Boys volleyball: Missing pieces

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - Think of Bob Villa without his tools, Branford

Marsalis without his horn, or Robert DeNiro without a script.

These hypothetical scenarios should help one understand the deprivation

Corona del Mar High boys volleyball coach Steve Conti is experiencing,

having to begin the season without his full complement of players.

Returning starters Kevin Hansen, an All-CIF Southern Section senior

setter bound for Stanford, and senior outside hitter Alec Hanson, as well

as expected contributors Charlie Alshuler and Ryan Inman, spent the week

preparing for the state basketball playoffs, instead of Friday’s

volleyball opener at Fountain Valley. The soonest they’ll be available is

Wednesday.

Besides missing the basketball foursome’s obvious talent, Conti has been

forced to all but postpone the experimenting he believes will be required

to arrange the pieces of the personnel puzzle for optimum results.

“The frustrating thing is, I can’t tinker now,” said Conti, who has

guided the Sea Kings to three straight section title matches, including

last year’s Division I final won by Back Bay rival Newport Harbor.

“Without our basketball guys, there’s less room to work on things.”

The quartet’s delayed arrival will, at least, create opportunities for

the five newcomers currently competing to gain valuable varsity

experience.

But, as has been the case in previous years, Conti believes the Sea Kings

won’t be close to their potential until late in the campaign.

Hansen, who helped CdM win the section Division III championship as a

sophomore, will be the figurehead in his final prep campaign.

“He’s proven, so I’m not worried about him,” Conti said.

Conti also likes the idea of utilizing the 6-foot-4 standout’s hitting

ability, which could lead to more frequent use of a 6-2 scheme.

“We ran the 6-2 (two setters) about 15% of the time last year,” Conti

said. “It gives teams a different look and it allows Kevin to hit. And he

hits pretty well.”

Junior Evan Burden, who will handle setting chores until Hansen arrives,

will be the second setter in such a scenario.

Whoever is triggering the attack, senior outside hitter Greg Stampley, a

second-team All-Sea View selection last year, will be getting a fair

portion of the sets.

“Both Kevin and Greg are three-year varsity players who have also played

club,” Conti said. “We expect big things from both of them.

Joining Stampley as valuable hitters will be the 6-0 Hanson, as well as

5-10 senior Chris Shepardson.

“Chris and Alec both started at various times last year, but Alec had the

edge at the end of the season,” Conti said.

“We need to find a way to get all three on the court this year, because

they all provide good ball control.”

Forest Mack, a 6-6 junior, and Garrett Macklin, a 6-3 junior, are up from

the junior varsity to compete for time at middle blocker.

Inman, a 6-3 sophomore and the MVP on the frosh-soph last spring, is

another candidate in the middle, an area Conti considers his biggest

question mark heading in.

“We’ve been spoiled by having what I think was the best one-two punch in

Orange County at that position the last two seasons,” Conti said.

Dennis Alshuler, a three-time All-CIF honoree, was part of both the

aforementioned middle tandems, but he’s playing for Princeton this

season.

Charlie Alshuler, a 6-1 junior and Dennis’ brother, has expressed a

desire to play in the middle this season, though Conti said his future is

outside.

Senior Estancia transfer Cedric Chun, who began his prep career in

Hawaii, will help out in the back row, where sophomore John Grod, the No.

3 option at setter, should also contribute. Grod, a left-hander, can also

play opposite the setter.

Brian Gallagher, a 6-2 junior, has also shown promise outside, Conti

said.

Several coaches project CdM as one of the top teams in the county, but

Conti predicts they won’t look like it early.

Entering the Pacific Coast League for the first time, CdM is the

consensus favorite to handle perennial PCL power Laguna Beach.

Conti said lack of strong teams in the PCL, caused him to adjust his

schedule.

“Five of the top 10 teams in the county were in our league last year,”

Conti said. “Without that kind of competition this year, we’ll go to the

Santa Barbara Tournament the last week in April. And we’re playing

Newport Harbor twice late in the season.”

Corona del Mar boys volleyball roster

1 Alec Hanson Sr.

2 Charlie Alshuler Jr.

4 Kevin Hansen Sr.

5 Evan Burden Jr.

6 Chris Shepardson Sr.

7 Garrett Macklin Jr.

8 Cedric Chun Sr.

9 Ryan Inman So.

10 Brian Gallagher Jr.

11 Greg Stampley Sr.

13 John Grod So.

16 Forest Mack Jr.

Coach: Steve Conti