Friday, March 5, 1999

Davis a real
bargain for ’Bows

The newcomer leads the
UH volleyball team
in kill average

By Cindy Luis
Star-Bulletin

The volleyball court is a phone booth to Brenton Davis.

The Clark Kent of the Hawaii men's volleyball team walks into a gym as a mild-mannered student-athlete. But toss him a volleyball and the sophomore opposite is transformed into someone "who is kind of enraged," said Davis. "I'm really laid-back when I'm not playing volleyball but on the court it's a hundred percent turnaround.

"Anything competitive gets me going. Winning is everything to me. I don't understand the people who say, 'It's not if you win or lose, it's how you play the game.' The purpose of a game is to win. If it didn't matter, no one would keep score."

Those watching Davis lately notice how often the newcomer from Las Vegas has scored for the seventh-ranked Rainbows.

By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Brenton Davis goes up at the net against Penn State.

Davis earned his first start at opposite on Feb. 19 at No. 1 Brigham Young. The Cougars won in four games but had no answer for the 6-foot-4 Davis, who had 34 kills and hit .381.

He's not faster than a speeding bullet but he is quick. Add that to his unorthodox arm swing and it's not no wonder teams have had difficulty blocking Davis, who leads Hawaii in kill average (4.71 kpg).

"He just gets up in the air so fast," said Rainbow assistant Matt Johnson. "He hasn't been playing volleyball all that long and at times it's like he's out of control. Once he gets more experience, he'll have the control. Right now, he just reacts.

"To me he's just one big fast-twitch muscle."

And the 21-year-old Davis has been itching to be a Rainbow ever since he started the sport at Rancho High in Las Vegas. He frequented the Aloha Buffet at the California Hotel, acquiring a taste for teriyaki chicken and Spam musubi.

He watched tapes of Hawaii's matches, courtesy of friends and former island volleyball great Fred Hiapo. Hiapo, now living in Nevada, is affiliated with Las Vegas Volleyball Club, Davis' junior club.

"I always wanted to come here and play because of the crowd, the arena, the atmosphere," said Davis. "I watched those tapes and imagined myself out on the court. I kept in touch with Tino (UH assistant coach Reyes) and finally wound up here. I definitely took the long way around."

Davis didn't have any scholarship offers out of high school and couldn't afford college on his own. But after he graduated from Rancho High in 1995, he had other things on his mind. He was bothered by a pain in his left shin. After a number of tests, the doctors discovered a tumor.

"I had surgery," said Davis. "It was benign but it was a scary deal. Going in, I wasn't sure if it was cancerous, if I'd have to have my leg amputated. I didn't know if I'd ever be able to play again. I feel fortunate to still be able to play at this level."

Hawaii didn't have a scholarship to offer Davis three years ago so he wound up at Long Beach Community College. He didn't play and kept in touch with Reyes.

"I had seen him at a high school camp but lost sight of him for a while," said Reyes. "Last spring, we got an e-mail from him and it went from there.

"The kid can jump (40-inch vertical). He's young in the game but gets better and better each week. He gives us everything he has. You can see the inexperience but he makes up for it in athletic ability."

His versatility led to an unexpected appearance at middle blocker the first week of the season. When junior Andre Breuer went down against UC San Diego, Davis suddenly found himself filling in for a first-team All-American.

"That was a difficult situation," said Davis, a middle blocker in high school. "But I thought of it as trying to help the team ... I think opposite is a more natural position for me. It allows me to show off a little more of my athletic ability."

His chance came last month at BYU, a match his parents had driven from Las Vegas to watch. Davis had impressed coach Mike Wilton in practice the day before and replaced Clay Stanley in the lineup.

"It was like my coming-out party," said Davis. "I knew this was my time. I made the best of it and I had a pretty good game.

"I'm just trying to keep it up and keep pushing to get better. I've always had the doubters who didn't think I could get to the next level. I'm going to prove them wrong."

Wilton has few complaints.

"His game needs work but he has some pretty good instincts," Wilton said. "We got a pretty good one for free. A big part of men's volleyball is getting lucky with guys who can come in when you don't have a scholarship for them."

Davis wasn't eligible for financial aid but did qualify for two student loans. His parents are helping pay his room and board.

"It's been everything I expected," said Davis. "In the beginning, I wasn't sure what my role would but I figured if I kept plugging away, something would happen."

Davis is no Superman yet. But he's working on it.

RAINBOW PLAYBOOK UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Coaches--UCSB: Ken Preston (21st season, 386-243). UH: Mike Wilton (7th season, 128-56). Season--UCSB: 4-8 (3-8 MPSF). UH: 9-4 (5-3 MPSF). Ranking--UCSB: No 18. UH: No. 7. Series: UH leads, 28-17, and has won the last two meetings. The last time UCSB beat the Rainbows was Feb. 7, 1997, in five at the Stan Sheriff Center. Top UCSB players: Kevin Collins (6-5 Jr. OH) 6.95 kpg, 14 aces, .250; David Kohl (6-5 Fr. OH), 3.08 kpg, .291; Brent Griebenow (6-2 So. S) 14.32 apg; Luke Carlson (6-5 Jr. MB) 1.22 bpg. About the Gauchos: UCSB has lost its last three matches and six of its last eight ... The Gauchos also lost their primary passer and dig leader, Rick Rauth, on Feb. 23 in the defeat at Loyola Marymount. Rauth, second in the country in digs (2.65 dpg), fractured his hand and is out for at least another week ... Collins has led the Gauchos in hitting all season, averaging nearly seven kills per game, and ranks second in the nation. The junior hitter had posted two 30-plus kill matches this season, with a career-high 35 in the loss to Stanford Feb. 13 and 32 in the Feb. 17 victory over UC Irvine ... Kohl has had just one hitting error in his last two matches, putting down 25 kills and a .565 hitting percentage. About the Rainbows: Hawaii put together one of its better matches against San Diego State last Friday for its fourth straight victory. The Rainbows wants to use this series as a springboard for next week's tough road trip to Long Beach State (Friday) and Pepperdine (Saturday) ... Sophomore transfer Torry Tukuafu is expected back in the lineup after missing last Friday's match against the Aztecs with the flu. First serve: Tonight and tomorrow at 7 p.m., Stan Sheriff Center. On the air: Both matches live on KHNL TV (Channel 5). No radio.