Isaac Raphael enters his first season at the helm of the Bethune-Cookman volleyball program, assuming his role in June. Raphael comes to the Ladycats from FIU, where he was the setters coach for the panthers, recently coaching All-Sunbelt selection Natalia Valentin.

"I am very excited to be here at Bethune-Cookman with this new team," said Coach Raphael," and I am very excited for the challenge of getting this team from where it is now to the top of the MEAC."

Known as one of the top club and high school coaches in the state of Florida, Raphael is ready to take the lead and bring the Ladycats into prominence on both the MEAC and national levels.

Prior to working at FIU, Raphael led his last three high school setters to scholarships at Florida Southern, Palm Beach Atlantic and Louisiana State (LSU). During his time coaching setters at FIU, the Panthers were 20-11 on the season.

The Strawberry Hill, St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands) native, coached at Winter Springs High School for eight years, with seven years as head coach, leading the team to five district championships, two regional championships, and a state runner-up finish in his final season leading the Bears. He has coached numerous high school players to collegiate scholarships including, All-American and 2009 ACC Player of the Year, Brianna Barry.

Raphael is the Founder and Director of The Volleyball Academy at Winter Springs (TVA-WS), one of the premier clubs in Florida. Always notably strong, TVA has won numerous tournaments including bids to USA Volleyball Junior Olympics. TVA has prepared numerous athletes for college scholarships including the entire 2010 senior class, as players received scholarships to schools such as Harvard, LSU, USC Aiken, and Eastern Carolina.

In addition, Raphael coaches for the High Performance program for the Florida Region and is currently assisting the Youth High Performance Team in Tucson, Ariz.

Raphael and his wife Jacqueline reside in Winter Springs, Fla., with their children, Mwai, Imani, Ishaq, Ismaiil, Sky, and the family dog, Moto-Moto.

Coach Raphael is 2001 UCF graduate with a Bachelors degree in mathematics education andis presently completing his MBA through FIU.