COLLEGES / IRENE GARCIA : Dr. Park Restoring Life to Ailing CLU Program

The Cal Lutheran administration made an excellent move by hiring James Park as women’s volleyball coach three years ago. Park is the kind of guy who turns ailing programs into winners. He scrapes teams off the basement floor and elevates them into the playoffs.

Park has a proven track record. He transformed the Moorpark High girls’ team into a winner in his seven-year tenure.

In five years as the Thousand Oaks boys’ coach--he enters his sixth season this spring--Park has led the team to four consecutive playoff berths.

When he took over at Thousand Oaks, where he is still a math teacher, the team was coming off a 1-15 season.

And at Cal Lutheran, Park has done wonders for the women’s program. When he was hired at the start of the 1993 campaign, the Regals had not had a winning season since 1987.

That’s a brutal dry streak, especially for a college near a high school volleyball hotbed.

In his first year at Cal Lutheran, Park led the Regals to a 14-13 record. He brought hope to a program in desperate need of a lift.

“There was no hesitation on my part to take the job because I felt I couldn’t do worse,” Park said. “Besides, I figured it would be a good challenge. I guess I thrive on those kinds of situations.”

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Last season Park led Cal Lutheran to the final 16 of the NCAA Division III tournament. The Regals finished with a 20-9 record and won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title with an 11-1 mark.

The best part is that there were no seniors on the team. The guy takes over a struggling program and in his second season leads a youthful team to the playoffs.

Vintage Park.

“That was like no other playoffs I’ve been associated with,” Park said. “The adrenaline was pumping and it was just a thrill. Just the stature of being there. Even marching into the gym was exciting.”

Success hasn’t changed Park. He continues to be a humble man who is quick to credit others for the program’s triumphs. Shortly before going to the playoffs at the University of San Diego last year Park said: “I can’t take all the credit. I hope I can take some, but I think the kids have done a great job working hard at every practice.”

Earlier this week Park again credited his athletes for the program’s rapid rise.

It looks like Cal Lutheran is on track to repeat last year’s feat. The Regals won Saturday in straight sets against Westmont. It was the first time in five years Cal Lutheran won its opener. The victory also snapped a seven-match losing streak against Westmont.

“They haven’t played us in a while because we haven’t been up to their caliber,” Park said. “They called me to play this season because I guess we’ve improved a lot.”

That’s an understatement.

The Regals should have little trouble defending their SCIAC title. The team originally had six returning starters, but middle blocker Kelli McCaskill was ruled ineligible when it was discovered she was beginning her 11th semester of college. Under NCAA rules, athletes must complete their eligibility in 10 semesters.

“It’s a big blow,” Park said.

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But Park responded quickly. He moved outside hitter Jennifer Pappas to middle blocker and she has played well.

Outside hitter Tracy Little, an all-conference pick last year and the team’s most valuable player, looks stronger than she did in ’94.

The rest of the starting lineup looks strong, too. It includes hitters Tara Thomas, the school’s career digs leader, and Karen Kasper and Darcy White. Setter Liz Martinez had 25 assists in Cal Lutheran’s opener.

Park isn’t the type to brag, though. He says most young volleyball players would be bored with his practices because there is no yelling and no emphasis on spectacular offensive plays.

His team’s strengths are serving and defense, and he considers himself more a friend to his players than a coach.

“There’s not a strict player-coach relationship,” Park said. “I really think the kids like playing for me and that’s important at a school where there are no athletic scholarships.”

Clearly, Park is doing something right. That’s why he has turned around the worst of programs.

Just ask the folks at Cal Lutheran.