Publication Date: Friday, January 06, 2006
Shaw begins his Stanford men's volleyball farewell tour with a season-opening win
Shaw begins his Stanford men's volleyball farewell tour with a season-opening win
(January 06, 2006) by Rick Eymer
Don Shaw may be leaving the coaching ranks but he's not nearly finished with volleyball.
"I'll be around doing my own private adventures," Shaw said after his Stanford men's volleyball team opened the season with a 30-19, 34-32, 30-26 nonconference victory over visiting UC Santa Cruz on Wednesday in Burnham Pavilion. "I love the sport and I'll stay involved. Without the restrictions of the NCAA rules, I'll be able to do some fun, imaginative things."
Shaw, who helped lead the women's volleyball program to national prominence, will step down following this season after spending 26 years - 23 as a head coach - at Stanford. He's in his seventh year as the men's coach, which includes a two-year stint in the mid-80s.
"He's been a major part of our improvement over the past four years," Stanford senior middle blocker Chris Ahlfeldt said of Shaw. "We always want to make it a good season, and this year we want coach and the seniors to go out on a good note."
Coaching has become a year-round commitment, even in a sport sponsored by just 80 colleges in the country. When Shaw, a Menlo Park resident, arrived at Stanford, he was an assistant coach under Fred Sturm for both the women's and men's programs, and later served as head coach for both programs. In 1980, neither the Pac-10 nor the NCAA sponsored the sport.
"It takes a lot of energy and a major commitment," Shaw said. "I don't want to ever feel like I'm not giving the guys every ounce I've got. After 26 years of basically the same routine I want to do other things. I'll have more free time to spend with my kids (daughter Jordan and son James) and to get involved with the stuff they're doing."
A charter member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, and a former assistant coach for both the U.S. women's and men's national teams, Shaw is recognized as one of the greats in his sport.
He owns a 440-70 record as a women's coach and the .863 winning percentage is highest in NCAA history. In conference play, he won over 90 percent of the time and never finished lower than second in 16 years. He won six straight Pac-10 titles before taking a sabbatical following the 1999 season.
Shaw won the first four national titles in program history (1992, 1994, 1996, 1997) won 293 of 323 matches (.907) in the 90s. He also had a hand with the 2001 title.
Shaw originally came back to the women's program in January of 2001, training them through June. That's when men's coach Ruben Nieves, who won the national title in 1997, stepped down to concentrate on an academic program at Stanford.
"When that job came open, it was an opportunity for a change," Shaw said. "It's been harder to be competitive with the men's team. That was the hard part: to jump from being on top to just trying to stay competitive. I do miss coaching in championship matches. I've been to a lot of Final Fours and I miss the excitement of that. But I'm also proud of coaching guys like this than any championship team I've had."
Shaw takes a 91-79 overall men's record into this weekend's Elephant Bar Collegiate Invitational at UC Santa Barbara. The eighth-seeded Cardinal meets top seed UCLA in the first round today at 1 p.m. Stanford also plays at 7 p.m. against either UC Irvine or the host Gauchos.
Shaw suffered his first ever losing season in 2004, when Stanford finished 9-18. The team improved to 11-15 last year and looking to better that this season despite the loss of three starters, including setter Kevin Hansen, who now plays for the U.S. national team.
"We're definitely inexperienced," Stanford senior opposite hitter Ben Reddy said. "We have some seniors but we're sort of unproven. With six freshmen, there's new blood, and new hunger to make the playoffs and advance. A lot of the returning guys worked hard over the summer."
Reddy led the Cardinal with 330 kills and 26 service aces last year, and is joined by seniors Ahlfeldt, William Clayton, Nick Manov and Jeremy Jacobs. Brian Lindberg is the lone junior.
Matt Ceran and Matt Wahl lead a solid class of sophomores that also includes Jesse Meredith and Brian Skinner.
Freshman setter Miki Groppi looks to make an immediate impact along with fellow freshmen John Ekins, Brandon Williams, Jarod Keller, Cameron Christoffers and Brian Fritzsche.
Groppi got the majority of playing time in the win over the Banana Slugs, recording 43 assists. Reddy had 13 kills.
"It's always an adjustment because every setter has his own style," Reddy said. "I'll get used to him. We're getting there."
With so many new faces, Reddy is also aware that patience will be factor in Stanford's development.
"There's not a lot of experience but we could be a good team," he said. "We just have to stay concentrated."
Shaw, who will hand over head coaching duties to current long-time assistant John Kosty, won't be a stranger once he steps aside. He'll continue his work as Director of Volleyball Camps and hopes to get an opportunity for television work as a volleyball commentator.
He's also keeping his day job and will continue to teach classes in the Physical Education department. Just don't expect him to take on any new coaching assignments.
"I've had the opportunity to work with the national teams during the summer but I haven't wanted to leave Stanford or take time away from the teams," he said. "Training for the Olympics is really a four-year commitment. I've tried to keep my involvement to a minimum because I needed to take care of the volleyball camps. And now I want more time for my family."
Stanford opens the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation season next Friday with a match at defending national champion Pepperdine. The Cardinal is not expected to do well in conference play though Stanford players feel otherwise.
"That definitely motivates us to work harder, win and finish better than we did last year," Ahlfeldt said. "The main thing is to work with the team and watch the improvement. More than anything it's about us coming together. We lost some good long-term starters and there is a different dynamic with some of the freshmen starting but if we keep doing the little things right, we will come together."
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