JAMESTOWN — On June 30, 2021, Travers Cox was officially named head coach of the University of Jamestown men’s volleyball team, and he has since led the Jimmies to two straight GPAC Conference titles and an undefeated record at home.
When he was offered the job, Cox was already familiar with the program as he served as an assistant coach where he coached his son, Caylor. During the program’s inaugural season in 2019-20, Cox was just a parent supporting his son.
“That first year, that was the COVID year, my wife (Tiffany) and I and my younger son (Caydann) would drive and come watch the home matches from Helena, Montana, which is about a 12-hour drive,” Cox said. “We made both home matches when they played here at home and we watched all the livestream videos when they were livestreamed, we could watch them. We paid if it was cost or watched if it was free, so yes we watched every match.”
Cox said then head coach Riley Salmon reached out to him about the possibility of joining his staff during the summer of 2020. But, Cox turned down the offer twice before he joined the staff after speaking to his family about the move.
“Finally, it was November and he was like, ‘Hey, what would it take to get you here?’ I was like let me talk to my wife and my son. I talked to them, I talked to my boss at my current job, and my boss at my current job gave me four months off so I was able to make it work and I was able to come from January to April for their season,” Cox said. “That’s what happened, it was kind of a long process.”
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In his first match as the head coach, Cox and the Jimmies lost in four sets at Park University on Jan. 27, 2022, but got his first win the next day in a sweep over Kansas Wesleyan University. Since the loss to Park, the Jimmies have gone a combined 41-9 as of Monday, April 10. Cox said the biggest growth that he has seen in the program over his three years is on the recruiting front.
“I would say in my first year recruiting I was a little bit behind the curve, last year,” Cox said. “But this year I’ve done a better job recruiting, being further ahead of where I should’ve been, reaching out to those young men early on, getting their attention.”
During the Jimmies' time as a program, they have had the GPAC Coach and Player of the Year three consecutive times with Cox winning the award in back-to-back seasons. The team has also captured the GPAC title three years in a row.
“Some of these guys have been playing together for three to four years now,” Cox said. “So, that consistency, knowing each other, being around each other, that connection, that belief that they can do it. They play well together, that helps. So, that bonding, if that makes sense, the bonding on the court.”
When Cox took over the program, it was his first ever experience being a head coach at the collegiate level. During his time as the head coach, Cox said he has reached out to people from all over the country for help and advice when different situations come up.
“I’ve grown quite a bit in regards to the administrative side, the recruiting side, the travel side, working with an assistant coach, working on player development,” Cox said. “I still got some stuff to work on there, figuring out practices, game plans, things like that. I’m learning every single day, always changing things. I still reach out to Coach Salmon all the time, asking him questions, asking for his feedback. We talk to other coaches as well to see how things are going with them. I reach out to my old buddies that I used to coach with or I used to play with and they always give me feedback and comments.”
During the entire history of the program, the Jimmies have been unbeatable at Harold Newman Arena with a combined 30-0 home record with the team going 19-0 under Cox. Under Cox, the team has only dropped five sets in those 19 matches. Cox said his team’s domination at home has been a testament to his team’s familiarity with the floor and how the ball moves on it and the support of their fans.
Despite his team’s on-the-floor accolades, Cox said he is most proud about the way his players carry themselves off the floor.
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“Just seeing these young men graduate, seeing these young men, get great grades, do well in school, see how they are in the community,” Cox said. “I love how they interact with the community, I love how they play at home, in front of their fans, in front of the people here at the University of Jamestown. I love how these guys represent the University of Jamestown whether we’re at home or on the road and I love being able to spend this journey with these young men before they move on with the rest of their lives.”
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