Coaching Bio
Daniel (Danny) Velasquez-Wilson is currently the head coach for boys' volleyball at Shadow Ridge High School, where he has led the program to its highest finish in the AIA 6A Playoffs. His leadership earned him the AIA 6A Region Coach of the Year award, while his players received several accolades, including Player of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, and a total of 11 All-Region awards. Under his guidance, the team also achieved two All-Region recognitions and one AVCA All-American honor. Additionally, Velasquez-Wilson serves as the head coach at Arizona Storm Elite, where he led the 16 Boltz (16s 3s) to a silver medal in the 2024 Phoenix Festival Championship.
Velasquez-Wilson was previously the Assistant Coach at Nicholls State University (NCAA D1, Southland Conference) for both indoor and beach volleyball during the 2023 season. He began his coaching career at Shadow Ridge High School (Arizona) as an assistant coach for the girls volleyball team from 2020 to 2022. In his final season there, he was named the beach volleyball head coach. Under his leadership, the beach volleyball team achieved a near undefeated flight 1 pair and qualified as the 2nd seed for the 6A Division State Championship Tournament. His coaching efforts earned multiple awards for his players, including Section Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, two 1st Team All-AIA selections, two 2nd Team All-AIA selections, and two honorable mentions.
During his first season with Arizona Storm (2022), Velasquez-Wilson served as an assistant coach for the 17 Lightning, where two of his student-athletes were selected for the Arizona Region High Performance Teams.
For the 2022-23 school year, Velasquez-Wilson was also a graduate assistant coach for the Ottawa University Arizona (OUAZ) (NAIA, Golden State Athletic Conference) women’s volleyball program. As a graduate assistant, he led defensive coordination efforts, contributing to the team earning two All-Conference selections and the GSAC Conference Libero of the Year award.
From 2021 to 2023, Velasquez-Wilson was the head coach for a local 17s boys' volleyball club team. He guided the team to strong finishes in highly competitive tournaments, resulting in 6 AVCA High Risers, 3 athletes representing Arizona at High-Performance Championships, 6 recognized as High School All-Conference players, 2 region Players of the Year in high school, and 4 invites to the National Development Team Training Program. His achievements led to his recognition as part of the American Volleyball Coaches Association 30 Under 30 club, honoring rising leaders in club volleyball who are passionate about teaching and growing the sport.
A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Velasquez-Wilson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Missouri Valley College (2020), where he played five seasons in the NAIA and served as a team captain, helping guide his team to a top 10 finish at the NAIA Men’s National Invitational. He earned a Master of Arts in Leadership from Ottawa University Arizona (2023), where he played two seasons as a DS/libero. During his time at OUAZ, his team won two regular season conference championships, one conference tournament championship, the NCCAA National Championship, and ranked as high as #1 in the NAIA National polls.