Wednesday, September 29, 1999
Brown Learned
From Bench
Though the backup setter
By Cindy Luis
didn't get the call when the starter
went down, she enjoyed
the title experience
Star-BulletinThis is the sixth in a weekly series on the 1979 Wahine volleyball team, the University of Hawaii's first national championship.
THE 1979 season was a bittersweet one for Nahaku Brown. It was a season of learning volleyball and learning to be humble as the backup setter of a very experienced team."I was one of the babies,'' said Brown, a sophomore on a roster that had eight seniors. "I probably learned more about volleyball from being on that team than any other year. I learned from the best and used that experience the next two years.
"Personally, it was a horror of a year because, even after putting in extra hours, I knew I was still going to be playing behind Rocky (senior All-American setter Elias). I knew I was never going to be the starter. It was very humbling.''
Brown went on to earn All-American honors as a senior, with the top-ranked Wahine upset in the NCAA regional final in 1981. She was 71-12 her last two seasons, 37-2 as a senior.
But for her and the other sophomore in 1979, Diane Sebastian, there would never be another title banner.
"To win that championship was so sweet,'' said Brown, the college coordinator at Hawaii Job Corps in Waimanalo. "The beauty of that team was we all worked so hard, put in lot of hours in the weight room and on the track."It was a humbling experience in that I learned there was more to volleyball than being the star. I had a role, sort of a part-time job, where I came in to set, serve and played defense. It was nice knowing I contributed in some way to our winning.''
When Elias went down with an ankle injury in the regional tournament, most expected Brown to step in. Coach Dave Shoji instead went with senior Diana McInerny, a surprise choice to everyone, including McInerny and Brown.
"I understand why,'' said Brown, a 1978 Kamehameha Schools graduate. "Diana had more of a block and was more of a hitting threat. It was hard, though, because we had spent a lot of time with me practicing as setter.
"The game has changed since then. People don't understand that we had a lot of athletes, not pure position players. Other teams had pure setters but we ran a 6-0 or 6-2 where four of us (Elias, McInerny, Brown and Angie Andrade) could set at any given time.''
Brown, who went on to coach at Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific, said that the versatility is what's missing from today's game. Players, she said, are becoming too specialized at too early an age.
"I think we are now limiting young athletes as to what they can do down the road,'' said Brown, who is taking a sabbatical from coaching this season at Sacred Hearts. "Sometimes colleges are looking for specialty players. But what I've tried to teach in high school is to be all-around players, to be able to understand all the roles on the team.''
Brown had her moments in the 1979 match against Utah State. She dug a few balls and served for a few points as the Wahine rallied to defeat the Aggies, 8-15, 7-15, 15-9, 16-14, 15-12.
"When Bonnie (Gouveia) put the final ball down, I knew I had contributed to the win,'' said Brown. "I don't think the team we had then could compete now, though. We beat a lot of odds, broke all kinds of rules even back then. We were of all sizes and types. It was not the typical team, even in the 1970s. We did not have the star volleyball players , not the ones they chose for the Olympics.
"We amazed even ourselves. But we lived by our defense and people enjoyed watching us. We were like Rottweilers out there. Defense was our main staple. We knew we had a job to do, and that was to be aggressive.''
The team had its problems. There were major personality conflicts and blowups during practices.
The differences were put aside once the whistle blew and it was game time.
"There was such a maturity to that team,'' said Brown. "The secret to success was that our seniors had been together a long time, knew each other, and had won a lot.
"It was nice to be around a bunch of winners. We didn't talk about character, our profile didn't need to be defined. We talked more about anger management than anything. But that was us.''
Brown said there was a natural distinction between "local'' players and those from the mainland. In order to win, they had to bond.
"The sport brought us together,'' she said. "It taught us to go beyond our prejudices.
"The main thing is we were all athletes in our own way. We found our weaknesses and turned them into our strengths.''
Brown learned to be strong early. She was a child when her mother passed away; it was her father, longtime youth sports leader Gardner Brown, who was her role model.
"My dad was my coach for the longest time,'' said Brown, who grew up in Pauoa. "What I'm doing today is because of him. He taught me to coach and teach as well as play. It was a family thing to do.
"At Job Corps, I work with at-risk youth, counseling and helping with career planning. It's really a form of coaching, trying to get them ready for college.''
Brown has been at Job Corps since she was an undergraduate, working part-time while she finished her degree in anthropology. She was also the graduate assistant at UH when the Wahine won the 1982 title.
"After 1979, it really was a different chemistry,'' she said. "It was a different type of training atmosphere in 1980 and '81. We needed more years to be together like the seniors in '79 had.
"But I'm still happy that I played and was part of that ('79) team.''
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