Sam Valenti
ASU Student Journalist

Bryan Heckler does more than just coach

November 14, 2022 by Sam Valenti, Arizona State University


Bryan Heckler talks to his team in a huddle during a game against North Canyon. (Photo by Sam Valenti/AZPreps365)

Sam Valenti is an ASU Cronkite School student assigned to cover Metro Tech High School for AZPreps365.com.

Bryan Heckler has been the head volleyball coach at Metro Tech High School for six years. Last year, he led both the boys and girls teams to 5A Metro region titles, which were the first titles for each team. Heckler said it was the proudest moment he’s had in his coaching career.

He’s brought not only the Metro Tech volleyball program success in recent years, but also other educational programs that he’s involved with.

“My coaching philosophy is to have to make it a positive experience for everyone, build on fundamentals, and work to get better,” Heckler said.

That philosophy of creating a positive environment is recognized by his fellow coaches, including junior varsity B volleyball coach James Irvine.

“Bryan in general is one of those guys that’s really easy to talk to,” Irvine said. “Even though I’m the JVB coach, I coach the varsity softball team, so there’s a lot of times where I feel like I want to give input and do different things and he’s very open to it. He’s really open to ideas and that’s nice for me because it helps me work on my volleyball coaching as well.”

As the coach of the boys and girls volleyball teams, Heckler said it's a lot of fun coaching both teams year-round. Not only does it give Heckler the chance to coach consistently, but it allows him to bring together both teams to create a positive synergy with each other.

“It has been nice to coach both teams and have them work together,” Heckler said. “At times we have joint workouts with both the boys and girls teams.”

Heckler doesn’t just coach the volleyball teams. He also helps out with other areas of Metro Tech athletics, such as the school’s sports medicine program. 

“Having coaches that communicate well really contributes to a successful program, whether it be the athletic team, the sports med team, or how they both work together,” Metro Tech athletic trainer Lindsey Loughran said. “Making sure all parties are on the same page, particularly when there is a patient-athlete who is working their way back from an injury, can really contribute to a successful transition back to unrestricted play.”

Outside of his athletic work, Heckler is the coordinator for Transitioning Learners to College, a dual enrollment program at Phoenix College. He’s been working with the program for six years.

“We service students with documented disabilities,” Heckler said. “The students take courses at Phoenix College and work with a variety of services such as Teenage Workforce Initiative, Ability 360, and Phoenix College’s learning common.”

Just like he does with his volleyball teams, Heckler looks to make a positive impact in the lives of students in the TLC program. He said that it has “been great to help students get into college and help students fulfill their dreams.”