Q&A; WITH JOHN SPERAW:

UC Irvine men’s volleyball coach John Speraw is an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s volleyball team that will take part in the Olympics in Beijing, China, beginning Aug. 10.

A former All-American middle blocker at UCLA, where he worked as an assistant coach before coming to UCI, Speraw guided the Anteaters to the program’s lone national championship in 2007. He took a few moments before leaving for China to answer a few questions about his experiences with Team USA and what lies ahead in Beijing.

Question: Team USA, which includes Corona del Mar High product Kevin Hansen, is ranked No. 3 in the world and recently won its first Federation Internationale de Volleyball World League title. What are Team USA’s chances in Beijing?

Answer: There’s probably seven or eight teams that have a legitimate shot at winning a medal, probably more like seven. In our pool, there’s us, Bulgaria, Italy and China will be very difficult at home. In the other pool, there’s Brazil Russia, Serbia and Poland. Any of those teams, all very good. A couple points here and there could decide who wins a medal and we could be one of those teams.

Q: What are Team USA’s strengths and potential weaknesses?

A: The strength of this team is the fact that we don’t have one big guy we rely on.

Maybe that’s a weakness, too. Maybe we don’t have the stud guy some teams have. We have a group of guys who all contribute pretty equally. And I think we do have some experience, Lloy [Ball, the starting setter] is going to his fourth Olympics, which is pretty unusual, and a lot of guys have been to one or two.

Q: How has it been working as an assistant coach again?

A: It has been awesome and the staff is really great. Hugh [McCutcheon, the head coach] is a wonderful guy to work for. [Assistant coach] Ron [Larsen] has become a good friend, [technical consultant] Jamie Morrison is the best at what he does and Aaron Brock is a great trainer. We all get along really well and I’ve learned a lot from all of them.

Q: Has the experience made you a better coach?

A: When you’re a head coach and you go back to being an assistant, it allows you to see how you stand in relationship to other coaches. We do some things differently than I do [at UCI], but we’re on the same page with a lot of other things. I’ve learned that people can do things differently and still have a lot of success.

I’ve spent time talking with our sports psychologist Ken Ravizza, and I enjoy the mental side of the game, so that has been fun for me.

And, I’ve talked to a lot with the players about their experiences. I wanted to know what it was like to play professionally in Serbia for eight months. And I wanted to know what kinds of things they are still learning about the game.

Q: What is something you are looking forward to experiencing in Beijing, outside of the competition?

A: I do have to mention that I just found out they are not allowing assistant coaches to walk in opening ceremonies, for the first time ever. We’re all disappointed about that.

Unlike other sports that compete during one week and are off for the other week, volleyball starts two days after the opening ceremonies and the gold-medal match is on the day of the closing ceremonies. So, I’ll pretty much be spending my time in the gym, either coaching or scouting other teams. I’ll pretty much be focused on winning a gold medal.

Q: Former Anteater Jayson Jablonsky is involved with the national team program, having been among the final 19 players vying for spots on the 12-player roster. Do you look forward to producing future contributors from UCI?

A: There’s no question in my mind that one thing I’d really love to do is to make an impact on the national program by developing talent in the future at UCI. I’ve learned more about what it takes to become an Olympian and I’ve developed more connections in the international arena, so I think I can help get [UCI players] jobs in the future, if [playing professionally] is their goal down the road.

Q: Has it been a challenge to take care of the UCI program while being involved with Team USA?

A: It has been a challenge. Usually I’m a guy who can juggle different things at one time, but this experience has put me over the edge a few times. It has been a rough three years. I’ve missed chunks of fall, chunks of the season, and it has been tough on me personally. I haven’t had much down time and I haven’t had time to spend with friends or family like I’ve normally done. I feel like I’ve not necessarily been able to do everything I’ve wanted to do with USA Volleyball and, at the same time, I haven’t been able to do the same job at UCI like I normally do. There’s a part of me that is looking forward to getting past this experience and getting back to my job at continuing to build the program at UCI.

Q: Can a good showing in Beijing boost volleyball’s popularity in this country?

A: Any publicity and visibility the sport can enjoy is beneficial. If there are 10-year-old kids sitting at home watching the game, and it will be televised in prime time if we have an opportunity to win a medal, they might gain exposure to the game they might not otherwise have.

In a lot of ways, that’s how I became exposed to the sport, growing up in Arcadia, which was not very far away from where volleyball is most popular. For a kid in the Midwest, this could be his first exposure to the sport.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].