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Post by BeachbytheBay on Aug 27, 2014 8:22:58 GMT -5
www.presstelegram.com/sports/20140826/season-preview-long-beach-state-womens-volleyball-upgraded-at-every-levelIt’s an afternoon practice early in the week of the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team’s season opener, and as usual, the Beach have an injury problem—albeit a different one than in recent years. This year, there aren’t enough injured players to serve as ball girls, which means that during hitting and blocking drills, the floor of the Gold Mine is littered with balls scattered around like spent casings. That is, decidedly, a problem they’re okay with having. The last few seasons have seen a clean floor but a depleted roster, with sometimes as many as a half dozen players sitting out in the run-up to the team’s first match. Right now, everyone is healthy—that’s allowed the team to practice with two full sides, which has accelerated their development during camp. It’s also allowed their legendary head coach, Brian Gimmillaro, to fall into his natural role. “Coaching is what I’m good at, and I can do that again this year,” he says, as opposed to the last few seasons spent managing injuries and visits to the trainer. Gimmillaro is entering his 30th season as the 49ers’ head coach, and he’s racked up more wins than the Gold Mine has ants, along with three national championships. It would be fair to say he’s forgotten more about volleyball than most people know, except that he famously never forgets anything. But his team is also coming off a second straight year of missing the NCAA Tournament, the first time that’s happened in his tenure, and it was obvious a change needed to be made. That change was swift, and clinical. The team only graduated one senior last year, but eight of the remaining 15 players from 2013 aren’t on the roster this season, including starting setter Erin Juley, and one-time All-American middle blocker Haleigh Hampton, who was besieged by injuries like much of the team’s roster. “A player gave me a great compliment one time and said I believe in everyone that comes through the door,” says Gimmillaro. “We had people that I believed in for a long time, and you just can’t do it. They were too hurt—and that happened for several years.” The approach in gathering players this year was obvious—add talent from international pools (like Latvia’s Anete Brinke and Canada’s Sophie Bukovec, the U21 sand volleyball world champion), and sign talented transfers looking to come home to Southern California (Lindsey Lawmaster out of Minnesota and Janelle Hudson from Iowa State). What Gimmillaro won’t do again is take risks on high-talent players with bad health situations. “I’m not bringing in anyone that’s had a history of major surgeries,” he says. “I can’t save someone.” This year’s talent level is up, as is the team’s durability. Honorable mention All-American Chisom Okpala is a show-stopper at middle blocker, wowing the crowd at the team’s annual alumni match by hitting over top of assistant coach Erika Dillard—she and libero Tyler Jackson, out of nearby Lakewood High, are worth the price of admission. The team is also bolstered by two other talented seniors, Bre Mackie on the right side and Chelsea Cabrajac in the back row. “Having four seniors rather than just one makes a big difference,” says Okpala. “There’s more experience and we’re more skilled this year. Everyone is on the same page.” Jackson agrees: the improvements can be seen in more than just ability. “Everyone is accountable—when someone makes a mistake you trust them to fix it,” she says. “We have chemistry this year.” The talent doesn’t hurt either, of course. Hudson is a gifted setter with a firm grasp on Gimmillaro’s system, and Lawmaster will add immediate depth to the back line. At outside, returners Alex Reid and Joy Miley are improved, and Bukovec will provide a spark as well. The 49ers will be thrown into the fire almost immediately, with their two toughest matches of the season coming this week in their openers as they compete in the Illini Classic. They play host Illinois on Friday, then have back-to-back matches (with just an hour in between) on Saturday, against North Carolina and Southern Illinois. The Illini and Tar Heels are No. 11 and No. 20 in the nation, respectively. Long Beach State will open at home on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. against Idaho. Regardless of the early hurdle, Gimmillaro likes his team, and loves their attitude. “As a coach, if I settle for things, I’m not doing justice to all of the athletes—I want athletes here who are very serious about wanting to be a teammate, and wanting to be challenged,” he says. “All I know is we’re going to work hard tomorrow and work hard every other day…We’re going to do things a certain way, and I know it works. And we’ll win.”
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Post by rainbowbadger on Aug 27, 2014 8:33:37 GMT -5
Well, on behalf of Badger fans, I'd like to thank Gimmillaro for Erin Juley. Good luck to the Beach this season. I hope they get back into the tournament.
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Post by ncaavballguru on Aug 27, 2014 9:49:02 GMT -5
Ah, you gotta love Gimmillaro. His program's on the decline and he cleans house and brings in a whole new gaggle of players thinking that's gonna change things.
He. Just. Can't. Figure. It. Out.
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Post by rainbowbadger on Aug 27, 2014 9:57:49 GMT -5
Ah, you gotta love Gimmillaro. His program's on the decline and he cleans house and brings in a whole new gaggle of players thinking that's gonna change things. He. Just. Can't. Figure. It. Out. I don't know a ton about the Beach. What is Gimmillaro missing? |
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the Beach
Aug 27, 2014 10:24:27 GMT -5
C likes this
Post by volleyguy on Aug 27, 2014 10:24:27 GMT -5
Ah, you gotta love Gimmillaro. His program's on the decline and he cleans house and brings in a whole new gaggle of players thinking that's gonna change things. He. Just. Can't. Figure. It. Out. I don't know a ton about the Beach. What is Gimmillaro missing? Brian Gimmillaro is missing what Kelly Sheffield apparently has: a wilingness to learn something new and to CHANGE. Behind it all, this is a terribly unflattering article. In other breaking news, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has discovered a real live dinosaur in the heart of So Cal and is quickly assembling a team of trained experts to capture it. |
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Post by mikegarrison on Aug 27, 2014 10:32:14 GMT -5
There is a real live dinosaur flying around in my backyard right now.
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Post by volleyguy on Aug 27, 2014 10:35:42 GMT -5
Is it a Boeing?
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Post by BeachbytheBay on Aug 27, 2014 10:38:16 GMT -5
I don't know a ton about the Beach. What is Gimmillaro missing? Brian Gimmillaro is missing what Kelly Sheffield apparently has: a wilingness to learn something new and to CHANGE. Behind it all, this is a terribly unflattering article. In other breaking news, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has discovered a real live dinosaur in the heart of So Cal and is quickly assembling a team of trained experts to capture it. lol - nice veiled pot-shot it was a pretty accurate article - the team had lacked consistancy the last 3 years - it's not like he didn't take responsibility for it - he lost his two MBs and setter two years ago - and had an ongoing uncertaintly of his makeing during that span because of Hampton's condition it's good to see Juley move on to a situation that is good for her - couldn't have asked for more effort, but she had a gimpy leg for 3 years, the difference between Russ Rose & BG is about $60 or so million in TV contracts at their workplace - other than that you might as well call them both dinosaurs if this team with this schedule fails to perform, then by all means take your pot-shot |
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Post by mikegarrison on Aug 27, 2014 10:38:44 GMT -5
The dinosaur just bonked into my window, but kept flying.
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Post by volleyguy on Aug 27, 2014 10:47:06 GMT -5
The dinosaur just bonked into my window, but kept flying. Definitely not a Boeing. |
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Post by volleyguy on Aug 27, 2014 11:04:08 GMT -5
Brian Gimmillaro is missing what Kelly Sheffield apparently has: a wilingness to learn something new and to CHANGE. Behind it all, this is a terribly unflattering article. In other breaking news, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has discovered a real live dinosaur in the heart of So Cal and is quickly assembling a team of trained experts to capture it. lol - nice veiled pot-shot it was a pretty accurate article - the team had lacked consistancy the last 3 years - it's not like he didn't take responsibility for it - he lost his two MBs and setter two years ago - and had an ongoing uncertaintly of his makeing during that span because of Hampton's condition it's good to see Juley move on to a situation that is good for her - couldn't have asked for more effort, but she had a gimpy leg for 3 years, the difference between Russ Rose & BG is Russ Rose is about $60 or so million in TV contracts at their workplace - other than that you might as well call them both dinosaurs if this team with this schedule fails to perform, then by all means take your pot-shot I think the article itself had back-handed compliments and was unflattering. There has always been talk that BG's relentless training style contributes to Long Beach's on-going injury issues. Is not recruiting players with any known previous injuries because you can't save everyone the answer? The most significant thing I read from the Sheffield profile article (link in Wisconsin 2014 thread) is this: Senior outside hitter Ellen Chapman recognized early last year that Sheffield understood her nature better than any of her previous coaches. “Something he does a really good job of is getting to know every player,” said Chapman, who blossomed into an honorable mention All-American last year. “When he first got here, he could tell that I’m not the most talkative person on the court. “Every previous coach I’d had always tried to make me that player and tried to change me. He didn’t try to make me into something that just wasn’t me. He told me that each player is different and we value diversity on the team. Just be who you are and other teammates who are more comfortable with doing that will pick up that role for you. “I thought that was pretty cool. That’s when I realized he’s a different type (of) coach... A coach can't change over-night either, but it's clear from this article that BG doubled down on his style. |
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Post by BeachbytheBay on Aug 27, 2014 11:46:57 GMT -5
lol - nice veiled pot-shot it was a pretty accurate article - the team had lacked consistancy the last 3 years - it's not like he didn't take responsibility for it - he lost his two MBs and setter two years ago - and had an ongoing uncertaintly of his makeing during that span because of Hampton's condition it's good to see Juley move on to a situation that is good for her - couldn't have asked for more effort, but she had a gimpy leg for 3 years, the difference between Russ Rose & BG is Russ Rose is about $60 or so million in TV contracts at their workplace - other than that you might as well call them both dinosaurs if this team with this schedule fails to perform, then by all means take your pot-shot I think the article itself had back-handed compliments and was unflattering. There has always been talk that BG's relentless training style contributes to Long Beach's on-going injury issues. Is not recruiting players with any known previous injuries because you can't save everyone the answer? The most significant thing I read from the Sheffield profile article (link in Wisconsin 2014 thread) is this: Senior outside hitter Ellen Chapman recognized early last year that Sheffield understood her nature better than any of her previous coaches. “Something he does a really good job of is getting to know every player,” said Chapman, who blossomed into an honorable mention All-American last year. “When he first got here, he could tell that I’m not the most talkative person on the court. “Every previous coach I’d had always tried to make me that player and tried to change me. He didn’t try to make me into something that just wasn’t me. He told me that each player is different and we value diversity on the team. Just be who you are and other teammates who are more comfortable with doing that will pick up that role for you. “I thought that was pretty cool. That’s when I realized he’s a different type (of) coach... A coach can't change over-night either, but it's clear from this article that BG doubled down on his style. puuuhhhleeeze - all teams have injuries - me thinks you extrapolate way too much the last 3 years LB has dealt with one extreme case in Hampton that magnified things to greater proportions - she is gone, and that is the end of that story/drama. and for both Hampton & Juley, I wouldn't fault them because they obviously love VB, but no way could they be depended on but nice pot shot |
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Post by pepperbrooks on Aug 27, 2014 12:09:37 GMT -5
Not everything can be chalked up to Long Beach being a non-BCS school. Fact is, it's not easy to play for Long Beach. There are way more options for SoCal kids nowadays.
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Post by BeachbytheBay on Aug 27, 2014 13:16:56 GMT -5
Not everything can be chalked up to Long Beach being a non-BCS school. Fact is, it's not easy to play for Long Beach. There are way more options for SoCal kids nowadays. agreed, so where is it easy to play at? and why? let's see, Belmont Shore, a school with a good (not great) reputation with enough employable majors to choose from, a very good conference, a coach that knows how to train players, a very nice facility by VB standards, a decent fan base what exactly would one want to be easy? and should a coach want players who want to do things easily? $5,000 stipends maybe would help  sheeeesh, always interesting to discuss the Beach, can't wait to see how this team plays |
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Post by volleyguy on Aug 27, 2014 13:41:40 GMT -5
Not everything can be chalked up to Long Beach being a non-BCS school. Fact is, it's not easy to play for Long Beach. There are way more options for SoCal kids nowadays. agreed, so where is it easy to play at? and why? let's see, Belmont Shore, a school with a good (not great) reputation with enough employable majors to choose from, a very good conference, a coach that knows how to train players, a very nice facility by VB standards, a decent fan base what exactly would one want to be easy? and should a coach want players who want to do things easily? $5,000 stipends maybe would help sheeeesh, always interesting to discuss the Beach, can't wait to see how this team plays I think the point is, if you are already a decent player with average to good club training, having Brian as a coach is great if you are winning and competing at a high level. If you aren't making the tournament, there are better options and trade-offs. |
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