Some folks thought following John Picket was powerful.
John Hawks’ predecessors as UCLA males’s volleyball coach embody John Speraw, who simply received back-to-back NCAA championships, and Al Scates, whose 19 titles practically doubled Picket’s whole because the legendary males’s basketball coach.
Speraw’s departure in September to change into president and CEO of USA Volleyball opened the door for Hawks, who doesn’t want a primer on the historical past of this system.
Hawks was an assistant beneath Speraw for seven years earlier than changing into head coach at Loyola College Chicago the final two seasons, guiding the Ramblers to a 40-17 document. In 2023, he was named the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. coach of the 12 months.
Throughout a wide-ranging interview with The Instances, Hawks, 55, mentioned his imaginative and prescient for this system and whether or not it will probably maintain its current success heading into its season opener Thursday in opposition to Fairleigh Dickinson. Hawks’ responses have been edited for brevity and readability.
You referenced UCLA’s unmatched custom of 21 NCAA championships in your introductory assertion. What does it imply to you to return to Westwood and lead this storied program?
I feel simply personally, if I date myself again to highschool [in the mid- to late 1980s], after I might first drive a automobile, I might go as much as the Santa Barbara match and I might watch all of the groups compete. I might watch UCLA stroll in and it was simply totally different and I might resonate with that. I watched [middle blocker] Tim Kelly, who was 6 toes 11 and 275 kilos, so, yeah, they have been males and it was simply totally different.
I feel again to these days after which after I obtained the assistant job in 2015 with John, I used to be right here for seven seasons and day by day on campus — and that is no joke — I pinched myself, like I can’t consider I’m right here. So it means the world to me. I recruited quite a lot of these guys, I spent quite a lot of time on the cellphone with them and to come back again full circle and be capable of type of end up hopefully their careers with me and the way it began, I feel it’s an honor.
To comply with John Speraw, who’s one among my finest associates and was in my marriage ceremony and I’m tremendous happy with him and tremendous humbled to comply with him, after which Scates, I imply, these sneakers that I’m filling, they’re not measurement 14s, they’re a lot greater. I’m humbled.
Do you could have a favourite Al Scates story?
I by no means performed for him, however Al befriended me as a result of I used to be a buddy of John Speraw and I received’t neglect it. I used to be a no one — I used to be an assistant coach who didn’t play high-level Division I ball and I feel I had a popularity of who I used to be as a coach, however I didn’t count on Al Scates to know who I used to be and simply how he handled me after I felt like he didn’t know me, that respect he gave me was one thing I’ll always remember.
Having been across the program so long as you could have, what’s been the very best recommendation you’ve obtained from coach Speraw and coach Scates?
To be myself, that was the one factor they each persistently mentioned. I don’t suppose I’m on this place until they knew there was one thing good there, so I’m not going to attempt to be Al Scates, I’m not going to attempt to be John Speraw — that might be ridiculous.
So for me to remain true to who I’m and to remain true to that precept, I feel, is paramount for me. These guys know me as an assistant coach, they understand how my character is, and if I got here in and was totally different as a result of I’ve a distinct hat on, I feel it will be disingenuous. So I’m going to be who I’m and I’m going to teach with my coronary heart on my sleeve they usually’re going to know what I really feel and typically that’s good and typically that’s unhealthy, however I feel if there’s that belief, we’re going to be wonderful.
What are your core rules as a head coach and the way do they assist you to obtain success?
I feel before everything — and we simply talked about it at this time on the finish of apply — is belief, proper? I feel there needs to be a deep stage of belief between the employees and the gamers and participant to participant and vice versa, in order that’s in all probability the very first thing.
I say this loads, I inform the fellows in each message I’ve despatched them, I’ve mentioned, ‘Love you guys.’ And I feel that males typically have a tough time sharing that, but when they know that I care about them to their core, then I can gentle them up in apply they usually comprehend it’s coming from a very good place, in order that’s belief, proper? So that they must know that I belief and I care about them as folks first, proper? So I feel when you have belief and you’ve got that love and respect for one another, then the remainder of the sport’s simple.
However having integrity is a part of belief, proper, doing what you say you’re going to do and whenever you say you’re going to do it. So, to me, the core precept is belief.
While you left for Loyola, did you could have any thought that you just would possibly be capable of return to UCLA on this capability so rapidly?
Zero. Truthfully, I didn’t suppose I used to be going to come back again. My spouse, Julianne, is from Ohio and he or she went to school in Chicago, so all her finest associates dwell there and I simply really feel just like the Midwest is such an incredible place to boost a household and we are able to afford a house. I didn’t suppose I used to be going to come back again; I simply was prepared to maneuver ahead with the subsequent steps, no matter that regarded like. I assumed I might be at Loyola for a very long time, to be sincere with you.
After I obtained the decision [to come back to UCLA], it in all probability took me 3½ seconds to need to say, ‘Yes,’ However my spouse is my No. 1 fan, clearly, and I couldn’t do that with out her and the way she’s holding the ship afloat again within the Midwest nonetheless [along with daughters Giavanna, 10, and Gabriella, 8], attempting to promote our home. This was a tricky transition, you’re going into a brand new season with half of fall and a really aggressive workforce that’s attempting to win three [titles] in a row and is doing one thing actually particular, however to do it with out my household is actually powerful.
How does serving as head coach of the Underneath-21 USA Nationwide Staff assist you to in what you’re attempting to do with the Bruins?
I feel it permits me to get totally different teaching reps, so I consider it like taking part in — whenever you’re within the offseason and also you’re not doing something, you neglect concerning the rhythm of the sport, actually, and timeouts and what are you saying and drills and apply planning.
And I feel that is what made John actually particular is that he went from the lads’s school workforce to the lads’s nationwide workforce, again to school, so he was consistently getting reps the place it’s seeing the sport, seeing performs occur, seeing what’s occurring internationally after which bringing that to what we are able to do right here at UCLA.
Now we have some very particular athletes that may play at that stage and we’ve quite a lot of them that shall be at that stage, so exposing myself to what Poland, Brazil and Cuba are doing and all these elite groups internationally, I feel, can solely profit us right here, for certain.
There’s a handful of gamers remaining from the workforce whenever you have been final right here in 2022. What’s it been prefer to reunite with them?
It’s been actually neat. I simply had a dialog with Ido David the opposite night time and he hoped it was me [that was going to get the job] and me too as properly, however to attach with him, who I’ve hung out recruiting from Israel, he doesn’t must show himself to any individual else, so throughout COVID I spent a ton of time recruiting Andrew Rowan and Zach Rama, Cooper Robinson — I used to be on the cellphone with these guys on a regular basis, and to come back again once more, it’s actually unimaginable.
UCLA ‘s Ido David spikes the ball past Long Beach St.’s Sotiris Siapanis throughout title sport on Could 4 final 12 months.
(Wally Skalij / NCAA Pictures by way of Getty Pictures)
You’ve 4 returning starters from the championship sport in Ido David, Cooper Robinson, Andrew Rowan and Matthew Aziz, together with one other key returner off the bench in Zach Rama. What does it imply to return that a lot expertise from a workforce that received all of it?
It’s priceless. I do suppose that there’s a giant shift in management, so Andrew and Zach and Cooper didn’t have to steer as a result of that they had [last season’s veterans] Ethan Champlin and Man Genis and Merrick McHenry and Alex Knight, proper? In order that’s in all probability the one factor that we’re attempting to develop with our present workforce is that inside management, however it does imply loads as a result of I feel we’ve a few of the most elite athletes within the nation and to have these guys on my facet and never throughout us from the web means loads.
What’s going to it take to win a 3rd consecutive nationwide championship, one thing that hasn’t occurred since coach Scates received 4 in a row from 1981-84?
It’s going to take all 21 guys on our roster, and I feel that we’ve the potential to do this, we’ve the fellows, we’ve the athleticism to do it. However successful’s exhausting and it takes quite a lot of luck, proper? Possibly a draw, possibly a bounce right here or there, however I feel you can too create your individual luck, so if we do all the precise issues academically, athletically, off the court docket, socially, then we’re going to place ourselves in the very best likelihood to do this. We all know there’s no assure and I feel that if we prepare the best way we’ve been coaching — with intention and with the precise angle — I feel we’re going to place ourselves in that place to boost that trophy once more.
What are the strengths of this workforce?
Our setting, No. 1. Now we have an elite setter; Andrew Rowan is simply so artistic and an incredible particular person and I might go on and on about him, however from an athletic standpoint I feel he’s only a actually proficient setter. Now we have three elite pins [right-front and left-front players], and Zach and Cooper are simply two elite, distinctive athletes which might be touching 12 toes [with their vertical jumps] that may do issues that quite a lot of different folks can’t do. In addition they have a mindset of, they simply need to hold getting higher and typically it will probably get somewhat bit chippy, however that’s good — I feel you’ve obtained to have that, you possibly can’t educate that competitiveness, proper?
After which you could have Ido, who simply has an elite arm and has performed the sport internationally and is a senior that simply needs to complete this off with a championship. Then you definately add our center blockers they usually’re some high-IQ guys — Cam Thorne, electrical arm, actually offensive, extremely aggressive, growing his serve. We simply have some distinctive items that I feel are actually particular.
UCLA exterior hitter Ethan Champlin and setter Andrew Rowan react in opposition to Lengthy Seashore State throughout a match in 2023.
(Julia Nikhinson / Related Press)
How massive of an element is NIL in males’s volleyball recruiting and the place is it headed?
It’s an enormous factor proper now. I feel the wealthy are getting richer and we’re Energy 4, we’re able with 400-plus energetic alumni who deeply care about this program and the route we’re going, in order that they assist us on a stage that I feel is totally different from quite a lot of packages within the nation.
The place is it headed? I hope there’s some cap on the place this may go as a result of financially, can departments maintain it? Can donors maintain giving like that yearly after 12 months? You understand, there’s donor fatigue. So I don’t know what’s going to occur, I feel that’s the scary half about the place that is all headed. However it’s large for our program and the assist we get, I can’t thank all these folks sufficient.
So it sounds prefer it’s a energy for this system?
Oh, yeah. We’re in a wholesome spot.
What’s been the very best a part of being again at UCLA?
Simply the individuals who work within the division and understanding that I don’t have to search around for who handles what; I simply know the place to go, I’ve a very good friendship with lots of people within the division and the hiring committee have been a bunch of pleasant faces that, it was simply good to reconnect. So after I was in that interview, it simply felt snug. I need to win as unhealthy as anyone, however I really feel assist and I don’t really feel the stress that we’ve to win. I feel that’s the expectation, that’s what all of us need to do and we’re all driving towards that purpose, so to have [Athletic Director] Martin Jarmond and your complete athletic division and all people right here, my speedy employees, we’re all rowing in the identical route and it’s actually cool.
