Wednesday, September 26, 2001
[ PREP VOLLEYBALL ]
Leoni: From Sivan Leoni doesn't wear his multi-colored headband to volleyball matches anymore.
headbands to
head man
The UH star from a few years
back and a former teammate are
drawn to coaching because
of their competitivenessBy Tim Crouse
tcrouse@starbulletin.comBut then again, he doesn't wear shorts or have a uniform with a number, either.
That's because Leoni's new position is on the sideline, as coach of the Kalaheo High School boys volleyball team.
Leoni starred at the University of Hawaii from 1995 to '98, and was on the team that fell a few points short of a national championship in 1996.
Five years have passed and Leoni and Gavin Cook -- a Maryknoll graduate who was on that UH team and is now an assistant at Kalaheo -- still think about how close they came to the national title.
"We probably should have won Game 4," said Cook, referring to the fact that UH had a chance to put UCLA away in the fourth game of that match, before losing 17-15, then dropping the final game in rally scoring, 15-12.
"We always talk about it," he said. "All of us keep in touch. A bunch of us still get together and play a lot."Said Leoni: "It's one of those games I cannot watch on tape."
Kalaheo also came close to winning a championship. Last year, the Mustangs made it through the season unbeaten before falling to eventual champion Punahou in the state semifinals in three thrilling sets, all decided by two points.
Like Leoni and Cook, Kalaheo senior middle blocker Ikaika Alama-Francis thinks often about the near-miss.
"All the time. It was so close, but not quite there," he said. "Hopefully we'll get there again and get to the finals and win it all."
The Mustangs, who did win their first Oahu Interscholastic Association title last year, lost all-state hitter Kaimi Guerreiro to graduation, but return seven players, including the 6-foot 6-inch Alama-Francis, along with seniors Justin Pedrina, Nate Jenkins and Charles Elliott.
Kalaheo improved to 2-0 in league play with a straight-set victory over Kaiser on Saturday.
After cruising to a 15-4 win in the first game, the Mustangs struggled to finish off the match. The second game was tied at 9 before Kalaheo reeled off the last six points, with the final two coming on aces by Elliott.
"We need to work on a few things, like our serve," said Alama-Francis, who blasted 11 kills. "We'll get better as the season progresses. We have good coaches to teach us what to do and I believe we'll do really well.
"I believe our strength will be our defense. Our blocking is coming along and everyone is diving for balls," he said.
And while Alama-Francis may be the most imposing player on the court, he's not Kalaheo's only offensive threat.
Jenkins had four kills and a service winner against Kaiser, and Pedrina, Jacob Reis and Shawn Ah Mow also contributed offensively.
"Everybody can be a go-to guy on this team," Alama-Francis said. "The ball could go to anybody at any time."
Leoni wasn't the typical go-to guy when he played at UH; that role went to Yuval Katz. But, according to Hawaii coach Mike Wilton, Leoni brought intensity and energy to the court.
"He was the ultimate warrior," Wilton said. "He was a very smart player, an undersized middle attacker who was relentless."
Leoni also popularized the floating jump serve, and ended his career tied with Katz for the most aces (100) in team history.
"(Sivan and Gavin) are really good guys and they've both worked at (UH volleyball) camps, coaching kids, teaching them skills, polishing those skills," Wilton said.
Even as Leoni and Cook settle into their new coaching positions at Kalaheo, their playing days aren't that far behind them.
"We were telling the kids (before the first OIA game) that we wished we could play," Cook said.
In fact, Leoni started stretching before the Mustangs took the court, only to be reminded by Cook that they weren't actually going to play.
"We're just competitors, maybe that's why we're drawn to coaching," Cook said.
Both will have at least a couple chances to compete on the court during October, during a UH intrasquad match at Pearl City on Oct. 6 and the annual UH alumni match at the Stan Sheriff Center on Oct. 19.
And Leoni said he may even put on one of his famous headbands.
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