In a relatively shocking development in the controversy
surrounding Brigham Young University, UCLA men’s volleyball
coach Al Scates is no longer talking. “I have no further
comment,” Scates said, laughing. Even after the NCAA had
ruled Friday that all BYU players are eligible to compete in the
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament beginning Saturday,
Scates continued to suggest BYU is playing with professional
players. Scates’ statements apparently did not sit well among
college volleyball circles. Hawai’i coach Mike Wilton, whose
team UCLA hosts at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, said to the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, “UCLA is still whining.” The
comments also took BYU by surprise. “I don’t think you
ever see in the open media a coach taking shots at another (team)
in the same conference,” BYU Associate Athletic Director
Brian Santiago said. “You never see it. “Somebody has
the right to say whatever he wants. I can’t control what
(Scates) says. We’re just concentrating on winning the
national championship,” Santiago said. UC Santa Barbara coach
Ken Preston is contrite. It was he who turned over information to
the NCAA on the questionable eligibility of BYU opposite hitter Joe
Hillman and middle blocker Victor Batista ““ both starters. On
the day Hillman was declared eligible, Batista was held out of
action against UCLA for the first of three matches, under suspicion
of playing professionally overseas under the assumed name Robin
Ariel. “I did what I thought was right, but I was
wrong,” Preston said, adding he has sent letters of apology
to Batista and BYU coach Tom Peterson. “I’m eating a
lot of crow right now. It was my suspicion, but there is no way to
prove it.” UC Irvine coach John Speraw, whose team will play
BYU on Saturday in Provo, Utah, accepted the NCAA ruling. “It
doesn’t matter to me where (BYU’s players) played, what
experience they have. And any inferences they’ve accepted
money in the past (are) meaningless,” the former UCLA
assistant said. “The NCAA has said they’re eligible,
and I have to go beat eligible players.” Said Santiago,
“With (the NCAA’s) vote of confidence, we feel like we
are in the clear and in compliance. “We’ll let all the
negative stuff go by the wayside.”
INJURY UPDATE: UCLA freshman opposite hitter
and leading attacker Steve Klosterman has returned to practice and
is expected to play against Hawai’i after sitting out against
UCSB on Saturday due to tendinitis in his hitting (right) shoulder.
Whether a struggling Klosterman or senior Marcin Jagoda starts will
be a gametime decision, Scates said.
QUICK SET: Incoming freshman libero Tony Ker
has been named to the USA Junior National team. Speraw will serve
as the team’s coach.