Bio

Angel Sharman’s coaching philosophy was born out of playing for one of the legends in the middle part of the country.

Sharman was a two-sport star at Mid Plains College (Nebraska) and learned her trade from Sally Thalken, one of the all-time greats in junior college coaching. She was a gritty defender on the floor. So, it is no surprise that she brings that fire and commitment to her teams at Casper College.

“I’ve always been a defensive fanatic,” Sharman admitted. “Everyone needs the big pounders, but I have always believed that defense is the key to success.”

Her teams have shown that grit; year in and year out, Casper is one of the outstanding defensive teams in the country. Sharman is the fifth active winningest coach in NJCAA Division I volleyball, having passed some significant milestones in her 29 years of coaching. At Casper College, she has celebrated five regional championships and her 600th career victory.

As the winningest volleyball coach in Casper College program history, Sharman is entering her 24th season at Casper and says she still gets a “fire in my belly” in August. Her career mark is 650-588; her record at Casper is 540-427 (.558). Her 2003 team, which captured the college’s first regional championship, still holds the record of 45 match victories in one season. In 2023, the team finished 10^th in the nation, the highest finish in college history.

Sharman has always been player-focused. It shows in the success of her Thunderbirds. She has coached six NJCAA All-Americans, 77 All-Region IX performers, and 53 Academic All-Americans, with seven of her Casper College teams earning NJCAA Academic All-America honors.

Sharman’s teams win primarily because of defense and commitment. She believes in aggressive play at the net and a tough defense behind the blockers. “I respect play on the court and dedication,” she said.

“It takes heart and discipline to play the defensive end. If a player runs through the wall to get a ball up, the whole team gets the ball up; then, it is the whole team that puts the ball away. There is not always glamour in it, but the player who makes the hustle play gets my respect. If we keep getting the ball back up, eventually, the other team makes the mistake.”

Sharman places a lot of emphasis on what she calls the “first” priority. “I want my players to graduate,” she said. “I want them prepared for life after volleyball.”

She was an outstanding basketball and volleyball player at Mid-Plains Community College and Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. Before coaching in Casper, she coached for five seasons at Colby Community College in Colby, Kansas, where she led her teams to two Region VI playoff appearances.