Tropical talent joins UCLA
Hawaiian freshman aims to help win m. volleyball title
By Ruben Gutierrez
Daily Bruin Staff
A top volleyball recruit and a member of the senior Fab 50 list
who hails from Waimanolo, Hawaii, a city near Honolulu on the
island of Oahu. An older sister and two older brothers who are
veterans of the University of Hawaii program which, under head
coach Mike Wilton, is an up-and-coming collegiate volleyball
power.
Surely, the recruit, Fred Robins of the Kamehameha School, is a
perfect fit in the upstart Hawaii machine.
Think again.
"We were told not to try to recruit him by the family," Wilton
said. "We were told that if Freddy didn’t get what he was looking
for on the mainland, then they would call us. Apparently, he found
it."
What Robins was looking for was a national title and the chance
to win one manifested itself across the Pacific. Until 1994, when
Penn State defeated UCLA in the NCAA finals, no other state team
had ever claimed California’s crown. In 34 years under head coach
Al Scates, the Bruins have claimed 15 titles, making UCLA
volleyball among the winningest programs in the history of college
athletics.
With such an impressive track record, the Robins family may have
earmarked UCLA long before anyone else knocked on the door.
"I went over to see a youth tournament in Hilo several years
ago," Scates said. "As I took my seat on the plane, Fred’s father
sat behind me and started telling me about him at that time. So I
guess maybe they picked UCLA a long time ago. In fact, I think
that’s what happened."
In addition to his father, Robins owes his volleyball success to
the rest of his family. Frequent family gatherings inevitably
turned into volleyball games on the grass court in the Robins’
backyard, not an unusual recreational activity with some relatives.
What set these backyard games apart, though was the fact that
Robins’ brothers Duke and Ali’i played for the ‘Bows, as did his
sister, Mary. Another sister, Danielle, lettered for Chaminade.
Volleyball on the islands is huge, to put it mildly. Although
prepsters are set back by playing in the fall and playing matches
in a best of three format, Hawaii remains a hotbed of volleyball
talent. Some high school matches are televised and Rainbow matches
against top teams take on an aura of importance rivaling the Super
Bowl.
The UCLA program is a living testament to the talent-rich
islands, as at any given time, half of the starting squad – Robins,
swing hitter Brian Wells and setter Stein Metzger – is from
Hawaii.
For Robins, the decision of which sport to concentrate on came
early and easily. After a pee-wee football season, young Robins,
wise beyond his years, chose to make volleyball his top priority.
This total immersion in the sport was what UCLA coaches were
looking for.
"He’s had probably the most experience of any player we’ve ever
recruited," Scates said. "He’s been a volleyball player since he
was about 12. The only player that’s been totally immersed in
volleyball like that was Karch Kiraly, who’s the best player who
ever played in our program. Fred came from a family that really
supported him and even brought him over to tournaments on the
mainland."
Family support is also where Robins finds his most competitive
spark on the court. At the Outrigger Invitational Tournament last
month, Robins was baptized by fire. Starting only his second match,
Robins manned one swing hitter position for UCLA as it took to the
court against the No. 1 Rainbows, at Hawaii, in front of a record
crowd of over 10,000. The Bruins lost in five games, 14-16, 15-12,
15-8, 3-15, 14-16.
Scates, who one would expect has seen everything in his 34
years, called the crowd the loudest he can remember. With his
family in attendance, Robins did not blink. Instead of merely
surviving in the high-pressure environment, Robins thrived, keeping
UCLA in the match.
"He kept us in that match against Hawaii with his jump serve,"
Scates said. "We scored a lot of points with him serving. He can
hit either corner. It’s so hard to control a hard jump serve that
many people wind up serving to the opposition’s primary passer in
the middle of the court, so it negates the serve.
"Fred and Stein, though, can pick out the guy and pinpoint their
jumper. Fred is already a good left side attacker as a freshman, so
he can sideout real well. Plus, he’s a real good passer."
Not surprisingly, the ball control and passing ability –
somewhat unusual for a 6-foot-6-inch player – found their roots on
that same grass court in the backyard.
"When I was smaller, my brothers used to make me only play back
row, because I was too small to go up and hit the ball," Robins
said. "So all I would do is pass and play defense."
With three years left to mature in the program after his
inaugural campaign, Robins could remain content to improve his
passing skills and contribute to the team in that capacity.
But there was that thing Robins came to the mainland looking for
and although he is only a freshman, he still has his sights set on
the ultimate goal.
"I expect us to be there in the final game," Robins said. "If we
progress like we should, we can be an awesome team. The feeling I
had when we won the state championship in Hawaii, with 3000 people
in my own high school gym, that was an unbelievable rush. I just
think (winning an NCAA title) would be 10 times greater than that,
because it’s college and it’s in Pauley Pavilion."
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
Fred Robins, the freshman spiker, wanted to win an NCAA title so
he chose UCLA over the University of Hawaii.
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