The College of Staten Island men’s and women’s volleyball programs will have a new leader in 2017-18, as the College has announced the hiring of former assistant coach Lak Wei (Larry) Ng as its new Head Coach. Ng is taking over full-time position within CSI Athletics, doubling as a Facilities Supervisor at the Sports & Recreation Center. He replaces Jason Madsen, who coached the squad last season, but recently became the head coach at FDU-Florham.
A native Staten Islander, Ng has been around volleyball for many years. He has spent the last 14 years as a high school coach at nearby Susan E. Wagner High School and has been around the club circuit as well. He spent a single season as an assistant coach at CSI in 2012. He will be the team’s fourth coach in the last five seasons, and will look to provide some stability to the maturing program.
“We’re very excited to welcome Larry back to the CSI family as our new head coach for the men’s and women’s programs.” said CSI Director of Athletics Charles Gomes. “We are hopeful that his experience coaching at both the high school and club level will kick start recruiting for both teams as we seek to develop our volleyball programs to a more competitive level in the region.”
With the women’s season just a few weeks away, Ng is looking forward to breaking ground. The opportunity to bring CSI Volleyball to the next level and engage in volleyball full-time will be a welcomed endeavor with enormous potential.
“I am more than excited to join the team at the College of Staten Island,” said Ng. “It’s been a dream to work, coach and build a program in my hometown and I’m looking forward to building both the women’s and men’s program, being competitive and establishing a great tradition here.”
Ng has experience working with both sides of the volleyball season. Since 2003, he has served as an Assistant Coach with the SWHS Girl’s Volleyball team, and then from 2009-12 was the Head Coach on the Boy’s side. Selflessly, Ng volunteered in 2012 to be an assistant coach with the CSI Women’s Volleyball team at the Willowbrook campus under then-coach Atef Dosse. At that time the College did not sponsor a men’s team.
“Building a competitive program goes beyond winning and losing. It’s about learning how to play the game through strong fundamentals and building life skills that translate to other areas and inspire community service,” he explained. “I believe in assembling the right team and not just the best team. Hard work and dedication will out-do sheer talent. My hope is for our teams to be well-rounded, preaching strong fundamentals and defense on the court.”
Alongside his high school and college coaching acumen, Ng served for six years as a Junior Varsity Rating Official and was a Volleyball Program Assistant Director for the Police Athletic League from 2008-12. Most recently, he served as a U-16 coach with Staten Island Volleyball’s club program, designed to mentor and guide Staten Island youth and the maturation of the sport on Staten Island.
The CSI women’s volleyball team will begin its season on Friday, September 1, when they travel to face FDU-Florham at 6pm. Their home opener is slated for September 15 against CUNYAC’s Hunter College at 7pm at the Sports & Recreation Center.
