Ibraheem Suberu
Head Coach

    Ibraheem Suberu enters his ninth season as head volleyball coach at Pittsburg State University. After directing the Gorillas to their third trip to the NCAA-II National Tournament in the last four seasons, Suberu continues the charge of leading the Gorillas ever closer to the top position in the nationally respected Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the South Central Region.
    Despite a down year in 2005 in which he led Pitt State to a 13-20 record, the Gorillas mentor engineered an immediate turnaround from the program's first losing season since 2000, guiding the squad to a 22-12 overall record.
    Along the way, Suberu and his team made their fourth MIAA Postseason Tournament berth and secured their third appearance in the NCAA Division II National Tournament in the program's history.
    Suberu consistently trains his team to compete year-in and year-out among the best squads in NCAA Division II. His formula of scheduling nationally-ranked teams -- to give the Gorillas a chance at postseason play -- had made Pitt State one of the most dangerous teams in the second half of each season.
    Last year was no exception as the Gorillas posted a 13-2 record in their final 15 matches, after opening the year with an 8-8 overall mark. Five of Pitt State's initial losses came to nationally-ranked squads.

    In the last six years, coach Suberu has led the Gorillas to a 118-78 overall record with five winning seasons. Under his leadership, the program earned the AVCA/Molten Academic Award five out of the last six years with a program-best 3.56 cumulative team GPA in 2005.
    Under his training, the list of Gorilla All-MIAA players also continued to grow with five team members named to the All-MIAA team in 2006. Redshirt freshman Pamela Cartagena and sophomore Sammie Williams were both named NCAA All-South Central Region honorees as well. Cartagena garnered first-team All-MIAA honors, while Williams -- the 2005 MIAA Freshman of the Year -- earned second-team All-MIAA honors for a second year. Juniors Sarah Brannock (S) and Laura Toman (OH) and sophomore Klaudia Grelowska (OH) all were named to the honorable mention All-MIAA squad.
    In addition to the successes the Gorillas enjoy on the court and the classroom, the Gorillas also boast of a strong community support as Suberu scripts and directs collaborative programs geared at increasing community support for the Gorilla Volleyball program. In 2006, the Gorillas once again ranked among the top 10 programs nationally in attendance, averaging 629 fans per match to rank fourth.
    After two tough seasons rebuilding the Gorillas program, his recruiting and training efforts enabled the Gorillas to climb into the upper echelon of the MIAA and the South Central Region. During the 2003 and 2004 seasons, the Gorillas earned back-to-back national rankings in the CSTV/AVCA poll. His 2003 team reeled off a program-record 16 straight wins to climb as high as No. 14 in the national poll and his 2004 squad also spent a few weeks in the CSTV/AVCA top 25 poll, ranking as high as No. 18.
    During the 2003 and 2004 seasons, the Gorillas qualified for the NCAA-II National Tournament for the first two times in the program's history. In 2004, Suberu led the team to its first NCAA-II Tournament win, a thrilling 3-2 victory over North Alabama, the defending national champion squad.

    A volleyball skills trainer and program builder, Suberu's overall coaching record does not fully reflect the achievement of his programs. On Sept. 19, 2006, Suberu recorded his 113th coaching victory at Pitt State to pass Joan Warrington atop the school's all-time coaching victory list.
    He inherited a program with a .368 all-time winning percentage in 1999. After overcoming two rebuilding years early in his PSU tenure, Suberu now has crafted a 127-140 overall record, including a 118-78 mark since 2001.
    Prior to taking the helm of the Pittsburg State program in June 1999, Suberu spent two seasons at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, Kan., where he directed the Spires to their first-ever winning season in 1998.
    Part of the year's winning season included leading the Spires to a pair of victories over the Gorillas, defeating Pitt State, 3-0, in the finals of the Baker University Invitational and 3-2 decision in a match played at Leavenworth.

    Suberu maintains an extensive coaching and volleyball athletic training resume, including USA Volleyball Junior club and camp experiences at the regional and national level.

    Since 1993, his Advanced Volleyball Skills Training Camp programs has trained many younger players to improve their ball control skills through modeling of effective movement, form and techniques.
    From 1997-99, his USA Volleyball teams, Team KC Mizuno 17 & Under, won back-to-back regional titles and represented the Heart of the America Region of USA Volleyball at the national tournament.
    In the local area, he has been instrumental in the development of USA Volleyball juniors training club program. He has served as head volleyball skills trainer for the Pittsburg YMCA/Star Aquila Volleyball Juniors -- a local USA volleyball juniors club formed to improve the sport experience for local area youths.

    As a player, Suberu played in his native Nigeria in numerous national championships both at the youth, junior, collegiate and club level.
    Making the move overseas, he competed in the National Volleyball League in England for Team Mizuno Malory from 1988-1990. He was selected as the National Volleyball League Royal Bank of Scotland National Division II Player of the Year during the 1989-90 season.

    Academically, Suberu earned a diploma in physical education and health from the University of Lagos, Nigeria; a diploma in journalism from the London School of Journalism, London, England; a B.A. in communication and interpersonal relations from Park University, Parkville, Mo.; and an M.A. in management from Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.

    For his career, he has served on various committees including the NCAA Division II Volleyball South Central Region Advisory Committee between 2002-04. He also begins his fourth year as the MIAA Volleyball Coaches Rep to the AVCA Division II Head Coaches Committee.
    For the past three seasons, Suberu also has served on the CSTV/AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll Committee. He also is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).