Posted on: Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Trojans mapping out strategy

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

A not-so-funny thing happened to the Southern California men's volleyball team en route to Monday's scheduled practice at the University of Hawai'i.

The Trojans ended up at Maemae Elementary School in Nu'uanu.

"We got a little lost," USC coach Turhan Douglas said. "It's my fault. I should have known better."

It was a minor diversion for a struggling program hoping to find the path to respectability.

Once, the Trojans were volleyball's elite, winning four national championships — the last in 1990 — and appearing in 11 final four tournaments.

But they have not had a winning season in the past three years. They are 3-10 overall and 1-6 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation entering tomorrow night's match against third-ranked Hawai'i. Much of the slide can be traced to the inadequate recruiting that led to Pat Powers' resignation after the 2002 season. "Nobody wanted to play for him," Douglas said. "It was a tough situation."

The NCAA limits each men's team to the equivalent of 4.5 scholarships. With a full ride at USC valued at $40,000 per year, "we're at a disadvantage" in finding enough money to support an 18-player roster, Douglas said.

Douglas said the team's boosters have scheduled golf tournaments and sent "out a lot of 'help us' letters" to supplement the budget.

Douglas, meanwhile, has exhausted his cell plan wooing recruits. Last year, he signed the top setter (Jimmy Killian), middle (Andrew Vernon) and outside hitter (Juan Figueroa), earning the distinction as Volleyball Magazine's top recruiting class in the nation.

"The timetable (to turn it around) is as soon as possible," Douglas said. "We're working really hard. ... At our school, there's always pressure to do well. There's a huge winning tradition. ... We were in complete shambles before. This program is going in the right direction."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.