TORRINGTON – Through a friendship with Western Nebraska Community College head coach Binny Canales, George Hamilton heard about the sudden opening of the head coaching position of Eastern Wyoming College volleyball program.

As a result, Hamilton reconsidered retirement and reached out to EWC and ended up with the position.

“He talked with me and thought they had the backing and administration to be successful and be able to be one of the top programs in the country,” Hamilton said. “I contacted the school before I saw it posted.”

Hamilton becomes the third coach in as many years of the Lady Lancer program after the departures of Judd Wisener and Dante Geoffrey.

Hamilton brings a wealth of knowledge, 30 years of experience and plenty of success to Torrington having previously coached at the high school, junior college levels, as well as with the USA National team, including the Olympic gold medal team from 2020.

He has done his research in the sport of volleyball over the years.

“When I was at Western Texas College, I had a hitter who ended up leading the whole country because of some of the research I’ve done in volleyball trying to find openings by studying the time it takes the middle blockers to close the block,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton got his start at Brigham Young University under the tutelage Carl McGown, who led the Cougar men’s volleyball program for 13 seasons as well as many years at the helm of the US National Team.

“I was able to learn so much from him and be able to turn that knowledge into being a teacher of the game,” Hamilton said. “I want the girls to learn the game.”

Hamilton inherits a team who is going to be on the shorter side.

“We only have one true middle on the team, because of that, I’m going to have to transfer a couple players positions around,” Hamilton said. “We are doing a lot of stuff where everybody is doing every position so they can learn who can do what. Hopefully, we’ll be able to slowly put things together, working on basic skills.”

He has high hopes of the team being a good defensive team.

“It’s going to be our main point because we don’t have a lot of height,” Hamilton said. “We do have a lot of quickness so I’m hoping we can be a good defensive, scrappy team that frustrates the other team.”

The Lady Lancer season begins Aug. 18-19 in Garden City, Kansas at the 2023 Scooter’s Coffee Invitational. The team’s first home game is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 29 against Western Nebraska Community College.