DAILY PILOT HIGH SCHOOL MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:Quiet Bannan still able to lead Sea Kings

For the past four years, Corona del Mar High boys’ volleyball coach Steve Conti has been trying to get Phil Bannan to talk.

He’s cajoled and encouraged, but Bannan has proven that it’s possible to be a leader and a man of few words, all at the same time.

“He’s gotten a little better, but he’s a pretty quiet cat,” Conti said.

Bannan had three kills, four blocks, eight digs and 52 assists in the Sea Kings’ four-game win over Santa Barbara in the CIF Southern Section Division II final.

Bannan was honored last week by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast for the area’s top 30 student-athletes, and he played in the Dave Mohs Memorial All-Star match Friday night at Newport Harbor High.

Bannan, who will play for UC San Diego, was also named to “Volleyball” magazine’s All-American Fab 50 list.

“It feels good that all my hard work has paid off,” said Bannan, who has remained reticent about his accomplishments as well.

Conti wanted Bannan to communicate more on the volleyball court. He wants players to give feedback to each other, and unlike his some of his teammates, Bannan is not one for bravado. Bannan’s personality has made Conti, who has coached at CdM for 12 seasons, step back to reassess his own paradigms about leadership.

“Phil’s allowed me to redefine the role of leader. Phil is a leader of this team,” Conti said. “In three years of having Phil on varsity, he always led by example. He worked extremely hard in practice, and he’s worked extremely hard in the classroom. I also think he’s been as positive as any other leader I’ve had before.”

The only difference is that Bannan does it with fewer words. It’s one thing to be quiet in high school, and another to do the same in college, and Conti knows that, too.

“Sometimes you’ve got to do something to make yourself stand out a little bit,” Conti said. “That may give you some recognition that may give you some opportunities in life.”

Still, Bannan has an entire summer before he has to worry about that. He’s focused on playing with his Balboa Bay club team, which includes several other players from CdM, and competing in California Beach Volleyball Assn. tournaments with partner Phil Darin of Edison. As for his new coach at UC San Diego?

“They wouldn’t have expressed such an interest in Phil if they didn’t see some of the things that I see,” Conti said. “One thing you can say about Phil is that he’s been a winner wherever he’s gone. Sometimes I wish people would look a little bit harder at that.”

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or [email protected].