Chicago Tribune on Deuser

[Mac]

chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-040517lewis,1,7998707.story?coll=cs-home-headlines

Lewis volleyball coach resigns

By Amalie Benjamin

Tribune staff reporter

May 17, 2004, 10:20 PM CDT
After making four trips to the NCAA Division I semifinals and winning the 2003 national title, Lewis University men's volleyball coach Dave Deuser has resigned.

On Monday, Deuser told the school's president, Brother James Gaffney, that he was leaving the position he has held since Lewis started its volleyball program in 1994.

Deuser said an NCAA investigation into the eligibility of two of his international student-athletes was the impetus for the resignation but that Lewis' handling of the situation was also a factor.

"In a nutshell, I don't ever want to work for an organization that has to answer to the NCAA because I so disagree with the way the NCAA works," Deuser said. "They are completely autonomous, they answer to nobody. They do whatever they want.

"Lewis is stuck between a rock and a hard place with the NCAA. Because [the NCAA is] all-powerful, they can say, 'Lewis, we're suspending you, fining you, putting you on probation for a few years.' I understand the difficulty of the position Lewis is in. I think the athletic director and the compliance officer could have done more to support me."

Lewis athletic director Paul Zakowski learned of Deuser's resignation Monday morning, when a reporter alerted him.

"It caught me by surprise," Zakowski said. "I talked to Dave on Friday. There was no reason for me to believe he was going to resign today.

"We're going through the investigation and obviously it's not easy. I feel bad that Dave has identified me as part of the problem."

Lewis made history last year by becoming the first Division II school to win a national title at the Division I level.

School officials began conducting an internal investigation into the athletes' eligibility during the 2001-02 season, Zakowski said. The results were forwarded to the NCAA, which has yet to rule on the case. Lewis pulled the players — two of the team's best — for the beginning of this past season. Lewis again reached the NCAA tournament semifinals, but the two international students ended up sitting out the entire year because of questions about their academic backgrounds.

Deuser said Gustavo Meyer, from Mexico City, had taken the "Latin version" of the SAT, instead of the standard English one. The coach said Meyer signed up for the English version of the test, and passed it, as soon as the problem was discovered. Meyer also was accused of violating NCAA eligibility rules by playing in a Swiss professional league.

José Martins was subject to eligibility questions relating to the amount of time he had spent at a university in his native Brazil, which would affect the number of years he could play at Lewis, Deuser said.

Hawaii was stripped of its 2002 national volleyball title in 2003 after the NCAA learned that the team's star had played professionally in Greece.

"I'm not advocating running a renegade program and blatantly breaking NCAA rules," Deuser said. "But that doesn't mean the NCAA should be allowed to do whatever they want."

Deuser said he'll probably accept a friend's offer of a job in real estate development. He said he'll remain in the Chicago area and plans to attend Lewis volleyball games next season.

[midwestfan]

I just posted this ... I'll delete mine!

[Mac]

Oh, I didn't see it. Thought it deserved its own headline.

[midwestfan]

No biggy ... just simultanious posting!

I've looked for it in the Sun Times and haven't seen it there.

[Mac]

"Deuser said he'll probably accept a friend's offer of a job in real estate development."

Boy, what a severe reaction to this. And what a loss to the Men's game. I had the pleasure of meeting Dave at last year's JOs. He was a very proud person. Such a difference I'm sure from what he's feeling today. He was all over the place recruiting and talking, even signing. So what does he say to the players he's signed who decided to go there for the coach? What a shame. I would have hoped that he would have stayed to overcome these issues and to rise above them. What an opportunity to demonstrate how to handle tough life's lessons to his team. It sounds like the situation took its toll on him. Can't say that I would have survived it too. It just makes you wonder if there's more to it.

[midwestfan]

I'm not saying that the NCAA is a great organization or that it hasn't made mistakes, but you have to have a governing body that makes, interprets and inforces the rules. Otherwise, it would be chaos. You don't always agree with or like the rules, but you live by them and work within them the best that you can. You have to learn to work within the system.

Apparently he grew tired of and disillusioned by the process.

[UcantBSme]

I actually spoke with Dave today and the reality is, he made this decision 2 months ago. He is making a career move that is clearly in his best interests, and he will be making significantly more money than he could ever make in volleyball. The fact that all the garbage that has been going on with people trying to screw over his program and the fact that the NCAA are the NAZIS they are, and the fact that his athletic administration doesn't seem to be supporting the players or him made this decision easier for him. There is NO truth the rumor that Lewis was going to tell him to resign or they were going to fire him. Just read the comments from the AD at Lewis in the Tribune. He was TOTALLY blind sided by Dave's resignation. Dave left at his time, on his terms, and in reality, on TOP of the volleyball world. Back to back NCAA Final Four appearances, a National Championship, no matter what anyone says, his team has dominated the MIVA for many years, they have one almost 50% of the MIVA tournaments since the 1996 season, just the fact that EVERYONE in volleyball talks about him and even how he wears his hair just shows you the level of fame he has attained. Good or bad, when a person is being screwtinized to the level that Dave is, you know they are big news. I saw some ridiculous comments on here about Dave's hair style during the Final Four. Did anyone comment on the fact that Tom Peterson's hair is god AWEFUL? Did anyone comment on the fact that Mark Pavlic HAS NO HAIR AT ALL TO SPEAK OF? THE ANSWER IS NO! People talk about interesting people. People talk about extaordinary people, and people talk about people that acheive and people that they are drawn to. Just look at Hollywood and the media. Dave has reached that level of Fame in volleyball, and thats why so many people have opinions about his program and him and even the way he wears his hair. I have known him for about 5 years, and have had some very candid conversations with him. He is a class act, and the few people out there that resented his accomplishments have done everything they can to discredit him and to bring down his program, even by spreading COMPLETE and disgusting lies about him or his players. The great news is that Dave is getting the last laugh. He goes out this year with yet another MIVA tournament championship, another trip the Final Four, over all the losers in the MIVA with some very young, inexperienced players on his team, he proves yet again, how he can out coach all the MIVA DORKS, and what a motivator he is, and how he is able to prepare his team mentally and emotionally and physically for the big matches, and to top it all off, HE LANDS IN A POSITION WHERE HE WILL BE MAKING WAY MORE MONEY AND EXCEL NO DOUBT WITH LESS HEAD ACHES, STRESS, AND POLITICS. Good for him, I wish him the best and the volleyball world just lost a GREAT ONE.

[Tiruray2004]

Hey, UcantBSme and benwhpdrofan: are both of you following Deuser into real estate?

[roy]

Personally, I have always seemed to like him. He was always respectable when coming to Hawaii to play and I was able to talk to him on a few occassions. He was very pleasant.

I enjoy his coaching strategies. He really does put on a high powered offense. I never really thought of his teams as a big defensive team but a team that could really just put the ball down. I enjoy watching good defense as I feel they make the game much more exciting, but he has had some really great players through the years.

I wish him the best and hope that he enjoys his new career choice.

[hopelesslysmitten]

I think someone needs to keep the NCAA in check.

But moving on, I wish Dave and the Lewis volleyball team the best.

[VBbeast]

Ok now that I have read both newspaper articles I am convinced more than ever that Deuser just doesn't get it. He wants to compete in sport governed by the NCAA, and yet just can't be bothered with being held accountable with following NCAA rules. With several WELL documented violations on record he still sticks with this "they did nothing wrong" story.

"the NCAA is harrassing me" ....well yeah Dave thats what they do with people that aren't following the rules. So Dave does what all 5 year olds do... he resigns ergo takes his ball and goes home so those meanies at the NCAA can't pick on him anymore.

This is the best thing that can happen for the school and the conference in my opinion.

So Dave is going into realestate... careful Dave if you break the rules in that field resigning might not be an escape option for you.

[Vbfan]

I agree. By Davie boy. MIVA will be a lot better off.

[UcantBSme]

VBbeast is WITHOUT A DOUBT an MIVA coach or ass. coach. You can tell by his comments. I'm sure all the MIVA coaches are very happy Dave is leaving because now they MAY just have a chance at winning something. And the real funny thing is that it was the OHIO STATE coaching staff that has led the charge in condemning Dave and his program and THESE ARE THE SAME GUYS THAT HAD SEVERAL PUERTO RICAN PLAYERS THAT HAD SIGNED CONTRACTS ON FILE FOR SIGNIFICANT MONEY, on their team in 2000 when they lost to UCLA in the National Championship match. Obviously Ohio State's compliance office is better than Lewis's and was able to get them off on that one. I know for a fact the the NCAA was given those contract of two starters from their team in 2000, and the NCAA did nothing about it. I'd be upset also if I were Dave Deuser and I saw that kind of inconsistency and garbage going on. Yet, the arrogant Ohio State staff just sit back and act like they are SO ABOVE any of this and that their program is SO PERFECT!! What a bunch of hypocrits these MIVA guys are. VBbeast is one of them for sure and thinks that the MIVA conference will be better off without Dave. HA, HA, HA, HA. Dave and his program at Lewis are the only reasons why anyone even takes the MIVA seriously at all. Dave and his program at Lewis and his ability to put together a tough, NATIONAL schedule every year, and beat teams like UCLA, and Hawaii, and BYU and Pepperdine and Stanford, are the only bright spots outside of the MPSF. And yes, Lewis has beaten all of those programs and others at one time or another over the past 4 years. No other program in the MIVA can say that. So say what you want, PETE, OR JOEL OR TIM, OR WICK, OR ARNIE!! Dave Deuser with no real budget, no full time assistant coach and less resources than all you guys handed you guys your walking shoes on more than one occasion, and his leaving, WHILE A GREAT CAREER MOVE FOR HIM, is a big loss to volleyball. But at least now you guys have a chance.

[benwhipdrofn]

as a huge Lewis and Deuser fan...if you are interested on my comments, please see the thread on Lewis...

[chilipalmer]

He CHEATED. That's the bottom line. CHEATED.