Former Pirates, Burch and Smith, finding coaching success at the four-year level
COSTA MESA -- Orange Coast College men's volleyball continues to leave a lasting legacy at the four-year level and over this past year, two former Pirates, Kevin Burch and McKay Smith, have landed full-time coaching positions at two of the top NCAA Division I programs in the nation.
Burch, a former libero and captain on the 2008 Pirate program that reached the finals CCCAA Men's Volleyball State Championships, was named the new head coach at Ohio State University. "Kevin is a volleyball savant," OCC head coach Travis Turner said of Burch. "His exceptionally high volleyball IQ and calm demeanor make him one the most sought after young coaches in the country. He is much better coach than he was a player."
Following his time at OCC, Burch immediately to pursue his coaching dreams, landing a job as a volunteer assistant coach at Ohio State. From there, Burch has found championship success in all steps towards his journey back to Columbus, Ohio.
2016-17 – NCAA Men's National Champions – Ohio State (assistant coach)
2015-16 – NCAA Men's National Champions – Ohio State (assistant coach)
2014-15 – NCAA Women's National Champions – Penn State (director of operations)
2013-14 – NCAA D-III Men's National Champions – Springfield College (assistant coach)
2012-13 – NCAA Men's National Champions – UC Irvine (assistant coach)
2011-12 – NCAA D-III Men's National Champions – Springfield College (assistant coach)
2010-11 – NCAA Men's National Champions – Ohio State (volunteer assistant coach)
On May 21, Burch was officially named the ninth head coach in the history of the Buckeye program. Game 1 of the Burch regime begins on Saturday, Jan. 4 against North Greenville at OSU's Covelli Center.
Burch will be the recipient of the "2019 Bob Wetzel Award" at this year's 11th Annual OCC Men's Volleyball Showcase on December 13. The award is given annually to an NCAA or NAIA coach with roots in California Community College volleyball. Burch is the third honoree following legendary Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy (2017) and Olympian Riley Salmon (2018).
Smith, an Orange Empire Conference MVP for the Pirates in 2011 and an assistant coach for the Pirates in 2016-17, has spent the past two seasons as a volunteer assistant for Long Beach State and was elevated to Assistant Coach on July 11. As a player, Smith helped the Pirates to a 16-3 record and a No. 3 ranking in the state before returning to OCC as an assistant coach.
After his one year at OCC, Smith went to Long Beach State, where he was a standout middle blocker and team captain for the 49ers. Following his collegiate career, Smith went on to play professionally for SKV Havirov in the Czech Republic from 2014-15.
In his two seasons on the OCC bench, Smith helped guide the Pirates to a 42-4 record and the 2017 CCCAA State Men's Volleyball title.
"McKay checks off all the boxes," Turner said of Smith. "He is wicked smart, tough as nails and does a great job of relating to the athletes. OCC does not win the 2017 state championship without McKay on the bench."
