COLLEGES:

These are heady times for the UC Irvine athletic department, which is still reveling in the exploits of several Anteaters at the recent Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

On campus early last week to speak with some coaches about their upcoming fall seasons, my stroll through the lobby of the department’s Crawford Hall offices was interrupted by a commotion surrounding none other than Kobe Bryant.

Bryant, who frequently works out at UCI, was passing through the lobby on his way to his vehicle, when he encountered UCI men’s volleyball coach John Speraw, who was an assistant coach on the gold-medal-winning United States men’s volleyball team in Beijing.

Speraw had introduced himself to Bryant, a Newport Coast resident and a star among stars on the gold-medal-winning U.S. men’s basketball team, at the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing and the two conversed in Crawford Hall as freely as they’d known each other for years.

A handful of players on the UCI women’s volleyball team also stopped to say hello to the Los Angeles Lakers’ reigning NBA MVP, giggling and grinning in his presence like awe-struck fans.

A few days later, it was men’s water polo silver medalists Jeff Powers and Rick Merlo who were entertaining a handful of media interested in hearing their tales from the Games.

Powers, with his medal draped around his neck — a fashion accessory he later said was all but required, lest he risk pestering from friends and other well wishers he encounters not yet a week after obtaining the prize — politely removed it to allow anyone and everyone interested to handle one of the most treasured spoils in sport.

Men’s water polo coach Marc Hunt had already included a photo of the four 2008 men’s water polo Olympians who were UCI products on his office wall among a virtual framed photographic history of one of UCI’s most tradition-rich programs (NCAA championships in 1989, 1982 and 1970).

The other two UCI water polo Olympians were 2007 NCAA Player of the Year Tim Hutten and Ryan Bailey, a veteran of two Olympics and, along with Powers, one of Team USA’s leading contributors.

 Among the Olympics-related topics Speraw addressed was the image, captured by NBC cameras, of him on the verge of tears as the national anthem was played for the men’s volleyball gold medal ceremony.

Speraw, who prides himself on his stoic sideline expression — sitting with legs crossed during match point of a five-game match as if he were perched on his porch, with all around him going crazy, is his preferred mode of comportment — confessed the moment pushed him to his emotional edge.

“I had the full-on chin quiver and I was thinking to myself ‘I know my [UCI players] are going to give me a lot of grief for this.’ ”

Speraw took a deep breath and refrained from crying, but, he thought, the damage had already been done.

 UCI assistant men’s volleyball coach David Kniffin was, of course, among those joyous over the success of Team USA and Speraw, who, like all coaches, did not receive a medal.

Beyond his association with Speraw, however, his personal celebration of the gold medal victory included thoughts for some good friends on the roster.

Kniffin, who finished his collegiate career at UCI after beginning at Loyola Marymount, was a freshman at LMU when USA starting outside hitter Reid Priddy, who, it turns out is a Newport Beach resident when not playing professionally abroad, was a senior. Kniffin said Priddy is not only a great player but one of the best people he has met in the sport.

Kniffin also said he played on the same professional team in Spain with former Long Beach State All-American Scott Touzinsky, a Team USA reserve.

*The Anteaters’ presence in Beijing was also bolstered by current UCI graduate student Brittany Hayes, who won silver with the U.S. women’s water polo team. She played collegiately at USC.

In badminton, Eva Lee, who attends UCI, lost her singles match to Canada’s Anna Rice in three sets, but made history as the first American to win a game in Olympic competition.

Lee paired with 2006 UCI graduate May Mangkalakiri in doubles, but lost to Singapore’s Yanmei Jiang and Yujia Li, 2-0.

Cyclist Amber Neben, who earned a master’s degree at UCI, finished 33rd in the women’s road race.

Former UCI sailor Jay Glaser coached the Netherlands to a sixth-place finish in the Tornado event. It was Glaser’s fourth Olympic Games. He competed in 1984 and was a coach the last three Games.

Julie Swail Ertel, a former UCI women’s water polo coach, finished 19th in the women’s triathlon.

UCI women’s volleyball assistant Jay Hosack was also member of the U.S. men’s staff, but did not travel with the team to Beijing.

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