Passion fuels OCC’s Grasso

When Gianluca Grasso tracks a set lofted high in his direction, it’s not the volleyball or the lights, or the ceiling he sees as much as the sky.

Still a shoe sole shy of 6-foot-2, the Orange Coast College outside hitter has used rare athleticism to become the top offensive weapon for a team poised to contend for a state championship.

But just as critical to his pursuit of success, has been an adventurous spirit and passion for commitment.

“He is just working it,” said OCC Coach Travis Turner, who admires Grasso’s grit as much as his game. “There are a lot of things about this kid that I love.”

Grasso, born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was raised in the shadow of a volleyball net. His father Mauro and mother Rejane both played in the Brazilian national team program and Mauro eventually became a top professional coach, with a resume that reads like an international travel log.

“I’ve moved all over the place,” said Gianluca, who came to America from Puerto Rico for his final two years of high school.

“My team in Puerto Rico finished third at the junior nationals when I was 16 and a coach who was at the tournament [John Hawks, now a UCLA assistant who had also held the same position at UC Irvine and Long Beach State] asked me to come to a summer camp in Ohio,” Gianluca said. “After the camp, he asked me to come play for him at the high school where he was coaching [the Andrews Osborne Academy, in the Cleveland suburb of Willoughby, Ohio].”

Grasso seized the opportunity and, after helping the school win an Ohio Valley Region championship as a senior, committed to continue his career at UCLA. But when a future in Westwood was compromised by financial concerns, Grasso took a year off and moved in with his parents in Texas, where his father was running a club program.

Grasso worked multiple jobs, including coaching at the club, to save money to fund his quest to continue playing. Eventually, Hawks connected him with Turner, who was more than willing to help Grasso return to the court.

“We got an email from [Grasso], and a video of him playing,” Turner said. “When I saw the video, I thought ‘Oh, my god, the kid is going to be one of the best players ever to play JC volleyball.’ He’s a highlight reel is what he is. He just does some things that are pretty impressive athletically.”

Grasso was leads the Pirates (15-2, 8-1 in the Pacific Coast Conference) with 175 kills and 28 aces. His 88 digs rank second on the team and he has been in on 24 blocks.

OCC plays host to PCC leader Golden West (14-2, 8-0) on Friday at 6 p.m. Golden West edged the Pirates in five sets in their first meeting, March 9 in the Rustlers’ gym.

“On the court, he has gotten better and better,” Turner said of Grasso. “And in the last two weeks, he has been a handful for other teams.”

Grasso is now leaning heavily toward a future at USC, at which he said he would enroll in the fall if he can secure documentation for his quest to gain U.S. residency. If he can’t establish residency necessary to obtain financial aid, he would play next season at OCC, he said.

Off the court, he is a straight-A student who is industrious with his free time. He worked at a fast-food restaurant during the fall semester and now works fewer hours at a local furniture store to help pay his out-of-state tuition at OCC.

In his Pirates uniform, Grasso, whose older brother Marco is a setter at Ohio State and his sister Anna Carolina (Carol) is an all-conference outside hitter at Cal State Bakersfield, makes opponents pay with a well-rounded arsenal.

“I touch 11-2 and my wingspan is 6-3,” Grasso said. “Not a lot of guys can get as high as I can. And, since my dad has been a volleyball coach his whole life, I’ve learned lot from him. I’ve been playing and watching; just been around the game since I was very little.”

Grasso also said he brings a passion for the game that translates to competitive success.

“There is something extra that Brazilians have and the way I learned how to play the game that makes me different,” Grasso said. “We just play with a little extra emotion.”

Grasso would like to experience the emotion generated by winning a state championship with OCC.

“If we focus on our game, we’re going to win it,” said Grasso.