Money is the great equalizer.
Then, just like with Mike Horn and CRN, I paid KTNN for the entire broadcast season in advance. Now I had the base foundation with CRN sending out the broadcast via satellite and KTNN carrying the sportscasts on its station. I then flew to Las Vegas (that I could do) and met with the station manager of KVEG AM Radio, an all-sports radio station and following the same pattern, signed this 50,000-watt station to the same NCAA Volleyball sports radio package. When the broadcasts started in January 1993, it was a mega hit. I even had the Los Angeles Times Sports Section running listings of each of the broadcast in its daily Radio/TV log.
NCAA Volleyball radio broadcasts were being listed right next to those for the Los Angeles Lakers!
This meant that NCAA Volleyball had finally arrived. Fans were dialing in, not only to CRN but listening in from around the world. Don’t forget that I was still producing and broadcasting the Hawaii radio broadcasts and as many of the BYU broadcasts that I could fit in to this new league broadcast package. Suffice to say, I was maxed out. By the time the 1993/94 broadcast seasons rolled around, I had to opt out of the BYU Volleyball programming. Bob understood the pressure I was under. The BYU women’s season was insane enough with the home and away broadcasts but adding the overlay of the Wahine broadcasts; but when it came to the Men’s season, I just couldn’t handle anymore.
***
Here’s the thing, I was now the definitive “voice” of Volleyball in America and, in all respect to Bob, had gone far beyond the broadcasts he was doing for KSRR. Not to acknowledge Bob’s help in putting me on this path would be entirely inappropriate .
Thank you Bob.
But now I was on my own and everything was clicking.
***
Let me introduce you to one of my very best friends that Volleyball brought me to. His name is Mitch Lehman and I was acquainted with him through a mutual friend at Sideout Sport, a Southern California manufacturer of Volleyball sportswear. Mitch was doing some consulting for Sideout and I met him at the Monrovia factory one afternoon. We hit it off immediately and I asked him if he wanted to sit in on a broadcast as my color commentator for a Hawaii broadcast I was going to do that night at Long Beach State. Mitch, grinning like a cat, immediately said yes and that night we worked together to send the broadcast back to Honolulu.
Hawaii and Long Beach State always made for a great radio match-up.
And as a color man, Mitch was better than good. We connected instantly and had an amazing chemistry on the air. A part-time beach Volleyball player himself, Mitch’s knowledge of the game and his relationships with the players dwarfed mine. He oozed Volleyball and knew every rule, regulation and nuisance of the sport and he really pushed me to be better. I immediately asked him to be part of all of the broadcasts I was doing and to join in on each pre-game show as “The Coach, Mitch Lehman” and on-mike friendship reflected the respect that we had for each other. Because the majority of the Hawaii Men’s and Wahine broadcasts were in Southern California, Mitch was available for all of the matches. It was a joy to work with him and we formed a bond of friendship that lasts through this day. I am so blessed that he is my friend.
It was sometimes a struggle to do many of the Wahine Volleyball broadcasts “solo”; that is Western Athletic Conference matches in places like Rice University in Houston, Texas. Iverson’s network covered my expenses but refused to do for Mitch, so I ended up doing them alone. Fortunately for me and I think to a great extent to the listeners, the Wahine would pound their opponents into the floor and we would be out of the gym in about one hour.
I will never forget one particular broadcast at UC San Diego.
Mitch and I drove down to this predominantly academic university for the broadcast of a Hawaii men’s match against the Tritons which ended (for them) in 45 merciful minutes. However, with all University of Hawaii radio broadcasts, you must fill in all of the time of each and every broadcast that are already sold and locked in. So, there Mitch and I were in a now empty gym, watching student workers sweeping up the floor and bantering away just to fill up the time. The post-game show lasted longer than the action on the court.
***
I’ve shared with you about the mania that is the University of Hawaii Volleyball. Now I have to introduce you to one of the most electrifying players ever to wear a Volleyball uniform. His name is Yuval Katz and he was the starting outside hitter for the Rainbows. UH head Coach Mike Wilton recruited Katz from Israel where he played on numerous club teams and after fulfilling his required military time for his nation, came to the Hawaii Volleyball program. Katz hit the islands like a tidal wave. There was never a more exciting team in recent Volleyball history that there was in the mid-1990’s with Katz leading the way. Fans at the UH Stan Sherriff Center Arena would wait for days to get one of their allotted tickets to see this Hawaii team play. It was beyond “rock concert” status as young 17 year olds would throw themselves all over the players and would pass out - all on live local Hawaii TV - whenever Katz would come onto the court.
I hate regret. I think it is a useless emotion. I think you should accept life the way it comes. But the one “regret” I have was never being allowed by Iverson to broadcast any of the Hawaii Men’s or Wahine broadcasts at home at the Stan Sherriff Center. Iverson didn't want to incur the expense of flying me out to Hawaii to do a home broadcast where he could get a local announcer to do it. It was understandable. But I dearly wanted to see what it was like to experience Hawaii Volleyball, just once, in Honolulu. For you see, Katz and the Rainbows were the #1 team in America and every time the team went to the US mainland, tens of thousands of people listened to every live broadcast that Mitch and I did.
Some people drink coffee for caffeine high.
Who needs that crap?
When Katz and the Rainbows suited up and played at UCLA and USC, I just put on the headphones and EXPLODED all over the radio. Mitch had to try and hold me back, eventually giving up and coming along for the ride. He and I were better than good as every spike, dig and block were instantly radiated back the 2,500 miles back to the Hawaii Islands like a metal slinky. The Rainbows pulverized every opponent they faced and upon returning back to Honolulu were greeted by thousands of fans that packed the pre-9/11 Honolulu International Airport.
I was still doing the league broadcasts and combined many of them with the Rainbow Sports Radio Network radio broadcasts. So, just once, I scheduled one league broadcast to originate from Honolulu. I wanted to see what it was like when Katz and the Rainbows were playing at home in the Stan Sherriff Center. It was incredible … unbelievable. Words cannot even come close to the level of excitement and love the local Hawaiians had for Yuval Katz. When the Rainbows came onto the court, the noise level was teeth jarring. I had seen the team a few days earlier in California and each of the players high fived me when they ran around the court for their warm-ups. I think they were hosting UC Irvine and handled the Anteaters mercilessly; like red meat to a hungry dog and won the match in a runaway.
Well, it finally came time for the NCAA National Championship at UCLA against the home-court Bruins. More than 5,000 insanely crazy Hawaii fans made the trip over from Honolulu and Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA Campus rocked. Mitch and I was at our very best, calling the match live on both radio networks as the see-saw battle waged between both ball clubs. The Rainbows made it to match point, serving for the NCAA National Championship only to fall to the Bruins by two points in the fifth and final game.
A tough loss for the Bows and for Katz who returned for just one more season. But it was never quite the same. The magic was gone. But my God was that fun.
More than a decade