Boys volleyball keeps
growing
54 of the 125 schools in Class 4A, 5A have boys volleyball
Odeen Domingo
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 14, 2008 10:49 AM
Like any teenager, the 14-year-old sport of boys volleyball
in Arizona is experiencing change.
More top-notch athletes are choosing boys volleyball and
sticking with it every year, adding more depth to a sport
willing to rival that of traditional ones. Not
only are more athletes noticing Arizona boys volleyball,
so are NCAA Division I coaches and USA Volleyball, the governing
body that oversees the men's volleyball national team.
As
for what is there that wasn't before? Try new boys volleyball
programs this season, including Gilbert Higley and El
Mirage Dysart. Just
14 teams participated in the first boys volleyball season,
which ended in a state tournament won by Phoenix Mountain
Pointe in 1995.
Now,
54 of the 125 schools in Class 4A and 5A have boys volleyball
programs, with Gilbert Perry, Gilbert Williams Field
and Tucson Sahuarita ready to field Division II varsity
teams next season. Through
14 years, the development of Arizona boys volleyball has
seen one world-class player come through, a handful of
programs become state powerhouses and the depth of talent
grow statewide.
But
what are the teen years without those awkward moments?
The sport in Arizona is still fighting stereotypes and
districts
that refuse to add it. Plus, the state's pool of NCAA Division
I talent is minimal. "I
don't know if the development has been leaps and bounds,
but it has been a steady growth," said Mountain Pointe
coach Fred Mann, who has won the most boys volleyball state
titles (five, the last in 2003).
The
testament of the sport's development will continue when
Gilbert Highland, Phoenix Brophy Prep, Tucson Rincon and
defending Division I champion Phoenix Desert Vista represent
Arizona next week in a 50-plus-team national tournament in
Las Vegas. In
last season's tournament, Highland, Brophy and Tucson Catalina
Foothills finished in the top eight of their brackets.
The
sport's beginnings couldn't have been more humble, but
1994 was the right time for boys volleyball to rise in
Arizona.
Mann, who won a collegiate national title in South Africa
as a player, had moved to the state and built a club program
with his Mountain Pointe students. Among them was Reid Priddy,
now the go-to player on the USA Men's National Volleyball
Team. He recently led the team in qualifying for this summer's
Beijing Olympics. But the club didn't have a gym, so it rented
churches. It didn't have jerseys, so it bought hand-me-downs. Around
the same time, Gilbert High student Nate Boulter and a
few friends wanted to start a boys team at their school.
To do that, the boys had to start from scratch - convince
the school board and convince enough schools in the East
Valley to field teams to form a conference. At the time,
only four Tucson schools had teams.
"I
tell my (players) all the time how much those boys had
to put up with," said Gilbert Highland coach Vee
Hiapo, who coached Highland to four consecutive state title
matches. Boulter credits Gilbert's first boys coach, Jo Elyn
Boone, and Mann for helping the sport become what it has. "I
don't think I could have played or been a captain with
the caliber of talent coming out nowadays," Boulter
said, laughing. That
is due to the commitment of coaches forming year-round club
teams, Mann said.
"It
used to be just four or five teams playing club tournaments," he
said. "Now players from 30 teams
are playing in the off-season." The
club scene has helped schools challenge powerhouses Highland,
Mountain Pointe and Tucson Canyon del Oro. Desert
Vista, which has several players who are members of Mann's
club team, won last season's Division I title as the seventh
seed. Mann
labeled northwest Valley schools Anthem Boulder Creek and Glendale
Mountain Ridge as up and-coming teams because their coaches
have formed successful clubs.
What Boulder Creek coach Chad Speer did was take what Mann
and Hiapo had done to cultivate a powerhouse. "It's
basically the same format I used," Speer
said. "I used the club to build the high school team.
Now, we're successful on both sides." With
the depth of talented teams increasing, the next step for
the state is developing top
talent. A few players were
able to receive scholarships from collegiate Division I programs
in the past but the "can't-miss" players are, well,
missing. Though
Priddy was there at the beginning, he has proved to be an
anomaly.
But
as Mann pointed out: "He's
an anomaly regardless. How many people become a two-time
Olympian? To be a freak
of nature. To be 6-foot-3 (short for an international-level
outside hitter) and one of the top players in the world let
alone the United Sates." Getting
the school's best athletes to commit to volleyball has
been tough. Many feel that Desert Vista's 6-foot-8 senior
outside hitter Michael Proctor could be one of the country's
best players if he stuck with volleyball.
But
Proctor's first love is basketball, and he is one of the
state's best players on the hardwood. Even though he
is committed to play at Northern Colorado, that didn't stop
BYU, the country's top-ranked men's volleyball team, from
calling Proctor recently. One
volleyball-only player who could become nationally known
is Tucson Salpointe Catholic junior setter Pat Tunnell. "He
was the first one to start on varsity as a freshman and
never came off the court," Salpointe coach Amy Johnson
said. "He has the right body (at 6-feet-4), the right
athleticism. He pretty much has everything you're asking
for."
USA
Volleyball has seen the growth in Arizona and set up tryouts
for its High Performance national team in January.
Brophy coach Tony Oldani, who was chosen to coach the Boys
Arizona High Performance team, said that more NCAA Division
I coaches are scouting Arizona. "Volleyball
was thought of as a girls sport," Rincon
coach Juanita Kingston said. "But I'd like to see you
put your face in front of a guy hitting a ball and tell me
it's just a girls sport. It's just a rush when those guys
hit so darn hard." Higley
coach Nick Lujan said he has drawn players from different
sports and even members of the band."It's
been a blessing seeing new schools getting programs," Oldani
said. "It's been awesome watching the sport grow."
And it will continue to do so, as any teenager does.
Access
this article at
AZCentral.com http://www.azcentral.com/sports/preps/articles/0314hsvolley0314.html
AZ
Region Girls HP Tryouts
Continue
As
you probably know, while several of you were competing
in Colorado two weeks ago, the Arizona Region held a National
High Performance Tryout at Phoenix College. At
that tryout, members of the USA Volleyball girl's High
Performance Program along with several coaches from Arizona
and beyond evaluated the talent at this tryout for National
training possibilities and for Regional team consideration
as well.
If they wanted a chance to tryout for the National program consideration, there
are several tryouts left. You can find the list of those tryouts at http://www.usavolleyball.org/highperformance/08HPGirlsTryoutSchedule.asp
In an effort to get the best that Arizona has to offer, the High Performance
staff has orchestrated a supplemental tryout for athletes, such as yours, that
might still want a shot at trying out for the Regional High Performance Teams.
The Arizona Region will select, train and take 1 team in the Youth age group,
(athletes born in 1992 and 1993) and 1 team in the Select age group, (athletes
born in 1994, 1995 and after). If you have athletes that do NOT fall in these
age groups, they are not eligible to tryout for the Arizona Region teams.
This tryout will be Thursday, March 20th, from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at South Mountain
Community College located at 7050 S. 24th St. The cost for these tryouts are
$50. There is no pre registration, but you will need to fill out the paperwork
linked at http://www.usavolleyball.org/media/highperformance/08HPGirlsRegistration.pdf
If a player has already been to a National tryout, wear your HP shirt and
there will be no charge for the Arizona tryout. If you have already registered
for a National HP tryout, bring your confirmation receipt and your Arizona
tryout fee will be waived. Only checks and cash will be accepted at this
tryout.
For more information, you can access High Performance information on the Region
website.
For specific questions, e-mail erichbke@msn.com
Thank You for your support.
Arizona Region High Performance
