CHICO – With Donny Ribaudo leaving to take a head coaching job at Otero Junior College, the Chico State men’s soccer team’s coaching staff will have a new look in 2012 – but it will feature some very familiar faces. Head Coach Felipe Restrepo has announced the promotion of current assistant Robbie Handy and last year’s student assistant coach, Josh Johnson.
“Robbie’s been with us for two seasons and has been a big part of our success,” Restrepo said of Handy’s promotion. “With Donny gone, I’m looking for Robbie to take on more of a leadership role and make his own imprint on the program.”
Restrepo, Handy and Johnson will combine their coaching talents to lead the 2012 edition of the Wildcats in the defense of their consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division titles and is search of the program’s third straight NCAA Championship Tournament appearance.
“Robbie has a skill set that makes him a great coach,” Restrepo said. “We’ll nurture those talents to not only help make us a better team, but make him a head coach someday.”
Handy will take over a large portion of the Wildcats’ recruiting duties, oversee the team’s daily training and weight program, coordinate travel and fundraising efforts, and serve as co-director of the ’Cats’ youth camps.
Before joining Restrepo’s staff in 2010, Handy was a standout defensive specialist and midfielder for Cal State Stanislaus from 2002-06, earning All-Far West Region Honorable Mention and Second Team All-CCAA and honors as a senior. Handy was also selected to the CCAA’s All-Academic team.
Handy received his bachelor’s degree in physical education/health and wellness from Cal State Stanislaus in 2006, and earned his master’s degree in sports management in December from the University of San Francisco. Handy, his wife Kristy – a Chico State alumnus – and daughter, Kate, reside in Marysville.
For Johnson, 2012 will mark four years in the Wildcat program, seeing time as a player, student assistant and now full-fledged assistant coach.
“Josh wants to be a head coach someday, and this is the perfect way to start him on his way,” Restrepo said. “He’s beginning his master’s degree in the fall, and he’ll be a big part of the Wildcat program. I like the idea of taking care of our own and grooming them.”
Johnson, a member of the Chico State’s West Region championship team in 2010, notched two goals and two assists in his two seasons on the team. He starred at West Valley Community College before transferring to Chico in 2009.
