Post by vbwatcher on May 18, 2004 8:29:44 GMT -5
Lewis' Deuser fires last volley at NCAA
May 18, 2004
BY CAROL SLEZAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
Two Final Four appearances and one national championship in the last two seasons had made Dave Deuser a rising star in the world of college volleyball. But Deuser quit his job Monday as men's coach at Lewis University in Romeoville. What's more, he chose to tell the media about his resignation before telling his employers.
''It's been a long time coming,'' Deuser, 38, said Monday morning during a phone conversation. ''It was a difficult decision. The NCAA is the primary reason why I'm leaving. And Lewis is so afraid of the NCAA, it doesn't know how to deal with it. I have been harassed by the NCAA, and my athletic department has not supported me.''
This is Deuser's belief. But here's an alternative theory: The cost of winning was too darned steep, for Lewis and for Deuser.
Lewis, a small Catholic school with 3,500 undergraduate students, plays Division I volleyball. Under Deuser, who had coached the team since it began competing in 1994, the Flyers have evolved into a national power. After winning the 2003 national title, Lewis came under increased scrutiny.
"All the coaches at those big, powerful Division I schools couldn't say I outcoached them,'' Deuser said. "So I must be cheating.''
Shortly before the 2004 season, Lewis removed two of Deuser's best players from the active roster because of concerns over eligibility issues. The school asked the NCAA to make a ruling on the players' eligibility, and the NCAA began an investigation that remains ongoing. The two players, junior Gustavo Meyer from Mexico City and senior Jose Martins from Brazil, sat out the entire season. The NCAA's slow pace and bullying tactics irked Deuser, who believes he has broken no NCAA rules.
"I have been harassed by the NCAA,'' he said. "And my school has acted like an agent of the NCAA and completely self-destructed.''
Reached by phone at his office Monday morning, Lewis athletic director Paul Zakowski was entertaining a candidate to replace basketball coach Jim Whitesell, who recently left for Loyola. Zakowski was shocked to hear that Deuser was resigning.
"You've caught me off guard,'' Zakowski said. "I didn't realize there was a rift between myself and Dave. I just spoke to him Friday. He gave no indication that he was unhappy.''
Zakowski said he couldn't comment on the NCAA investigation and excused himself. He had a few phone calls to make, beginning with one to Deuser.
***
As the number of foreign recruits has increased, volleyball programs have come under increased NCAA scrutiny. Last year, Hawaii was stripped of its 2002 title after it was learned its top player, Costas Theocharidis, had played professionally in Greece. Hawaii appealed that decision, and the NCAA waited until after this year's Final Four, which was hosted by Hawaii, to announce its decision: Appeal denied.
"I knew they wouldn't announce that decision until after the Final Four because that could have hurt ticket sales,'' Deuser said. "The NCAA is all about money.''
Brigham Young, the current champ, had its own compliance scare this season when its top player, Victor Batista of the Dominican Republic, was suspected of having played professionally in his native country using a different name. BYU's investigation, done in conjunction with the NCAA, quickly cleared Batista, who sat out three matches.
"I am so disgusted with the NCAA and how they deal,'' said Deuser, who swears he won't coach for an NCAA institution again and soon will begin a real estate career.
In the last several months, Deuser said, the NCAA has asked him for access to more than three years of his private e-mails. The NCAA has called him a liar. And the NCAA has tried to coerce Martins, the Brazilian player, into signing a waiver saying he had played in a foreign pro league.
"I'm telling you, [the NCAA] is Nazi Germany,'' Deuser said. "They do whatever they want, and they answer to nobody.''
Many hours later, I spoke to Deuser and Zakowski again. They had yet to speak to each other. But Deuser had told most of his returning players about his decision. And he had offered his resignation to Brother James Gaffney, Lewis' president, in a phone conversation.
"We had an incredible conversation,'' Deuser said. "I respect [Gaffney]. I love him. I told him 90 percent of my decision was my disgust with the NCAA, and 10 percent was the athletic department's handling of these issues. He asked me if I was at peace. I told him I was. He said, 'Good, that's all that matters.'''
Zakowski had left Deuser a voice message in the morning, saying they should talk. Deuser got the message but did not intend to call Zakowski back. He said he didn't feel bad that Zakowski had learned of his resignation from the media.
"I felt blindsided by him several times this year,'' Deuser said, adding that he believes Zakowski and compliance director Lynn Plett want to rid the athletic department of international student-athletes.
Informed of Deuser's comments, Zakowski denied any such intent.
"I'm comfortable with where the investigation is right now and the facts we're uncovering,'' Zakowski said. "In the end, we'll get to the true story.''
The true story, Deuser said, is this: "My foreign players were too darned good. Nobody wanted to deal with them.''
Letters to our sports columnists appear Sunday. Send e-mail to inbox@suntimes.com. Include your full name, hometown and a daytime phone number.
Copyright © The Sun-Times Company
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
May 18, 2004
BY CAROL SLEZAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
Two Final Four appearances and one national championship in the last two seasons had made Dave Deuser a rising star in the world of college volleyball. But Deuser quit his job Monday as men's coach at Lewis University in Romeoville. What's more, he chose to tell the media about his resignation before telling his employers.
''It's been a long time coming,'' Deuser, 38, said Monday morning during a phone conversation. ''It was a difficult decision. The NCAA is the primary reason why I'm leaving. And Lewis is so afraid of the NCAA, it doesn't know how to deal with it. I have been harassed by the NCAA, and my athletic department has not supported me.''
This is Deuser's belief. But here's an alternative theory: The cost of winning was too darned steep, for Lewis and for Deuser.
Lewis, a small Catholic school with 3,500 undergraduate students, plays Division I volleyball. Under Deuser, who had coached the team since it began competing in 1994, the Flyers have evolved into a national power. After winning the 2003 national title, Lewis came under increased scrutiny.
"All the coaches at those big, powerful Division I schools couldn't say I outcoached them,'' Deuser said. "So I must be cheating.''
Shortly before the 2004 season, Lewis removed two of Deuser's best players from the active roster because of concerns over eligibility issues. The school asked the NCAA to make a ruling on the players' eligibility, and the NCAA began an investigation that remains ongoing. The two players, junior Gustavo Meyer from Mexico City and senior Jose Martins from Brazil, sat out the entire season. The NCAA's slow pace and bullying tactics irked Deuser, who believes he has broken no NCAA rules.
"I have been harassed by the NCAA,'' he said. "And my school has acted like an agent of the NCAA and completely self-destructed.''
Reached by phone at his office Monday morning, Lewis athletic director Paul Zakowski was entertaining a candidate to replace basketball coach Jim Whitesell, who recently left for Loyola. Zakowski was shocked to hear that Deuser was resigning.
"You've caught me off guard,'' Zakowski said. "I didn't realize there was a rift between myself and Dave. I just spoke to him Friday. He gave no indication that he was unhappy.''
Zakowski said he couldn't comment on the NCAA investigation and excused himself. He had a few phone calls to make, beginning with one to Deuser.
***
As the number of foreign recruits has increased, volleyball programs have come under increased NCAA scrutiny. Last year, Hawaii was stripped of its 2002 title after it was learned its top player, Costas Theocharidis, had played professionally in Greece. Hawaii appealed that decision, and the NCAA waited until after this year's Final Four, which was hosted by Hawaii, to announce its decision: Appeal denied.
"I knew they wouldn't announce that decision until after the Final Four because that could have hurt ticket sales,'' Deuser said. "The NCAA is all about money.''
Brigham Young, the current champ, had its own compliance scare this season when its top player, Victor Batista of the Dominican Republic, was suspected of having played professionally in his native country using a different name. BYU's investigation, done in conjunction with the NCAA, quickly cleared Batista, who sat out three matches.
"I am so disgusted with the NCAA and how they deal,'' said Deuser, who swears he won't coach for an NCAA institution again and soon will begin a real estate career.
In the last several months, Deuser said, the NCAA has asked him for access to more than three years of his private e-mails. The NCAA has called him a liar. And the NCAA has tried to coerce Martins, the Brazilian player, into signing a waiver saying he had played in a foreign pro league.
"I'm telling you, [the NCAA] is Nazi Germany,'' Deuser said. "They do whatever they want, and they answer to nobody.''
Many hours later, I spoke to Deuser and Zakowski again. They had yet to speak to each other. But Deuser had told most of his returning players about his decision. And he had offered his resignation to Brother James Gaffney, Lewis' president, in a phone conversation.
"We had an incredible conversation,'' Deuser said. "I respect [Gaffney]. I love him. I told him 90 percent of my decision was my disgust with the NCAA, and 10 percent was the athletic department's handling of these issues. He asked me if I was at peace. I told him I was. He said, 'Good, that's all that matters.'''
Zakowski had left Deuser a voice message in the morning, saying they should talk. Deuser got the message but did not intend to call Zakowski back. He said he didn't feel bad that Zakowski had learned of his resignation from the media.
"I felt blindsided by him several times this year,'' Deuser said, adding that he believes Zakowski and compliance director Lynn Plett want to rid the athletic department of international student-athletes.
Informed of Deuser's comments, Zakowski denied any such intent.
"I'm comfortable with where the investigation is right now and the facts we're uncovering,'' Zakowski said. "In the end, we'll get to the true story.''
The true story, Deuser said, is this: "My foreign players were too darned good. Nobody wanted to deal with them.''
Letters to our sports columnists appear Sunday. Send e-mail to inbox@suntimes.com. Include your full name, hometown and a daytime phone number.
Copyright © The Sun-Times Company
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
