Douglas finally He's always been a dreamer. Dreaming is what got him through coaching seven days a week for 10 years.
gets his chance at
Southern California
He brings his Trojans to
GameDay
Hawaii for the final weekend
of the regular seasonBy Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comTurhan Douglas dreamed of leading a Division I collegiate volleyball program when he first got bit by the coaching bug 15 years ago.
His experience in coaching more than 50 teams created an ample resume that made him well-qualified to take over as the interim head coach of the USC men's volleyball team last April when then-coach Pat Powers resigned.
Last month, much to Douglas' relief, the interim label was removed. Not that he really needed the validation. The proof of his success was in the change in attitude of his players. Everyone noticed it, from parents to opposing coaches.
"When he signed the contract and we found out that he was going to be the head coach, things went up really quickly," senior outside hitter Mark Dusharme said. "With Powers you have this negative feeling. Turhan was a real nice guy. He was our assistant coach. We all knew him and liked him. We knew he was a real good coach, real knowledgeable.
"We knew things would turn around immediately. Other coaches, our parents, other spectators have all noticed a change in us. We will not give up when we play. Last year, we walked into a gym and knew we'd lose and we didn't care.
"This year, we're fighting hard every match. We're playing more together as a team. He's pushed us pretty hard this year. We've had some tough matches this year and he tries to keep our spirits up. It was his fire that really kept us going."
Douglas has maintained his fire and optimism in spite of a transitioning and forgettable first season.
The Trojans were so disintegrated from last year that he has spent much of this season drilling his players in fundamentals and helping to rebuild their confidence and instill a team mindset.
"We're moving forward. The scores show the difference. We may have not had the wins, but we're fighting. We're competitive. Next year is going to be a different story," Douglas said.
"We've got some players coming in who are going to shock the volleyball world. The philosophy the past six years has been only recruit U.S. kids. My recruiting philosophy is different. We want to recruit the best players in the world. You look at (Brigham Young) and Hawaii, both these teams are extremely successful because they don't just look at kids in the U.S. They go everywhere to bring in the best possible players."
Hawaii will try to showcase its talent in matches tonight and tomorrow night at the Stan Sheriff Center as the regular season winds down. For the Warriors, they will move on to next week's playoffs. For the Trojans, they will be building for next year.
As for Douglas, he tries to remain open-minded even when dealing with narrow-minded people.
"I've had people plenty of times not shake my hand," said the African-American coach. "I've heard comments, derogatory comments, before. That gets a little frustrating when you walk by someone to shake their hand and they won't shake your hand and it happens on a regular basis.
"I don't let it get to me. I don't let their problem become my problem. I just go on. For the most part, it's fine and I'm comfortable in any place I'm in. I'm not intimidated by anyone or feel less than anyone."
BACK TO TOP |
Who: Hawaii vs. USC Gameday
When: Today and tomorrow, 7 p.m.
Where: Stan Sheriff Center
TV: Both matches live, KFVE, Ch. 5
Radio: Live, 1420-AM
Probable starters
USC (6-23, 2-18)
Ht. KPG Aces DPG S McGann (Sr.) 6-5 0.74 17 1.30 MB Small (So.) 6-11 1.95 4 0.14 MB Day (Sr.) 6-5 2.66 5 0.39 OH Dusharme (Sr.) 6-8 3.40 34 1.10 OH Grangeiro (Fr.) 6-2 1.46 12 2.63 Opp Otte (Fr.) 6-4 1.94 7 0.84 L Burden (Fr.) 5-10 NA NA 1.50
Hawaii (21-5,15-5)
Ht. KPG Aces DPG S Tuyay (Jr.) 6-2 0.49 3 0.96 MB Thomas (So.) 6-7 2.92 21 0.40 MB Nordberg (Sr.) 6-5 1.17 3 0.17 OH Theocharidis (Sr.) 6-3 5.18 9 1.67 OH Ching (Sr.) 6-2 3.20 11 1.80 Opp Zimet (Sr.) 6-2 1.77 7 1.52 L Muise (Jr.) 6-0 NA NA 2.00 Notes: The Trojans lead the series 27-21, but the Warriors have won the last four in a row. ... Middle blocker Phil Small is the tallest player in Trojan history at 6-11. Ching and Day were teammates at Kamehameha. ... Former Warrior Dejan Miladinovic will be presented his Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American plaque. Miladinovic earned first team All-America honors last year while maintaining a 4.0 GPA as a finance major. ... The first 500 UH students with ID will get free admission to tomorrow night's match.
UH Athletics
