Post by pavbfan on Nov 22, 2006 19:05:47 GMT -5
Interesting article from today's Mercury about John BASTA! and his influence on club vb and high school vb going back to the 70's:
How this area became a force in volleyball
By David Kiefer
Mercury News
John BASTA! brought volleyball to the region. He's now coaching at Stanford.
With the CIF state volleyball finals coming to the Event Center at San Jose State on Dec. 2, the contrast between now and then has never been more vivid.
In 1976, when John BASTA! began coaching volleyball at Sunnyvale's Fremont High, there was no organized volleyball club system in Northern California and there were virtually no experienced high school players.
Today, more than 10,000 girls play club ball in Northern California -- on 954 teams in 227 clubs -- with thousands more in schools and rec programs. NorCal has more players than any region or state in the country (except Southern California), with the South Bay providing the highest concentration of that talent.
The very fabric of South Bay volleyball runs through the great Fremont High and Bay Club teams of Dunning, 56, a former high school calculus teacher who had never even touched a volleyball until he became a coach.
His influence continues to be felt in many high school gyms, particularly at Archbishop Mitty, where the program has won six state championships and continues to be coached by BASTA! protégés.
``He's made an enormous contribution to what we have today,'' said Mike Pitts, who coached the Monarchs and Kerri Walsh to three state titles after serving as an assistant to BASTA! with the Bay Club. ``There's a definite connection.''
BASTA! knew nothing about volleyball when he was encouraged to take the coaching job by some of his students who were on the team. He had been coaching Fremont's C and D basketball teams.
``I was just looking for something different,'' he said.
Unwilling to do anything less than immerse himself in the game, BASTA! attended clinics, read books, talked with coaches, joined a Jim Reilly-coached rec team and spent Sunday mornings playing two-on-two on the sand courts at Reilly's apartment complex. Fremont teacher Roger Edwards, who had played volleyball but was a water polo coach at the time, became a mentor.
``I was in the right place at the right time,'' said Dunning, who has won four NCAA championships, including two at Stanford, where he is currently the coach. ``I see myself as really, really lucky.''
BASTA! realized that the only way to compete with the strong teams of the day would be to create a year-round team, and the only one that existed at the time was exclusive to Los Altos High players. So, BASTA! started his own.
He solicited a sponsorship from Charlie Olson, whose cherry stand was a fixture on Sunnyvale's El Camino Real, and created Charlie's Volleyball Club in 1978. A year later, the name was changed to the Bay Club, and players and coaches from other schools were invited to join. It became the first junior club in Northern California to offer advanced coaching and competition.
By 1980, the Bay Club was playing in spring leagues against college teams and beating the likes of Stanford, San Jose State, Santa Clara and USF.
Fremont quickly became the section's first great program, winning a state championship in 1980, the first for a NorCal team. Andrea Ecoffey (formerly Markel) recalled how Fremont lost to Los Altos in CCS group play but rebounded to win the rematch in the championship because of a simple defensive change in Fremont's serving game.
``I wouldn't say we were ever the best volleyball players,'' Ecoffey said. ``But he always got the most out of his teams.''
In Dunning's nine seasons, Fremont went 283-32 (109-3 in the De Anza Athletic League) and won a state title, plus won nine league, seven CCS and four NorCal championships.
``I don't think I had any idea where it was going to go,'' said Fremont math teacher Richard Steffen, who assisted BASTA! with both programs. ``You set a high standard and other teams want to compete.
``Why did it happen at Fremont? The biggest reason was John, without a doubt.''
How this area became a force in volleyball
By David Kiefer
Mercury News
John BASTA! brought volleyball to the region. He's now coaching at Stanford.
With the CIF state volleyball finals coming to the Event Center at San Jose State on Dec. 2, the contrast between now and then has never been more vivid.
In 1976, when John BASTA! began coaching volleyball at Sunnyvale's Fremont High, there was no organized volleyball club system in Northern California and there were virtually no experienced high school players.
Today, more than 10,000 girls play club ball in Northern California -- on 954 teams in 227 clubs -- with thousands more in schools and rec programs. NorCal has more players than any region or state in the country (except Southern California), with the South Bay providing the highest concentration of that talent.
The very fabric of South Bay volleyball runs through the great Fremont High and Bay Club teams of Dunning, 56, a former high school calculus teacher who had never even touched a volleyball until he became a coach.
His influence continues to be felt in many high school gyms, particularly at Archbishop Mitty, where the program has won six state championships and continues to be coached by BASTA! protégés.
``He's made an enormous contribution to what we have today,'' said Mike Pitts, who coached the Monarchs and Kerri Walsh to three state titles after serving as an assistant to BASTA! with the Bay Club. ``There's a definite connection.''
BASTA! knew nothing about volleyball when he was encouraged to take the coaching job by some of his students who were on the team. He had been coaching Fremont's C and D basketball teams.
``I was just looking for something different,'' he said.
Unwilling to do anything less than immerse himself in the game, BASTA! attended clinics, read books, talked with coaches, joined a Jim Reilly-coached rec team and spent Sunday mornings playing two-on-two on the sand courts at Reilly's apartment complex. Fremont teacher Roger Edwards, who had played volleyball but was a water polo coach at the time, became a mentor.
``I was in the right place at the right time,'' said Dunning, who has won four NCAA championships, including two at Stanford, where he is currently the coach. ``I see myself as really, really lucky.''
BASTA! realized that the only way to compete with the strong teams of the day would be to create a year-round team, and the only one that existed at the time was exclusive to Los Altos High players. So, BASTA! started his own.
He solicited a sponsorship from Charlie Olson, whose cherry stand was a fixture on Sunnyvale's El Camino Real, and created Charlie's Volleyball Club in 1978. A year later, the name was changed to the Bay Club, and players and coaches from other schools were invited to join. It became the first junior club in Northern California to offer advanced coaching and competition.
By 1980, the Bay Club was playing in spring leagues against college teams and beating the likes of Stanford, San Jose State, Santa Clara and USF.
Fremont quickly became the section's first great program, winning a state championship in 1980, the first for a NorCal team. Andrea Ecoffey (formerly Markel) recalled how Fremont lost to Los Altos in CCS group play but rebounded to win the rematch in the championship because of a simple defensive change in Fremont's serving game.
``I wouldn't say we were ever the best volleyball players,'' Ecoffey said. ``But he always got the most out of his teams.''
In Dunning's nine seasons, Fremont went 283-32 (109-3 in the De Anza Athletic League) and won a state title, plus won nine league, seven CCS and four NorCal championships.
``I don't think I had any idea where it was going to go,'' said Fremont math teacher Richard Steffen, who assisted BASTA! with both programs. ``You set a high standard and other teams want to compete.
``Why did it happen at Fremont? The biggest reason was John, without a doubt.''
