Tamas looks forward to coaching on global stage

Illinois+head+coach+Chris+Tamas+smiles+at+this+team+during+the+match+against+Michigan+at+Huff+Hall+on+Saturday%2C+Nov.+5%2C+2017.+The+Illini+won+3-2.

Austin Yattoni

Illinois head coach Chris Tamas smiles at this team during the match against Michigan at Huff Hall on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2017. The Illini won 3-2.

By Eli Schuster

USA Volleyball and Chris Tamas go together like thunder and lightning.

The head coach of the Illinois volleyball team has had a long-standing career with the national volleyball program, and even several years removed, he can’t seem to get away.

A phone call from the U.S. Women’s Indoor National Team head coach Karch Kiraly is what sparked the next chapter for Tamas and USA volleyball, he said.

“(Kiraly) had asked me if I would like to be part of this opportunity, so I called (wife and assistant coach) Jen (Tamas) first and asked if that’s okay since it’s a considerable amount of time,” Tamas said.

This month, Tamas was selected to serve as head coach for the U.S. Women’s Collegiate National Team China Tour this summer. Beginning on May 20, the 12-player team will compete and train in China until the end of the month. The chance to coach with USA Volleyball follows Tamas’ long career as an athlete on the national stage.

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Before becoming a four-year starter for the University of the Pacific from 2000 to 2003, Tamas competed with the U.S. Men’s National Team in 1999. His national debut earned him and Team USA a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Havana.

Tamas would go on to appear on the Men’s National squad 34 times over four separate years (1999, 2003, 2005 and 2006), collecting a silver medal in 2005 at the World Grand Champions Cup in Japan and to gold in the 2006 NORCECA Championships in Mexico. In 2003, Tamas led the National Team to a bronze finish at the World University Games in Daegu, South Korea.

Eventually, Tamas found his way to the men’s professional circuit, where he toured overseas for six years, competing as a middle blocker and a setter. His wife, Jen Tamas, also had an enduring career competing with USA Volleyball.

But coaching a U.S. volleyball team is still a little different than playing on one. According to Tamas, he can bring a lot to the group of collegiate women traveling to China this summer.

“They’re all still college players and they still have a year of eligibility left just to keep this as a developmental program,” Tamas said. “It’s kind of a training program into the USA pipeline. They get to try out a lot of things that they might not be used to normally.”

The honor of being selected to the U.S. Women’s Collegiate National Team comes with greater responsibility. Tamas said competing in environments other than a groomed college campus is a part of the experience.

“How they handle travel is big, because not every place is glitz and glamour,” Tamas said. “We’re traveling to remote places that sit on many hotbeds of volleyball, where there’s not much around but the volleyball team. You’re gonna play in an arena with about 5,000 people screaming things at you.”

Tamas is eager to show his future players how to handle international competition.

“The experience that I have, and what Jen has as well, goes a long way,” Tamas said. “When you go overseas, sometimes you don’t always go to the nicest places to play. I’m really comfortable in those situations. You learn how to adapt and still have a good attitude about it as it goes on.”

The backdrop isn’t the only thing that will be different for his players. Some rules common in American volleyball don’t stand on the international stage. Unlike American league rules, all six players on the court have to stay in the game for six rotations.

Leading up to the team’s departure, Tamas said that there will be no formal meetings. The roster is still training for their collegiate seasons across the country, which makes organized practice beforehand difficult. Most NCAA teams take part in spring games as well.

“We’re all going to meet for the first time at LAX and fly to one day of practice,” Tamas said. “There’s not much time. The goal of our trip is to expose them to international style rules as well.”

While most players on this year’s U.S. National Team China Tour are appearing on the court for the United States for the first time, this is just another opportunity to represent Team USA for Tamas.

“It’s just more of a great opportunity to represent USA and get a bunch of players used to that environment in that scene and different cultures,” Tamas said. “When you’re uncomfortable and can still perform under all of those circumstances, that’s pretty much it.”

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