It was a match between good and evil. David against Goliath.
And surprisingly, the UCLA men’s volleyball team
represented good.
It’s normally hard for the most storied program in the
history of collegiate volleyball to be David.
But this was the case Thursday night, when No. 1 BYU came to
Pauley Pavilion.
The Cougars aren’t Goliath simply because they’re a
good team ““Â UCLA is hardly weak in comparison at No. 3
in the country.
But BYU is bending the rules to win ““Â and may even be
breaking them.
BYU’s strategy of going around the intent of a rule
without actually breaking it is bad for college volleyball.
Many had suspected that BYU opposite hitter Joe Hillman was not
eligible to play at BYU. But after an investigation, Hillman was
ruled eligible.
But that’s not the greater issue.
Because when you try to get away with what the rules are trying
to prevent, fans everywhere stop trusting the legitimacy of the
sport.
Also, it’s not hard to break the rules while trying to get
around them. Hawai’i had its 2002 NCAA championship title
stripped because star player Costas Theocharidis was found to be a
professional, according to NCAA rules.
And Lewis, the 2003 NCAA champion, has already self-reported
NCAA violations and is sitting out two of its best players.
This is horrible for collegiate volleyball. It puts a dark cloud
over a sport that is so exciting to watch and so fan-friendly.
The interest of volleyball is peaking. There were 1,728 fans at
Pauley on Thursday night ““ a season-high attendance.
Another major volleyball scandal can destroy the interest.
UCSB coach Ken Preston questioned the NCAA about Hillman’s
eligibility last week, because records show that Hillman was a
four-time All-Tournament player while at Utah Valley State ““
before playing at BYU.
A loophole in the NCAA eligibility rules allowed him to still
have two years of eligibility at BYU.
But BYU may have more problems. One of its other star players,
Victor Batista, sat out Thursday night’s match because the
NCAA asked BYU to bench him as a precautionary measure while his
eligibility was reviewed.
I know that in this country, you’re innocent until proven
guilty.
But with the prior evidence of Hillman, it would not surprise
anyone if Batista is found eligible ““ even though BYU broke
the intent of the rule.
And whether or not the Cougars actually broke the rules, a
championship this year (they are the clear favorites) would always
have an imaginary asterisk next to it because of their recruiting
practices.
The issue of bringing foreigners onto a team is a touchy one.
Especially when the foreigner is older than the average American
collegiate player, age 18-21.
Several players from Europe and Brazil on NCAA rosters are 27 or
28 years old.
BYU conveniently left the birth years of many of its older
players out of its media guide, while leaving it in for many of its
younger ones.
Is BYU trying to hide something?
It’s not against the rules to play a 27-year-old.
But it does make you look bad, and it gives you an unfair
advantage.
Steve Klosterman, one of UCLA’s best players, is 19 years
old.
Players that are upwards of 26 would have seven more years of
volleyball experience. That’s a huge advantage.
BYU isn’t alone in hurting collegiate volleyball. Many
other teams use 26-year-olds or players with questionable amateur
backgrounds.
NCAA coaches need to stop this practice now. It only hurts
the sport in the long run. E-mail Quiñonez at
gquinonez@media.ucla.edu.