Staff Directory
Manolo Concepción
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
A passionate teacher of the sport, Manolo Concepción, brings nearly two decades of coaching experience to Washington as an assistant coach. Concepción was named to Leslie Gabriel’s staff in February of 2023, and will draw upon a wealth of knowledge developed from playing and coaching the sport at all levels with an eye towards the learning process.
Upon adding Concepción to the Husky staff, Gabriel remarked, "In the hiring process it was important to me that I find someone who is of high character, loyal and hardworking. Someone that loves the game of volleyball and wants to help develop the athletes to be the best they can be on the court, in the classroom and in life. It was clear that Manolo was that coach."
A native of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Concepción comes to Seattle following three seasons as Associate Head Coach at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. While there, Concepción helped the Panthers go from two conference wins in 2020 to a 10-8 conference mark this past season, and from a 2-14 overall record in 2020 to a 16-16 mark in 2022, the team’s most wins since 2017.
Concepción recruited and helped coach Giovana Larregui Lopez to the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year award, the first Panther to win that honor since 2004. Larregui Lopez was also named an AVCA All-America honorable mention. Concepción was in charge of training and development at EIU, and the offensive coordinator, helping the team lead the league in assists per set, kills per set, and points per set in 2022.
He also was the Head Coach of the Eastern Illinois beach volleyball program, which played its inaugural season in the spring of 2022.
Before Eastern Illinois, Concepción was the Head Coach at the University of Evansville (Indiana) for six seasons from 2013-18, where he mentored four All-Missouri Valley Conference selections and two All-Freshman Team picks. He also founded the Evansville United Volleyball Academy and served as technical director from 2014-19.
Concepción has also worked with USA Volleyball as a High Performance Coach in 2017 and 2018. He also served one year as an assistant coach at Missouri State in 2019.
His first head coaching stint in the NCAA came at Western Carolina during the 2009-10 seasons. Concepción was also an assistant coach at Evansville in 2008 before returning to the program as head coach in 2013.
Concepción has coached and worked in the Puerto Rican men's and women's professional leagues, working with three Olympians during that phase of his career, as well as helping collegiate hopefuls find scholarship opportunities within the NCAA and NJCAA. His former company, Sports Consultants Network, helped more than three dozen athletes from Puerto Rico earn NCAA and NJCAA scholarships.
In 2012 and 2013, Concepción worked for the Guyanabo Mets men’s professional team and the Corozal Pinkin women’s professional team in Puerto Rico, assisting Puerto Rico National Team Head Coach Javier Gaspar and former Olympian Ramon “Monchito” Hernandez.
His coaching career began back in 2004 at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and in the semi-pro Puerto Rican League where he coached Veja Baja. He then made the journey to Kansas, where he was named head coach at Colby Community College in 2007 at the age of 25.
Concepción played college volleyball at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez before transferring to Concordia College in New York. In 2002, he was drafted by the San Sebastian Caribes of the Puerto Rico Professional Superior League. He was a member of the Puerto Rico Youth National Team in 1998-1999 that played at international tournaments held in Venezuela and Dominican Republic and also played club with three primary Puerto Rican clubs: Club Vaqueros, Club Torrimar, & Club Arsel.
He earned his Bachelor’s from Ashford University in 2008 followed by an MBA in 2011 and a Doctorate in Psychology specializing in Sport and Performance, from the University of Arizona Global Campus.
Upon adding Concepción to the Husky staff, Gabriel remarked, "In the hiring process it was important to me that I find someone who is of high character, loyal and hardworking. Someone that loves the game of volleyball and wants to help develop the athletes to be the best they can be on the court, in the classroom and in life. It was clear that Manolo was that coach."
A native of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Concepción comes to Seattle following three seasons as Associate Head Coach at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. While there, Concepción helped the Panthers go from two conference wins in 2020 to a 10-8 conference mark this past season, and from a 2-14 overall record in 2020 to a 16-16 mark in 2022, the team’s most wins since 2017.
Concepción recruited and helped coach Giovana Larregui Lopez to the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year award, the first Panther to win that honor since 2004. Larregui Lopez was also named an AVCA All-America honorable mention. Concepción was in charge of training and development at EIU, and the offensive coordinator, helping the team lead the league in assists per set, kills per set, and points per set in 2022.
He also was the Head Coach of the Eastern Illinois beach volleyball program, which played its inaugural season in the spring of 2022.
Before Eastern Illinois, Concepción was the Head Coach at the University of Evansville (Indiana) for six seasons from 2013-18, where he mentored four All-Missouri Valley Conference selections and two All-Freshman Team picks. He also founded the Evansville United Volleyball Academy and served as technical director from 2014-19.
Concepción has also worked with USA Volleyball as a High Performance Coach in 2017 and 2018. He also served one year as an assistant coach at Missouri State in 2019.
His first head coaching stint in the NCAA came at Western Carolina during the 2009-10 seasons. Concepción was also an assistant coach at Evansville in 2008 before returning to the program as head coach in 2013.
Concepción has coached and worked in the Puerto Rican men's and women's professional leagues, working with three Olympians during that phase of his career, as well as helping collegiate hopefuls find scholarship opportunities within the NCAA and NJCAA. His former company, Sports Consultants Network, helped more than three dozen athletes from Puerto Rico earn NCAA and NJCAA scholarships.
In 2012 and 2013, Concepción worked for the Guyanabo Mets men’s professional team and the Corozal Pinkin women’s professional team in Puerto Rico, assisting Puerto Rico National Team Head Coach Javier Gaspar and former Olympian Ramon “Monchito” Hernandez.
His coaching career began back in 2004 at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and in the semi-pro Puerto Rican League where he coached Veja Baja. He then made the journey to Kansas, where he was named head coach at Colby Community College in 2007 at the age of 25.
Concepción played college volleyball at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez before transferring to Concordia College in New York. In 2002, he was drafted by the San Sebastian Caribes of the Puerto Rico Professional Superior League. He was a member of the Puerto Rico Youth National Team in 1998-1999 that played at international tournaments held in Venezuela and Dominican Republic and also played club with three primary Puerto Rican clubs: Club Vaqueros, Club Torrimar, & Club Arsel.
He earned his Bachelor’s from Ashford University in 2008 followed by an MBA in 2011 and a Doctorate in Psychology specializing in Sport and Performance, from the University of Arizona Global Campus.
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