BURNING DESIRE : Richard Gallien Feels Heat of Expectation in Attempt to Help Pepperdine Regain Prominence in NCAA Tennis

Richard Gallien was determined to use the tropical climate of Columbia, S.C., to his advantage. Sure, the 105-degree heat and 95% humidity during the boys’ Intersectional 18-and-under National Tennis Championships last month left his players reeling and glassy-eyed. But, Gallien reasoned, the heat was a weapon.

While opposing players whined to their coaches or took frequent water breaks, Gallien’s players were stoic. They had to be. Their coach wasn’t accepting excuses.

Gallien, the usually affable and easygoing coach of the Southern California team, took a hard-nosed approach. “I want you to take responsibility for yourself out there,” he told the team. “If it’s hot and it’s miserable, then that’s just tough. It is what it is.”

The six-member team from Southern California, seeded seventh in the tournament, rose above the rising mercury to defeat a team from Florida and win the national title. Earlier, Gallien, of Canoga Park, watched his team knock off third-seeded Texas and the second-seeded and three-time defending national champion South.

Now Gallien, 28, and Allen Fox, 50, co-coaches at Pepperdine, are feeling a heat far more intense than that of the South Carolina summer--a heat of expectation that won’t break until Pepperdine regains its national prominence in tennis.

Pepperdine, ranked in the top 10 in the nation in the NCAA postseason poll for 13 of the past 15 seasons, finished 13-13 last year and was ranked 17th. The only time the Waves were ranked lower in that span was in 1973 when they fell out of the top 20. Gallien’s memory of last season’s misery is fresh.

“I always admire the coaches who say they don’t take (the job) home with them,” Gallien said. “I take it to my pillow with me.”

After the first match of the season, that pillow was about as comfortable as granite to Gallien. Pepperdine--within one match of winning a duel with UC Irvine--led, 4-2, but surrendered three consecutive doubles matches and lost. The defeat set the tone for the year.

“You could ‘what if’ yourself to absolute death, but that match could have really sprung us forward,” Gallien said. “I think the rest of the season we were playing catch-up.”

Few could keep pace with Gallien’s rise through the coaching ranks. After a successful career as a Pepperdine player, he was hired as an assistant to Fox in 1985 and was promoted to co-coach two seasons later, making him the youngest coach in the West Coast Conference.

He was raised in Sunland, hardly a tennis mecca, so to get adequate competition and coaching Gallien rode the bus each day to the Warner Center Club in Woodland Hills. The 45-minute commute paid off: He was named 1978 City Section Player of the Year and, the following year, won the City singles title as a senior at Verdugo Hills High. Still, he entered college as a walk-on.

As a player at Pepperdine, Gallien compiled an 81-21 record and ranks eighth on the school’s career singles win list with 60. An All-American his junior and senior seasons, Gallien was equally valuable off the court.

“When he was 18 he was as mature as a 30-year-old,” said Fox, who lives in Calabasas and is entering his 13th season at Pepperdine. “I used to consult in him and take his advice when I was 40.”

Gallien’s cool head and hot hand made for a tough competitor.

“When it gets crucial, most guys get very excited. Richie doesn’t. His motor goes up a little,” said Fox, adding that much of Gallien’s success as a player stemmed from his unselfishness. “Some guys are so worried about what it would mean to them to win a match. Richie wasn’t.”

In 1983, Gallien left Malibu to seek his fortune on a six-stop professional tour in India. The mystique of being a pro was short-lived, however.

Once, while serving during a match in Madras, Gallien was startled by rather unusual spectator. A cow had meandered onto the playing surface and had begun to graze on the grass about four feet from the sideline.

“I looked over at the ref and he looked at me like, ‘What’s your problem?’ ” he said.

In fact, Gallien had quite a few problems. He was recovering from a nasty bout with the chicken pox that had knocked him out of first place on the circuit. His knees, which had undergone reconstructive surgery five times, were weak. His spirits were weaker.

Soon after, he quit the tour.

“At that point, my heart wasn’t really into it,” he said. “I just wanted to get on with my life. It was easy to go on. I haven’t missed it one single day. I did it as long and as hard as I possibly could and when I felt like I’d had enough, I’d had enough.”

Enough of the tour, that is. Never enough tennis.

He returned to Pepperdine, finished his degree in organizational communications and was offered an assistant’s position by Fox. He didn’t hesitate in accepting the offer.

“Learning the tennis business from (Fox) is like learning the car business from Lee Iacocca,” Gallien said. “It’s a challenge to work with him--I’m constantly on my toes just to keep up.”

While Gallien says his relationship with Fox is akin to that of a journeyman and an apprentice, Fox sees a balance of power.

“I know him so well that if he feels strongly about something, we’ll do it that way, “ Fox said. “If I feel strongly, then we’ll do it my way. If we both do, we’ll compromise.

“I always know Richie’s 100% on my side and he aways knows I’m 100% on his.”

Both coaches had strong convictions about Rob Weiss, the Waves’ top player in 1988. After an injury-riddled junior season, Weiss catapulted to greatness his senior year. He won every tournament in which he played, including the NCAA championship. According to Fox, Weiss dominated college tennis like no one since Mikael Pernfors (Georgia) or John McEnroe (Stanford).

Had it not been for Gallien’s guidance, however, Weiss might not have reached such heights. Gallien worked on Weiss’ physical and mental game daily.

“Most of the time we had to remind people, ‘Hey, Robby’s always been really good. This isn’t really a Johnny-come-lately kind of guy,’ ” said Gallien, who insists on sharing the credit for the turnaround, although Fox contends it was mainly Gallien’s doing.

Oh, opponents knew how good Weiss was. Weiss didn’t.

“Allen and I were constantly telling (Weiss) how good he was,” Gallien said. “Even during the down times, we kept telling him, ‘Don’t forget, you’re really good.’ ”

Weiss, ranked 195th in the world, recently made it to the finals of $25,000 tournaments in Aptos, Calif., and Seattle. Still, Gallien’s word is gospel.

“Since (Pepperdine), I’ve gotten into some bad habits,” said Weiss, who recently took some pointers from his former coach while playing in Woodland Hills. “(Gallien) told me how bad my footwork was. . . . I’m playing better already.”

Gallien and Fox are experts on fancy footwork. They teamed to land some of the top recruits in the world this season, including Matt Holt, a Junior Davis Cup team member; South Africa’s Howard Joffee, who won the 1989 Maccabiah Games; and Spain’s Alejo Mancisidor, who won the boys’ 18-and-under singles division of the Ojai Valley tournament.

Pepperdine’s recruiting year, Fox says, ranks second in the nation to Stanford’s.

But Pepperdine didn’t get everyone it wanted, which gave Gallien a chance to show he is equally gracious in losing recruits as in signing them. Kenny Pedroza, who graduated from Buena High in June and played on Gallien’s national championship intersectional team, accepted a Stanford scholarship after all but committing to Pepperdine.

Pedroza was particularly uncomfortable calling Gallien to inform him of his decision.

“It wasn’t near as hard to say ‘no’ to the university, but it was really hard to call Rich,” Pedroza said. “It was like I had promised him something and now I’m not going to deliver.

“He was so supportive and said that instead of looking at me as competition he looked at me like a real friend and encouraged me to improve and try my best.

“It just shows what a class guy he is. He’s not the type that would stoop down to anything.”

Or give in to the heat.