Texas A&M associate head coach Ryan Mallam will be joining Bob Bowman‘s new staff at Arizona State, the Arizona Republic reports.
Bowman, of course, was recently tabbed as the new leader of the ASU program, and he’ll bring his high-profile professional group with him, including Michael Phelps and Georgia star Chase Kalisz, who is taking an Olympic redshirt season.
Mallam appears a great fit as Bowman’s new associate head coach. He’s well-known as a sprint coach, while Bowman has specialized in coaching swimmers over longer distances.
Mallam has the unique distinction of coaching 50 freestylers to national titles in both Division II and the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association). He was the head coach at D-II Limestone College when Goran Majlat won the national championship, and later was the head coach at Indian River State College when Brad Tandy set the national record.
Mallam was an NCAA swimmer himself from 1996 to 2000, competing for the University of South Carolina.
It seems likely that Mallam will head up ASU’s sprint program, allowing Bowman to focus on distance swimmers, 400 IMers and the like, where he’s had huge success at the club and international levels.
Arizona State returns Tadas Duskinas (50 free) and Richard Bohus (100 free) as Pac-12 top-16 finishers on the men’s side. Ingibjorg Jonsdottir (50 free) and Marina Spadoni (100 free) were top 16 last year for the women.
Reading a couple of the negative comments I see makes me raise an eyebrow. I have had a long time to observe Coach Mallam’s coaching style and have been a part of it. You may have had a negative experience, but this is what I have seen. 18, 19 year olds that come into a high performing swim team often think things are going to be just like their experience from what ever club team or high school team that last encountered. They expect to be giving the same liberties, allowed to be disrespectful, have pity when things become hard or painful, go out and party every night, eat poorly and then given chance and chance again. Superstars and excellent… Read more »
I also swam under Ryan and had a poor experience. I would definitely consider him a bully and made me and some other swimmers feel worthless with the things he would say. Ryan was my head coach and I don’t think that job suites him because what I’ve heard from people experiencing him as an assistant coach is he’s very easy to talk to and pushes his swimmers without making them uncomfortable. There’s a lot more to being a head coach than swim coaching and he also had free reign on the pool deck. Honestly being away from home for the first time and having to deal with him everyday made that a real low point in my life and… Read more »
I was under ryan and I have never seen anything like what swimmer c described. I did see him make a swimmer redo a set of fly because he kept on “ah ajusta little cheating” on holding stroke, 2 hand touch etc. He kept at him letting him know each time he kept on cheating on the set that he wasn’t going to let him fail, he stayed with that swimmer until the swimmer was able to overcome what was put in front of him and complete the set without cheating. It was some of the best coaching I’ve ever seen. After that set the swimmer was a stronger swimmer and a stronger person. Congrats ryan
Also having swum for Coach Mallam I completely disagree with the statement above. Ryan went out of his way to create a positive environment for all of his swimmers. He genuinely cared for his athletes not only as swimmers but as people. I have never heard Ryan even get close to cussing out anyone. I hope the swimmer above realizes that it’s not cool to make up lies about people. Ryan has a bright future and the swimmers at ASU are extremely lucky to have him!
I’ve seen Mallam in action up close and his swimmers seem to respect him. He’s innovative and experimental and keeps a fun, light-hearted atmosphere on the pool deck. I’ve never seen or heard anything like what “swimmer C” is talking about. Bowman has an obvious eye for talent. Happy for Ryan.
Having swum under Ryan, I can tell you that he has a wealth of knowledge for sprint freestyle, but his attitude towards his swimmers was pretty bad. Hopefully he learns soon that cussing at athletes and calling them profane names isn’t a motivational technique, and many athletes grew to dislike him (a feeling he seemed to share towards them).
Lol, good try, trolly troll.
Still got 12 ups… Maybe Swimmer C knows something.
Whether your argument has merit or not, anyone who anonymously gets on the internet to trash another person is someone whose opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.
Nice move for both parties. Coach Mallam will undoubtedly be in the driver’s seat for the head coach job when Bowman returns to NBAC in a few years.
When he goes back to NBAC again? It would not be a good look for NBAC or for Bowman for another round trip. Time for NBAC to build anew and time for Bowman to commit to a long haul in Arizona.
I could be wrong. In any case, I’m sure Bowman was upfront with the ASU administration about his intentions.
Bowman clearly states in an interview(its on swim swam) that ASU is his last coaching venture and that he has no intentions of leaving ASU for NBAC.
Huge hire. Nicely done, Coach Bowman.