Jason Tanaka was hired as an assistant coach for the SMU volleyball program prior to the 2015 season. He helped lead the Mustangs to back-to-back conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. Tanaka, who has more than 20 years of collegiate volleyball coaching experience, including 11 seasons as an associate head coach, made the move across the DFW metroplex after spending 13 seasons coaching at TCU.
"We are all very excited to have Jason joining the staff. Jason has a wealth of experience including, but not limited to, recruiting and player development. He is personable and comfortable recruiting in the state of Texas, and has built great relationships with high school as well as club coaches around the country," Seifert stated. "Jason has been a head coach at the club level, an associate head coach at TCU and has coached within the USA developmental programs. I am certain that he will help us achieve the ultimate goals of winning conference championships and playing in the NCAA tournament."
The coaching veteran has also spent time at the University of Pittsburgh, Baylor and Arizona, helping guide three of the programs to NCAA Tournament appearances. The NCAA Tournament appearances by Baylor and TCU were the first in program history. He coached 20 student-athletes to all-conference honors, including a conference Setter of the Year and a Freshman of the Year. He also directed three players to AVCA All-America accolades.
Tanaka also has extensive experience coaching at the youth level, both locally and nationally. He has spent seven of the last eight years coaching in the USA Volleyball program, leading the A1 Select team to a silver medal as head coach in 2007 and working as an assistant coach with the A2 BIP program, guiding the squad to a bronze medal in the Global Challenge in 2012. He is involved in the club programs in the DFW area, coaching with Texas Advantage Volleyball since 2002. He has also coached club teams in Pennsylvania, Arizona and California.
"I would like to thank Lisa and Cristine for giving me this great opportunity to help the SMU volleyball program. I have been able to see the growth of the program, and both Lisa and Cristine have put a lot of hard work to put the players ahead of themselves," Tanaka said. "I'm excited to work with Lisa and Cristine, as well as the players and support staff. I believe SMU was a no brainer for me because I know the area and my fiancée lives in Dallas. I'm very excited for the future of SMU volleyball and helping build a championship program."
Tanaka started his career as a team manager at Arizona, where he graduated with a degree in communications with minors in journalism and sociology in 1997. He then spent a season as a volunteer assistant with the Wildcats before becoming an assistant at Baylor.
