Whether Thanh Pham is cracking “6-7” jokes with setter Morgan Kealy ’27 or motivating his team in between sets, the 23-year St. Thomas volleyball head coach is notorious for keeping an even keel demeanor on and off the court.
“He’s definitely one of the most unique coaches I’ve ever had,” right side hitter Tezra Rudzitis ’26 said. “He doesn’t show a lot of emotion when he coaches.”
Does Pham’s emotionless presence come natural?
“It was trained,” Pham laughed. “I’m a hot head ... but it doesn’t help if I’m manic.”
Over the years, Pham has practiced controlling his emotions. He believes a coach has to be a role model. 'How can I tell my team to relax if I’m not?', he asked rhetorically. He reasons that coaching is like a chess match so he avoids showing emotion even when his team takes an early lead because he’s aware the “job is not done.”
Throughout Pham’s volleyball coaching career, which began with a student-worker position as an assistant coach at Augsburg, he found success in the win column during his tenure at St. Thomas. He won a national championship in 2012, seven MIAC Championships and led the Tommies to become a 14-time NCAA Division III National Qualifier.
The six-time MIAC coach of the year recipient is also one of 23 active coaches with a winning percentage over .700 out of the near thousand head coaches across NCAA Volleyball. This season, he coached his 700th match and also led the Tommies to their first Summit League Championship appearance in Division I volleyball.
However, it was during the three consecutive losing seasons, from 2021-23, where he discovered that winning wasn’t his favorite part about coaching.
“I love the process,” Pham said. “If you are always worried about the result, I think you get burned out real quick. As long as you know your ‘why’ ... for me, I love to help young people discover what they want to discover.”
Through the rebuilding years he’s taught those around him valuable lessons. From the undergraduate student-athletes from that 2022 roster, some of whom are seniors now like Rudzitis, to assistant Kevin Rivas who joined his coaching staff that season.
“Losing doesn’t mean you’re a failure,” Rivas said. “It doesn't take anything away from your life. It doesn’t take anything away from who you are as a person.”
Rudzitis shared that sentiment.
“He really drives into us that our emotions should not be what's driving us at the end of the day,” Rudzitis said. “We’re here because we love the sport and want to see St. Thomas grow in all aspects.”
Pham’s culture emphasized carrying yourself with high character and learning from the experience, regardless of the result. Stay the course, enjoy the grind and see the results later, Rivas recited. “Regression to the mean” was their catchphrase, meaning things will eventually level out, and the past two winning seasons showed such.
The rebuilding process took patience. Patience is a trait Pham picked up from fatherhood, as a father of two boys, a 14 and 10-year-old.
From observing other parents he noticed that after a bad game the first thing a parent may do is ask their kid about the game. As a coach, and father, he makes sure he checks in with the athlete and, at times, talks about the furthest thing from the sport. I’ve become more empathetic, he says. Plus, he challenges himself to keep up with the new generations whether it’s how he communicates via text or and his youngest son keeping him in the know on TikTok trends, which is how he can play along with Kealy when she makes “6-7” references at practice.
Through sports, Pham has learned life lessons and cited two-time women’s AP College Basketball Coach of the Year Dawn Staley, suggesting that sports may be the only outlet where today’s student-athletes experience pain. Dealing with losing, not starting or the pain of going through a rigorous practice could simulate opportunities for student-athletes to grow.
“Sports allow you to experience such moments that you wouldn’t in normal and regular life in terms of big wins, big losses, doing it together, having a goal,” Pham said. “The highs and joys that I get to see on the athletes’ faces, that’s really what keeps me coming back.”
Pham is no stranger to hitting the green with his golf clubs when he’s away from the volleyball court, and he’s also an avid reader. He reflects on his coaching experience when reading literature such as John O'Sullivan’s “Every Moment Matters” where there’s a passage that says kids carry the words of coaches well beyond the times with the team.
One of Pham’s joys is seeing his former players apply life lessons to their post-athletic life. It’s not always the starters, it’s some of the bench players too, he said, players he saw work behind the scenes and came out of the experience with something more valuable than playing time.
Off the court, they have also been perennial winners. Tommie Volleyball has received 16 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Awards under Pham’s leadership. The team's pillars promote comprehensive excellence in the classroom and on the court, and to carry themselves with high character and help the community.
“It’s just a byproduct of St. Thomas being St. Thomas,” Pham said of the student-athletes' academic achievements. “Student-athletes that come here really want to do well in all facets of their life.”
While winning isn’t everything for the coach who’s recorded win No. 500 this season, winning has shown his team that believing and focusing on the process can lead to favorable results. Pham was hesitant to celebrate the “500th victory” aspect when the Tommies defeated the North Dakota State Bison in straight sets, 3-0, on Oct. 18, however, he later reflected on the significance. It meant many nights with the team, in the office and away from family, he said.
“But it’s worth it because I know that in the long run, we’re affecting people's lives in a positive way,” Pham said.
The Tommies won two playoff matches to reach the 2025 Summit League Championship in their first year of eligibility to compete in the Division I conference tournament. They will play South Dakota State in the title match Tuesday, Nov. 25.
