Daily Pilot Prep Athlete of the Week: Loyd Wright
Barry Faulkner
Newport Harbor High boys volleyball standout Loyd Wright has been
recognized All-Sea View League, All-Newport-Mesa District and the MVP of
the Orange County Championships. He has helped the Sailors earn two Sea
View championships, back-to-back titles at the Orange County
Championships and, this year, the county’s No. 1 ranking.
But the ultimate honor, bestowed only recently upon the senior setter,
just might be the silent treatment afforded him by Coach Dan Glenn.
Glenn, who admittedly rides his setters more relentlessly than his
other players, who might be surprised to learn there is a higher level of
expectation than the one the respected veteran coach places upon them,
said the progress of his three-year starter is worthy of some swan-song
season slack.
“Loyd was the starter as a sophomore, then broke his hand (missing the
CIF Southern Section playoffs), which was frustrating for him,” Glenn
recalled. “Last year, he had a good season, but he needed to work on his
speed and his strength. He came back a lot stronger and quicker this year
and, just in the last month or so, he has really started to play like a
senior.”
There are few finer compliments given by Glenn, who has subsequently
altered his approach to correcting his co-captain’s diminishing mistakes.
“I usually don’t tell my setters what to do during matches; I just
yell at them after they make a poor decision,” Glenn said. “Loyd still
makes mistakes, but, now, I wait till after the match and we talk about
them.”
Glenn is happy to talk about the maturation of Wright’s game, which
had been greatly aided by the presence of assistant coach Russell Gan, a
former All-CIF setter at Harbor who went on to start four seasons at the
University of the Pacific.
“Russell has been great with Loyd,” Glenn said. “I wouldn’t say he’s
acted as a buffer, but Russell has the ability to get my point across to
him in a slightly different way. Russell played for me, so he knows what
I want. I don’t care who my players get (my instructions) from, as long
as they get them. They don’t always have to get it from me.”
Due in part to this “Gan’s-lation,” as well as Wright’s continued
comfort at a position he began playing only after transferring from Santa
Margarita High, where he was a freshman outside hitter, Wright seems to
have grasped the complicated blend of skills -- virtually equal parts
mental and physical -- needed to run the Sailors’ show.
“He has always been a volleyball player,” Glenn said of Wright, who
was initiated into the game at an early age by older brothers Rob, Brody
and Jeremy Mape, all of whom played as preps at Corona del Mar (Rob also
played at the University of Hawaii). “He grew up around the sport and he
has always understood the game. But, just in the last month or so, he has
begun to understand the game as a setter, which is a completely different
thing.”
The results of this progress are easily quantifiable. The Daily Pilot
Athlete of the Week amassed 83 assists in the Sailors’ 15-4, 12-15, 15-7,
15-5 win over Bullard of Fresno in the fifth-place final of the Santa
Barbara Tournament of Champions Saturday at Santa Barbara High.
He also collected 51 assists in a fifth-place semifinal sweep of San
Marcos Saturday, en route to all-tournament laurels, after guiding the
Sailors to a Sea View sweep of Laguna Hills April 25.
He also helped the Tars close out an unbeaten Sea View campaign
Tuesday with a sweep at second-place Woodbridge.
“I think I’ve been pretty comfortable this year, but every match gets
easier,” said Wright, who has all but finalized plans to continue playing
collegiately at Arizona.
Wright said repetition and the bond developed by playing with fellow
senior hitters Greg Perrine, Brian Gaeta and Erik Peterson, have made it
easier to keep defenders off balance. But, he said the mental focus
necessary to call plays (prior to each serve), track down passes, read
opposing blockers, and deliver the ball to the spot that makes the most
sense, in the desired location for that specific hitter, is a challenge
he must continually rise to.
“There are a lot of calls I need to make and a lot of the decisions I
end up making, have a lot to do with feel,” Wright said. “Having the kind
of weapons we have this year makes my job a lot easier. But I’m usually
pretty mentally drained after a match.”
Wright, who is as unselfish with his praise for the guidance given him
by Glenn and Gan as he is dispensing sets, said he is anxious to help
guide his team in the upcoming CIF Division II playoffs.
But first, there are Back Bay bragging rights to be settled with
Corona del Mar, which visits the Sailors’ gym Friday at 6:30 p.m.
“I remember watching my brothers play in those matches and it will be
especially exciting playing this one at Newport,” Wright said.
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