Age not factor for O'Brien

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	WHAT: NCAA men's volleyball. WHO: Hawai'i (11-6) vs. Loyola-Chicago (10-3). WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m. tomorrow, Stan Sheriff Center. TICKETS: $12 (lower bowl), $9 (upper level), $6 (UH students, ages 4-18). PARKING: $3. TV: K5 (Channel 5) RADIO: KKEA (1420 AM)

At 25, O'Brien is the youngest head coach in NCAA men's volleyball, and he often is mistaken for a player.

O'Brien, who was not old enough to rent a car until last June, is a year younger than Hawai'i opposite hitter Eyal Zimet.

Still, said O'Brien, whose team faces UH tomorrow and Friday: "I do feel prepared. On occasion, it's a little overwhelming. But we have good seniors; they've been very special. All of our players are solid individuals."

Only a couple of years older than his senior players, O'Brien said: "I get their sense of humor and they get mine. We have a great relationship."

This season, O'Brien has led the Ramblers to a 10-3 record, an accomplishment considering that he also is a full-time assistant coach for the school's women's volleyball team.

With the women's team competing in spring training, O'Brien has had to scramble between coaching jobs. Often, both teams practice on the same day.

"The practices never overlap," he said. "It's nothing that can't be worked out. ... You know, sometimes you're tired and sometimes you're not. But I know I'm fortunate. A lot of people say they're sort of jealous that I get to coach college athletes. It's a great opportunity for me, and I enjoy it."

When O'Brien was hired as an assistant coach for the women's team last May, he had heard rumors that the men's coach, Gordon Mayforth, was planning to accept a professional coaching job in Japan. When Mayforth did leave, O'Brien applied to fill the vacancy.

"This was a job I was hoping to get," O'Brien said. "I didn't know if I would get it at 25."

O'Brien was hired in July. "I feel fortunate," he said.

"He's doing a good job," said Lewis coach Dave Deuser, whose team competes in the same conference.

The NCAA limits men's volleyball programs to offering the financial equivalent of 4.5 scholarships. Because of budget constraints, O'Brien said: "We don't have 4.5. We don't have the capability. We have just about four right now."

What's more, O'Brien said Loyola requires incoming freshman student-athletes to earn a minimum score of 1,000 on the SAT — 250 points more than the minimum score allowed under the NCAA's sliding scale. "We have to pass on a lot of good athletes," he said.

With tuition and room and board, it costs $27,500 annually to attend Loyola-Chicago.

"Nobody (on the team) is on more than half-scholarship, so everyone is still paying at least $13,000 to go to school," he said. "They're making a commitment to play for us."

O'Brien said the majority of his players are majoring in business or accounting. The team's cumulative grade-point average is above 3.0.