10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 8, 1999 FRIDAYFocus 'The challenge of getting healthy is 50 percent of it and letting investment is the other 50 percent.' Former Michig go of the 0 - Greg Giovanazzi, an volleyball coach 0 By Jon Zemke * Daily Sports Writer "H''s a phenomenal man, and I'm just blessed that I had the opportunity to pla for him. " - Maggie Cooper Michigan volleyball player "Seeing volleyball through his eyes made me love it that much more."f - Anne Poglits Michigan volleyball player unched over at a small round table reading a book, former Michigan volleyball coach Greg Giovanazzi ooks like any other patron. He didn't have the grim face that many of the other studying customers had at the cof- fee shop. A small grin crept across his face through a freshly grown beard. His contentment with the world seemed complete. This wasn't the face of a man who has been forced to retire from the job he loved so much. It wasn't the look of a man who is recovering from a neurological disorder that has com- pelled him to leave the players that all but worship him. Coaches in this situation would normally seem distraught, depressed or even bitter. But there is a serenity that exudes from Giovanazzi. A state of calm, contagious competitiveness. Around Giovanazzi, it's easy to realize exactly how great life is and want to make it better. This shouldn't be surprising, considering Giovanazzi grew up on the beaches of Los Angeles, roaming around Venice where he picked up on surfing and its relaxed lifestyle. But behind that laid-back demeanor is a resilient competitiveness that rubs off on nearly everyone he meets. An athlete's perspective Giovanazzi received a full scholarship at UCLA, the pre- mier volleyball program in the nation at the time. While there he learned the art of bench jockeying while he played behind some of the greatest names in volleyball history. Karch Kiraly, the volleyball equivalent of Michael Jordan, and Fred Sterm, who would go onto coach the U.S. men's volleyball team in the '92 Olympics, were just some of the more notable players for which he guarded the water. At UCLA, Giovanazzi fit in in a way he did not during his high school days. He was star in waiting amongst other stars, which was in stark contrast to high school, when he was the only non-Mormon player on an all-Mormon team. "I was always the token non-member" Giovanazzi said. "Kind of the ringer." It was on this team that Giovanazzi caught the eye of the major college volleyball programs in the nation. "I went to UCLA and I watched their games all the way through high school," Giovanazzi said. "They kept winning, and they always won. I wanted to be a part of that." While at UCLA, however, Giovanazzi became aware of a certain limitation that may have hampered his playing career. "He can't jump to save his life" said former UCLA and U.S. National team assistant volleyball coach Jeanne Reeves, a friend of Giovanazzi since childhood. And so he was labeled with the nickname "Jumping Gio" because of his gravity-prone tendencies. To persevere over his leaping handicap, Giovanazzi adopt- ed the competitive nature of his teammates. "They live on the edge," Giovanazzi said. "Winning is about living on the edge. It's not about balance." Off the court, there wasn't anything balanced about Giovanazzi's junior year team. When his team lost to Pepperdine in the decisive fifth game of the 1978 NCAA championship match, the players were incredibly upset. To them, that one loss meant the whole season was wasted. Denny Kline defined being on the edge that night. He ran 23 miles back home after the match still in his uniform. "He told us he didn't want to get in the car with a bunch of losers;' Giovanazzi said. "I didn't have that intensity when I came (to UCLA), but when I left I did." It served him well as he went on to play professional vol- leyball in Italy and made the Pan Am Games team and the was in the final round of cuts for the '84 Olympic team. A coach's perspective But several knee surgeries put an end to Giovanazzi's playing career soon afterwards, and he embarked on his coaching career. He was the top assistant coach for UCLA men's and women's volleyball teams, and helped bring the U.S. women's team to international prominence when they won the bronze medal in the '92 Barcelona Olympics. Then he made his way into Ann Arbor and beat out a man named Russ Rose, current coaching legend at Penn State, for the position. Michigan gained what many consider the best coach in the history of the vol- leyball program when Giovanazzi took over. But his success on the court wasn't immediate. Three years after he took over in '92, he led his team to its first post- season tournament when the '95 squad went 2-2 in the National Top: "NATH" R" " ' " "/iA ve: "UVI" U^ Michigan volleyball coach Greg Giovanazzi gives his team some advice during a game earlier this season. The Michigan volleyball team finished the season 1218. they wanted to as they made their way to the second round before bowing out to Temple in four games. Despite going into the national spotlight as the new Cinderella team, Giovanazzi showed the savvy he gained from coaching several other winning teams. He treated these games just as he would have treated any other. "If he would have done something amazingly different, it would have freaked us out a bit more than we were already" junior middle blocker Anne Poglits said. But the purpose ofGiovanazzi's program wasn't the number of wins and losses. It wasn't about what tournament they made or who they beat. It was about making people better. "I think I relate well to the people I coach, and I like the people I coach and I love the game," Giovanazzi said. "It seemed like a pretty good combination:' Giovanazzi's players earned 40 academic All-Big Ten selections during his tenure, including 10 in the '98 season. Shareen Luze won the Big Ten Medal of Honor as the , top scholar ath- lete in the con-n- ference. J Giovanazzi has a habit of relating to people very well, very quickly. His players loved his style Y' 1b