Notre Dame Middle Blocker Stillwell a Work in Progress

When Tom Stillwell looks back on his volleyball career and remembers what motivated him in the early days, he laughs. He was driven by vanity.

He was a tall, skinny Notre Dame High freshman--a basketball player learning to smash a volleyball only because his teammates had pestered him to play.

He could dunk a basketball; he couldn’t spike a volleyball.

In fact, he couldn’t keep the ball in play.

“I didn’t hit the ball right and I looked stupid,” said Stillwell, a middle blocker. “I’d shank the ball into the stands. I hated that. I hated looking stupid.”

So the bony, 6-foot-4 ninth-grader waited until the gym was empty before he asked Coach Jim Hall to set the ball for him.

Fear of embarrassment fueled Stillwell, who has blossomed into Notre Dame’s all-time leader in kills and blocks and is headed to UCLA on scholarship.

“The first day of tryouts my freshman year, I had no idea what I was doing,” he said. “But the coach told me he wanted me on varsity. From that day forward, we worked after practices.”

Stillwell loathed getting teased about his height and clumsiness, so he continued the after-practice sessions with Hall. By last spring, Stillwell had grown to 6-8 and had become an imposing figure at the net.

And who showed up to watch one day but UCLA Coach Al Scates, who routinely avoids high school matches and never saw his greatest protege--Karch Kiraly--play before offering a scholarship. Scates, however, was intrigued by Stillwell.

With Scates in the audience, Stillwell hit his shots firm and true. And on Nov. 11, the earliest possible commitment date, Stillwell signed with UCLA. Volleyball had supplanted basketball.

“I was a basketball player trying to be a volleyball player,” Stillwell said. “It was frustrating until my sophomore year when I started banging the ball. Then last year was a blast.”

With Stillwell manning the middle, Notre Dame shared a Mission League championship with Crespi before falling to Esperanza in the Southern Section quarterfinals. He finished the season with 236 kills and 103 blocks, setting school records in both categories.

Notre Dame might not be as strong this season, but Stillwell will add to his record totals of 477 kills and 248 blocks while he prepares to join one of the nation’s top NCAA Division I teams. And he still leans on Hall.

“Whenever there’s a water break (in practice), I tell him to get up there and start setting,” Stillwell said. “I’m just starting to get the hang of it. I’ve got to start working twice as hard so I can play at UCLA.”

Hall said Stillwell’s quickness and athletic ability could take him a long way.

“In my opinion, he’s the best (high school player) in the Valley,” Hall said. “He’s 6-8 and he can jump about 34 inches. I would say he’s one of the top five middle blockers in the country and he’s one of the top 15 all-around players coming out.

“He has such good ball control now, I even have him passing on the back row. I think he is developing an overall game to where he could eventually make the Olympic team. Notre Dame once had a kid of his caliber but didn’t have a (volleyball) program for him. That was Paul Sunderland.”

Sunderland was a member of the U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal in 1984.

The Bruins weren’t the only ones courting Stillwell. He nearly accepted a full ride to Cal State Northridge, only blocks from his Northridge home. But Stillwell clung to his dream of playing big-time college basketball, and the idea of playing in Pauley Pavilion, albeit in volleyball, excited him.

Stillwell’s transition to college volleyball will be no problem, Hall said. The hardest work is behind him.

“When I got him his volleyball skills were nil, he had no clue,” Hall said. “He got ribbed pretty hard by the older players. He could have easily folded.

“But now . . . with his head and shoulders above the net when he’s blocking and attacking, he’s a force. When he puts on some weight and gains some muscle at UCLA, he’ll be scary.”

TEAMS TO WATCH

Royal (Marmonte League): Last year, Royal was 22-0 and won the Division II state title by playing exceptional defense. This year, the Highlanders hope to intimidate opponents with a front row that resembles the New York City skyline--including twin towers Josh and Joe Penrod, both 6-7 middle blockers.

Throw in powerful outside hitter Jason Hughes (6-7), an All-City Section pick at Westchester High last year, and a gifted leaper in sophomore outside hitter Eric Carlsen (6-5), and the Highlanders are loaded with NCAA Division I potential.

But the best of the bunch might be Steve Hodge (6-4), a punishing outside hitter and a returning All-Southern Section selection who should thrive on the offerings of junior setter Josh White.

Not many teams can survive the loss of four starters, but volleyball has become so popular at Royal, the students play the game year-round. The junior varsity, in fact, is stocked with three 6-5 players.

“We’re bigger than college teams,” said Coach Bob Ferguson, whose teams have posted a 95-6 record and won three section titles in six seasons. “It’s a special group and it’s going to stay that way for a while.”

Harvard-Westlake (Mission): Talent comes in waves for the Wolverines, who rode a wave to a Southern Section Division III title 1991. Here comes another. Coach Jessie Quiroz said he has four juniors with NCAA Division I potential: setter Court Young (6-1), swing hitter Matt Sebree (6-2 1/2), middle hitter Seth Rodsky (6-4) and outside hitter Doug Park (6-1). Each provides one of four respective components: leadership, power, quickness and court sense.

Opposite hitter Peter Kiefer (6-3) and middle hitter Ryan Hudson (5-10) round out a lineup that will face traditional powers Mira Costa, Palisades and Brentwood and grapple with Notre Dame, Crespi and Loyola in the area’s toughest league.

Crespi (Mission): The two-time defending league champion is aiming for a “three-peat,” and with the addition of Loyola and Harvard-Westlake to the league it will need every gun in its arsenal. Back are all-league outside hitters Mike Lees and Bill Rojas. Lees, a 6-3 senior who had a school-record 316 kills in 18 matches last year, has signed with Northridge. Rojas (6-3) had 228 kills last season.

Nick DiPasquale, a 6-3 junior and another college prospect, moved to middle blocker from his natural outside hitter position. He will join 6-4 senior Tony Campanella at middle blocker. Junior Tim Killer (6-1) is the setter. The key to another league title will be defense and strong back-row play.

Granada Hills (Northwest Valley Conference): Some teams have size, some have talent, some have experience. Granada Hills might have all three. And for good measure, it played--and won--tough nonleague matches against Roosevelt, Westchester and Venice before opening conference play this week.

Junior outside hitter Mike DiSimone (6-3), who should appear on many a recruiting list, joins seniors Jared Lindsey (6-3) and Mike Agustin (6-0) on the front line. Senior Eugene Haban takes over as the setter.

Granada Hills also will clog the middle with Jeremy Ellis (6-5) and Eric Williams (6-6). Hitter Tim Williamson and back-row players Ed Kim and Edward Kim also will start.

This year’s team compares favorably to those that won City 3-A Division titles in 1986 and ’87 and to the one that reached the 4-A final in ’91.

Canyon (Golden): There are no stars and Coach Ardyce Masters prefers it that way. The team has more balance than the 1992 squad that boasted strong individual players but failed to win the Golden title for the first time in the league’s five-year existence. The Cowboys are tight and well-conditioned, Masters said.

The attack centers on two college-caliber players: junior opposite hitter Brentt Phillips (6-3) and junior middle blocker Brian Lynn (6-4). Left-handed outside hitter Marc McMillen is the team’s best all-around player, and setter Brian Stires is accurate with his placements and provides leadership.

Notre Dame (Mission): The Knights might have the Valley’s most prominent player in Tom Stillwell, but their success will depend on those around him.

Notre Dame probably will receive giant numbers from Stillwell, but Coach Jim Hall also is looking for hitter Jim Swerkes, blocker Chris Hunt (6-4 1/2) and setter Ryan Equizi to step up. In addition, the league will provide some of the toughest competition in the Valley for the Knights, Division IV-A quarterfinalists last year.

Thousand Oaks (Marmonte): Coach James Park said the Lancers are ready to rise to prominence in the fourth year of the program. Seniors Jason Oliver (5-11), Matt Brasler (5-10) and Carrick Patterson (6-1) are strong outside hitters who receive sets from Bryant Edwards.

Opponents will have trouble penetrating the middle against blockers Paul Brandt, a raw 6-11 junior, and Jason Hartman, a 6-6 junior from the basketball team. David Sotlov anchors the back row.

Said Park, who must contend with league rival Royal: “They have to be the favorite, but we’re close. I think there’s a chance (we can beat them).”