Back in March, the Schoolcraft Athletics Department announced Jaison “Faisa” George as the new head coach of the women’s volleyball program. After a rocky 3-20 finish to the 2019 season, coach Faisa is looking to take Schoolcraft’s volleyball team down a new path of mental toughness and physical fortitude, creating a team that will be a force to be reckoned with.

Faisa is no stranger to the sport, he currently works as the Director of Training at Michigan Elite Volleyball and has 14 years of prior coaching experience. The combination of experience and his coaching ethics make him a great candidate to get the program turned around for the 2020-2021 season.

“Even if I am not great at the most advanced skills, I want to be great at the simple things and what I am in control of,” says Faisa. “[I] want that in my team. We will worry about the scoreboard at the end of the game. Focus on one play at a time and the rest is to be seen.”

Coach Faisa has plans for the team this year, focusing on creating a culture of work hard and play harder.

When inquiring about his goals for the team, Faisa commented, “The short-term is the most important. [We have to] change the culture and come out fast doing it. Momentum from that will lead to a different type of athlete coming to the school as well as where we start and finish in the conference and so on and so forth. Long term goal for the team is to be a matchup issue for any opponent. Getting to the top of the mountain is a great goal, but not if we don’t want to stay on top.”

While the volleyball team may not be competing during their normal fall season, as of now the competitive season should be taking place during the spring of 2021. However, practice for volleyball is allowed to begin Aug. 15 in accordance with the NJCAA’s guidelines set out last month. While coach Faisa is not operating under normal circumstances in his first year as head coach, he does have a vision for the team moving forward.

“Strategies will be different, but a competitive mindset will be implemented. Compete against each other before competing against another. Earn your spot on the team, on the court and in life. Learn new things and be able to apply them. I am learning about the conference and opponents more, so I am ready to add some more twists as we begin.”

Students interested in playing volleyball at Schoolcraft can contact Coach Faisa at [email protected].

To learn more about women’s volleyball or the other sports offered at Schoolcraft, click here.

Feature photo courtesy of Schoolcraft College