Texas Tech University Athletics
Piecing the Puzzle Together
July 27, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
June 28, 2011
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By Alexandra Ellis
Texas Tech Athletics Communications
The first time Don Flora stepped foot into the United Spirit Arena, the then New Mexico State assistant coach realized that the volleyball program it housed was a sleeping giant.
Little did Flora realize at the time that he might have the chance to make the facility his new home months later as he was named in January the eighth head coach in Texas Tech history.
"It's a funny deal," recalled Flora. "Last summer, we had our USAA high-performance training here, and I was a part of the group that came to Texas Tech to coach. I liked what it was about, and I could just tell that there were pieces of the puzzle that would be utilized or flushed out."
When the Tech position became open, then-athletics director Gerald Myers said he was looking for a proven winner who could turn around a squad that went 4-25 a year ago.
He got what he wanted in Flora.
The California native spent 11 years as the head coach at his alma mater, the University of La Verne, amassing a 242-56 record during that span while building the Leopards into a consistent national championship contender.
La Verne advanced to the Division-III Final Four five times during Flora's 11 seasons, winning the national title in 2001 while advancing to the championship match in 2008.
All his success set him up to take a move up the coaching ladder as an assistant coach with the Aggies. Consistently one of the top programs nationally, New Mexico State was 38-22 overall during Flora's two seasons, setting the stage for numerous suitors to come calling about head coaching jobs.
Despite the program's previous struggles, Flora still envisioned the Tech job opportunity being one of the best in the country. Now, he says, it is his job to prove that theory right.
"When I took this job, I said I wanted Texas Tech to be regarded as one of the best programs in the country," Flora said. "Now that is not going to happen overnight as it is a step-by-step process, but I really believe that we can get there."
His first step was to do what any first year head coach would do, and that was to build a foundation, starting with the staff.
In his opening press conference, he announced he would retain assistant coach Beth Falls and director of operations Amy Gandy, while he later added longtime George Washington head coach Jojit Coronel as the other assistant coach.
"You assess things as a head coach," Flora said. "I believe that you look at who are going to be the people that go about rebuilding. You want to make sure that they understand the demands of the job. We have a fantastic staff. We are all thrilled in the gifts we bring."
Once his support staff was assembled, he turned his focus to the team itself.
The team of 22 will look significantly different than the year before as 10 new athletes will join the program in early August, not including midterm transfer Nicole Hragyil.
Even with all of the fresh faces on the squad, Flora still has two reliable veterans to lean on in seniors Karlyn Meyers and returning All-Big 12 first team selection Amanda Dowdy.
With over half his roster consisting of freshman and sophomores, Flora said he is fortunate to inherit two proven senior leaders not only for team chemistry but for leadership on and off the floor.
"This spring we went about how we handle conflict, how we address things," Flora said. "That's really an important thing is how we address and how we deal and attack it. You look at all our upperclassmen and the question is `who are you going to replace yourself with? Who are you trying to mentor?'"
Looking at it now, Flora still thinks it is interesting to think about his first season as a Red Raider. He knew he would eventually get the chance to be a Division-I head coach, but just didn't know when or where that opportunity would come.
Even with a rebuilding job in front of him, Flora still says the program he inherited has all the pieces to the puzzle to form a winning tradition.
All he needs to know now is where each piece fits.
"There is no doubt that things happen for a reason," Flora said. "When I got here to interview, I looked at this place and the academic fit, the confidence, the facilities, the fan support, and the community. There were so many pieces that you ask questions about when you go look at a job and a lot of those fell into place that could be headed in the right direction."
"There were a lot of pieces of the puzzle that fit into what we can do here."
