Reinholtz joins Griz volleyball coaching staff

On his first day on campus, Colton Reinholtz had several things waiting for him. The newest addition to Allison Lawrence's volleyball staff had all the traditional things that come with a new job. Griz volleyball gear, a computer, a 790 number to learn, and a new office to inherit.

It was what he found in his office that may have been the biggest surprise, and something you can only find within this Grizzly program. A ceramic chicken. It adorns his desk as a sign of pride, a gift last season from the players to the coaching staff. Every coach has one, and that chicken was among the first to welcome Reinholtz into the Grizzly program.

He smiles when asked about it, and can't help but laugh about the way that Montana's players and staff relate. It's a team built on chemistry, on culture, on smiles and laughs. But it's also a team determined to win, to improve, a team that is on the rise. It all starts with the relationships, which is also what makes Reinholtz such a good fit.

"I think for me, I value the relationship piece of coaching. I think that has so many benefits and so many things can come from that," Reinholtz said. "I'm not going to sit here and say, I can coach this position better than anyone else. It's volleyball, it's a simple game in a lot of ways. I think once you have the relationship piece and you get to know the women on the team, then you say here are the things you're working towards, let's try to get this a little bit better and how does that make the team better. I think that's a big strength."

Montana finished the 2022 season 17-12 overall, and 10-6 in Big Sky play. It was the best year for Montana since the turn of the century, and something that has building over several years as Lawrence has filled out her roster and implemented her culture. She's entering her seventh season as head coach and 14^th overall with Montana, bringing a program that has meant so much to her to new heights.

During that time, Reinholtz has been climbing the coaching ladder and learning all that he can. Unlike Lawrence (fifth in Oregon State history for kills) and associate head coach Dana Hallisey (an All-American at Colorado State) he wasn't a high-level player.

Until he joined a club team while in college at Southern Utah, Reinholtz had never attempted an attack or set a ball. But from the first time he played, he loved the sport. One of his friends applied for a coaching job in nearby Parowan, Utah, a small town of about 3,000 people. They got the job, but plans fell through. Would Reinholtz be interested in taking their place?

"I said, 'Sure, why not? I'll coach a freshman team.' We had seven players. We were terrible," Reinholtz said. "We didn't win a game, but I loved it and thought, I think I want to coach. I think for me the decision between staying at SUU and getting a degree and trying to teach and coach high school, it could be fun but also not at all. I don't really want to teach in that realm to be honest, so that was kind of the motivating factor there in getting that coaching bug and running with it."

He moved north to Salt Lake City and the University of Utah. He chased the dream of coaching volleyball, getting his degree in sports management and community recreation. As part of his program, he helped organize and run a boys volleyball league, which has special meaning to him now as the state of Utah has adopted volleyball as an officially sanctioned sport starting in 2023.

The other part of his internship was as a volunteer assistant coach for the Utah State women's volleyball team. It was just a year, but it got him the start he wanted at the D-I level. And while he may not have known it at the time, 10 years later it's still connected to his career.

The head coach at Utah State that Reinholtz worked under? Grayson DuBose, now the associate head coach at Eastern Washington. And one of DuBose's assistants? Jeremiah Larsen, who is entering his ninth season as head coach at Weber State. It connected him to Montana, even if he didn't know it.

Reinholtz said he followed Larsen, checking in on his former associate. Montana's rise in the conference didn't go unnoticed to him. And while it's been many years since they've been on staff together, Larsen remembers Reinholtz for his character more than anything else.

"The thing that stood out to me was his eagerness to learn and his humility to be a better volleyball coach," the Weber State head coach said. "That's a rare quality I think in coaching nowadays. The fact that he just wants to be a great coach for the players that's he's in charge of. Some coaches are all about themselves, and he's clearly not which is the thing that always stood out to me and still does to this day every time I talk to him. He's in it to make people better and not in it for himself."

That character hasn't changed, but there was plenty of learning for Reinholtz still to do on his journey. He started at Hofstra, coaching for a year before the cost of living in New York drove him away. Then he bounced between D-II Western State-Colorado and Saint Francis (PA) before landing at Lafayette.

He served as the only assistant at his previous stops and when he joined Lafayette it looked to be the same situation. Then the head coach was let go in the midst of his first season on campus, making Reinholtz the interim head coach for the season. He wasn't after the head coaching job, but he learned as much as possible about the program, the way that it operates, as he could.

When Ryan Adams came in to lead Lafayette the next season, Reinholtz had stabilized the program. They would go on to lead the Leopards to the most conference wins and highest tournament seed in program history, winning Patriot League Coach of the Year honors in the process.

He most recently spent one year at Murray State before joining Montana.

"I think you learn a lot, and that's the thing that I've valued. I've worked for a lot of different coaches," Reinholtz said. "I've learned a lot of what to do, what not to do, and what I value. I think that has, as it should, molded me into the coach that I am today and what I care about and what matters in terms of how I treat the women on the team and those things. There's that piece of grinding, but also the learning component that comes with it."

The varied experience also was a plus for Lawrence. When she looked to fill the spot on her staff, there were a few things that the candidate needed to have. There is so much more to volleyball than the three to five sets fans see play out on the floor.

"I'm thrilled. I think his skill set in particular really makes us better immediately, and he has such broad experience in coaching and has held a lot of roles not only in the office but in the gym," Lawrence said. "I think he has a really big depth of knowledge that he brings to the game, to how we organize, to all the aspects of how you run a volleyball program."

He looks at things from an analytical way, but doesn't let that get in the way of his coaching style. A longtime baseball player, he's interested in the psychology of the sports that often ask perfection when it isn't attainable. As he notes, success might only come 30 percent of the time, but a .300 hitter is a good thing in both baseball and volleyball.

It's that type of thinking that drew him to Montana, and made him a person Lawrence was excited to bring in. The tactics, the fundamentals, the form. Those things are all important. You have to remember that it's still a human through it all.

"It was something I was definitely drawn to. My interactions with Allison and Dana, even before I got to interact with the team, I was really drawn to how they are all about the person aspect of what we do as opposed to only caring about them as players," Reinholtz said. "That first interaction and throughout that whole process that was at the forefront of what I think they are striving to do here while also competing at a high level and getting better."

Reinholtz just recently arrived on campus and is still learning more about the team. He said relationship building is an organic process that has to come with time. But through the interview process it's something that stood out to him about Montana.
There are plenty of coaches that wouldn't fit the mold of what Lawrence is looking for on her staff. She said she takes kindness very seriously, and it shows in how her team interacts with fans and the community.

"One of my biggest priorities in this program is that we are a relational program," Lawrence said. "I want our coaches to be close with our players. I want our players to feel like they know us. I want those relationships to be the thing that makes us really unified and strong and able to withstand any sort of storm we go through.

"Something that was a number one priority was bringing someone in that people would love, and that would love the people here. I think Colton in being in the office for three days has shown that. I'm just so grateful for that type of person to be here."

It all brings us back to that ceramic chicken on his desk. "A small insight into the personality of the team, for sure," Reinholtz said. But to know how well he fits in with that personality you just need to see what he has planned for his wall decorations. The perfect spot hasn't been located for it yet, so at the moment the frame leans against the wall. Inside it, a photo of Tom Selleck, moustache thick and shorts short, posing in a volleyball uniform.

A gift from his dad, and certainly one of the most unique office decorations in the coaches hallway at Montana. Yet somehow, it fits right in. And it is sure to draw the attention of many a passer-by, which has been a common occurrence in his first week. It's why he can't wait for the season to roll around.

"I've been in the office like two and half days and the amount of support from the entire athletic department to swing by and say hi. Not that I've been out a ton in Missoula, but the few people I've talked to, everyone is just a huge supporter of the Griz and I think that's awesome," Reinholtz said. "I haven't been at a place where that has happened, so it's kind of cool to be part of that community and immerse myself into that. I'm excited to see where we can go, trying to build off last year's success and continue that trend."

The 17 wins last season were the most since 1999. Lawrence was named the Coach of the Year in the Big Sky Conference, the first time a Montana mentor won the award since 1991. There are big things happening for Griz volleyball. Lawrence, and her entire staff, remain humble about the achievements. Reinholtz, in that way as well, is a perfect fit.

"We are player led. They are the ones who define who we are, and I wanted someone to come in and see that and say, I want to be a part of it and I want to do my part to support it, help it grow, and do whatever it takes to help them achieve what they've said they want to achieve," Lawrence said. "I think his humility, his kindness, his emotional IQ are rare. You feel it pretty immediately, and I think that's what this program needs to build on the momentum that our players have generated."

University of Montana Athletics

Related News

Related Videos