volleyball program. Jones also has coaching experience with USA Volleyball. He served as an assistant coach in USA Volleyball’s A2 program, which worked with the top collegiate players in the nation. Jones assisted the head coach with practices, opponent scouting, game planning and match management.
“When JJ and I arrived on campus two years ago, it was with a vision of building this program to prominence together,” Jones said. “So, I have mixed emotions now that I will have the opportunity to continue this journey without him. He has been not only a dear friend and mentor, but he and his family have been very much like family to my wife Lacee, my two young children and myself. We are excited for them and their future, and know that this decision has not been made lightly, and we wish the entire Riley family nothing but the best.
“Moving forward, I am extremely excited to have been given this opportunity to continue to build this program in the manner in which we begun,” Jones stated. “I am grateful to Leon, Camie and the administration for their belief in what we are doing, and the faith they have in me to continue pushing the program forward. We have an incredible group of young women in the program right now, and six exciting student-athletes arriving on campus shortly. The future for Montana State volleyball is bright, and I am honored to continue the work towards fulfilling our vision.”
A national search for the position will open at the conclusion of the 2017 season.
Volleyball news courtesy of Montana State Athletics.
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