From Sri Lanka to Syracuse, Bakeer Ganesharatnam brings winning culture to the Orange

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When he was five years old, Bakeer Ganesharatnam packed his bags, set to move 4,000 miles away from his home in Sri Lanka to Stuttgart, Germany. Like in most academic curricula in the West, Ganesharatnam grew up attending mandatory physical education classes. He enjoyed basketball, soccer, fencing and table tennis, but volleyball caught his eye. He noticed the necessity for teamwork and selflessness and how each player on the court touched the ball.

“You have to make sure it’s a good team altogether and not just one good player,” Ganesharatnam said.

In June, Syracuse University announced Ganesharatnam as the seventh head coach in the volleyball program’s history. The Orange are currently rebuilding after losing nine players from last year, but Ganesharatnam is ready to take on the challenge.

“Our goal is to build a new team with a strong foundation, culturally, but also from a competitive standpoint so we can move forward,” Ganesharatnam said. “Our goal is to compete at the highest level in this conference.”

The Sri Lankan Civil War forced Ganesharatnam family’s abrupt emigration. But in 1990, Ganesharatnam landed a spot as a player for VFL Sindelfingen, a local volleyball club in Stuttgart. Over the next decade, Sindelfingen won multiple regional and state championships.

As his school career ended, Ganesharatnam wished to seek a new challenge “somewhere different.” At the time, he had family living in New York City. After persistent persuasion, Ganesharatnam was eventually drawn to what his cousin called the “greatest place in the world.”

Ganesharatnam enrolled at St. John’s University in New York City for his freshman year. Initially, he viewed his move to the United States a trial period to see whether he enjoyed it. But one day, while playing volleyball at a local recreation league, a St. John’s assistant coach approached Ganesharatnam, asking if he competed at a high level before. The coach relayed word of Ganasharatnam’s talent to Karl Pierre, then the coach of Queens College’s volleyball team.

“He was astounding,” Pierre said. “He was committed, willing to listen and learn, and had a nice temperament; you couldn’t have asked for a better player.”

Ganesharatnam’s skill and finesse showed early on in his relationship with Pierre. After a few training sessions, he received a full scholarship for the remaining three years of eligibility, prompting him to transfer from St. John’s. Ganesharatnam made an immediate impact at Queens, leading the front line as a middle blocker.

“He came in, mild-mannered and hard-working,” former Associate Athletic Director Merlin Thompson said. “When someone is that driven, you can’t help but attach yourself to them.”

The game in Europe was slow and technical, but it was flamboyant, powerful and rapid in America. Ganesharatnam gradually adapted to the new style, helping the Knights to two conference championships while pursuing a potential career in politics.

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After graduating from Queens, Ganesharatnam worked for a couple of volleyball camps to make some extra money on the side. His affection for the job grew, and he took on an assistant coaching role at Cedar Valley College.

At the time, Ganesharatnam didn’t think coaching would become his profession. So after a brief stint in Grand Prairie, Texas, he decided to return to school at West Virginia, where he took on a graduate assistant job to help cover the costs of his education. After one semester with the Mountaineers, he changed his major to athletic coaching education and sports management.

Despite the pivot in concentration, Ganesharatnam was still deeply interested in political science. He was thankful for how Germany accepted immigrant families like his own and was intrigued by the openness with which its citizens talked about political issues and policies. Still, his devotion to volleyball ultimately took center stage.

“I like coaching because it requires constant building,” Ganesharatnam said. “It’s multi-faceted. It’s not just a nine-to-five. It’s multi-dimensional.”

After earning his master’s degree at West Virginia, Ganesharatnam stayed as a recruiter and a full-time assistant coach for three more seasons before being offered the head coaching job at Temple. The Owls had an abysmal season the year before Ganesharatnam’s arrival in 2011, finishing with a 1-14 record in the Atlantic 10 conference and a 4-25 record overall. Ganesharatnam was tasked with rebuilding the program.

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Akiko Hatakeyama, one of Ganesharatnam’s long-tenured assistant coaches at Temple, said it took a while to create a successful culture.

“We were always underdogs. People always underestimated us for some reason, so we had to outwork everyone else every single day,” Hatakeyama said.

Now working as an assistant coach for Nevada’s volleyball team, Hatakeyama remembered the habits and values that Ganesharatnam instilled at Temple.

“He never forced players to do anything,” said Hatakeyama. “He brought in the philosophy of being structured and disciplined, which I really respected.”

Ganesharatnam took Temple to the 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, picking up AAC co-Coach of the Year honors in the process. But, on top of his accolades, Pierre and Thompson were impressed with Ganesharatnam’s demeanor off the court.

“The way that he treats others stands out,” Pierre said. “Ask any of his colleagues or teammates, and they’d all say the same.”