Gibb standing tall on beach volleyball tour

Standing 6-foot-7, Jake Gibb used to be a force on the basketball court.

These days, the Costa Mesa resident is quite a force at the volleyball net.

Gibb looks to defend his 2005 Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Manhattan Beach Open championship this weekend, starting in the main draw on Friday with partner Sean Rosenthal.

“It’s the granddaddy of them all, but we’ve got some pretty gnarly teams out there this year,” Gibb said. “We’ll have to play well.”

It has been quite a rise to the top for Gibb, last year’s AVP Tour Most Valuable Player. Born and raised in Utah, he didn’t even start playing volleyball until he was 21 years old.

“I just grew up playing basketball,” said Gibb, now 30. “In Utah, playing volleyball is kind of a women’s sport and there aren’t a lot of opportunities.”

Gibb attended the University of Utah but failed to make the basketball squad.

“When I couldn’t play Division I basketball, I just started playing [volleyball] with some of my friends,” he said.

Gibb said he’s now one of the few players on the AVP Tour who didn’t play college volleyball. But that hasn’t hurt his success on the tour, where he was named Most Improved Player in 2004 and won four tournaments — tops on the tour — last year.

He also won more than $110,000 in domestic prize money in 2005.

That was with former teammate Stein Metzger. This year, Gibb has had continued success with new partner Sean Rosenthal.

Gibb is primarily the blocker on defense, with Rosenthal the defender who stays back.

The teammates started off their partnership on the right path, winning the Fort Lauderdale Open on April 2 in their first tour tournament together.

More recently, Gibb and Rosenthal finished second in the Henkel Grand Chelem tournament in Paris in late July, as part of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball tour.

But Gibb and Rosenthal then finished tied for ninth in the A1 Grand Slam event, completed Sunday in Austria, showing how tough it is to consistently place high. The pairing is 15-7 in matches this season.

“We’re kind of a streaky team,” Gibb said. “We’ll finish first, then we’ll finish fifth or seventh or something. But I feel like we’re grooving right now.

“I’m really having a good time playing with [Rosenthal],” Gibb said. “He’s the most athletic American we have in beach volleyball right now.”

Rosenthal has his own infamous cheering section. Known as “Rosie’s Raiders,” the group of dedicated friends backs up what’s now their favorite team — often at the verbal expense of Gibb and Rosenthal’s opponents.

Their nickname for Gibb: “The Big Nasty.”

“They bring a lot of energy to our sport, even if they’re kind of crazy,” Gibb said with a laugh.

The life of a beach volleyball player can also be crazy. That’s especially true during the summer, as some athletes travel back-and-forth between the FIVB and AVP tours in Europe and the United States.

But Gibb said he wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

“It’s wonderful and tough all at once,” he said. “The wonderful part is that we played in Paris at the base of the Eiffel Tower. That’s a bit surreal. We get to see different cultures and different types of people, and we get paid to do it, so it’s not a bad little deal.”

It also helps to have family along for the ride. Gibb said he especially looks forward to this weekend’s competition, because two of his brothers and their families will be traveling in from Utah to watch him perform.

There are often plenty of travel plans to make, since Gibb is the youngest of 12 children. He has five sisters and six brothers, including his twin brother, Coleman, who lives in Huntington Beach.

Gibb said his family — also including his wife, Jane — has been very supportive of his pro volleyball career.

“I thought it was normal growing up [with 11 siblings], but now I think it’s crazy,” he said. “But it’s pretty fun. Volleyball kind of brings our family together.”

Gibb now hopes to defend the Manhattan Beach Open title that was won with former teammate Metzger. Gibb said Metzger and his current teammate Mike Lambert, who is also a Costa Mesa resident, will be tough competition this time around.

“It’s the Wimbledon of our sport; it’s what everyone wants to get their hands on,” Gibb said. “[Winning Manhattan Beach] last year was the best win I’ve had in my career.

“We’re definitely playing well enough to win this tournament, so I’m excited,” Gibb said.