TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Ed Allen”s energy is infectious.
But after only a few minutes with the new University of Alabama volleyball coach it”s very easy to get pumped up about the chances for the sport to flourish at the school.
If you need any proof, you just have to look at Allen”s immediate past at the University of Tulsa. Allen, who is in his 20th year as a head coach and is six wins shy of reaching 500 for his career, guided Conference USA member Tulsa to a 31-3 season and helped the program advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2010.
In five season at Tulsa, Allen had a 133-37 record. That record is similar to the success he had in three seasons at Division II Presbyterian College (2003-05), where he had 94 wins, and in 11 seasons at Division III Anderson University (1992-2002), where he had 267 victories.
Allen, who replaced Judy Green as head coach in January, admits the resources he has at Alabama are far more than he had at any of his other stops. But he cautions that it is nearly impossible to snap a finger and elevate a program to an elite level.
“The last six months have probably been the most difficult thing I have done in my professional career,” Allen said. “It is an unbelievable place, as you can look around and see pretty quickly, but I think we have a lot of work to do to bring in not only the talent that is capable of competing for SEC titles, but the right mentality.”
At Alabama, Allen”s task will be to rebuild a program that went 11-19 and 3-17 in the Southeastern Conference last season. His job will be made even more difficult by the fact that six SEC schools advanced to the NCAA tournament.
But Allen isn”t one to shy away from challenges. In fact, he welcomes the project and will tackle it with a direct approach that will demand the best from everyone associated with the program.
Allen has stressed professionalism and accountability to his players since the team opened its preseason earlier this month. He knows it will be a work in progress, but he expects his players to be selfless, to be committed, and to fully invested in the program.
“We have to get more athletic and we have to have a culture that is such that if we”re not the most athletic team we still have an opportunity to win matches,” Allen said. “Right now those are both things we are trying to develop.”
Allen said none of those things are different than what he implemented at Tulsa. He said his program, which went undefeated in C-USA play, had less than a quarter of the resources he has now at Alabama. Now he also has the name recognition of being the coach at a school with a national reputation. Allen said his goal will be to get into the homes of the nation”s top players and to sell his vision for the program.
“I know the formula that we created at Tulsa will win in this league,” Allen said. “I have zero doubt about that.”
Alabama will open the season Friday by playing host to the two-day Hampton Inn Bama Bash at Foster Auditorium. The event will feature Alabama State, Texas State, and Austin Peay. Alabama will kick off the event at noon Friday against Alabama State. The event will continue Saturday with matches at 10 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m.
Alabama will look to junior outside hitter Kayla Fitterer to lead the way. Fitterer was a second-team All-SEC selection last season after leading the Crimson Tide with 403 kills. She led the SEC in kills per set (3.92 in conference play).
This year, she was named to the 2011 Preseason All-SEC Team.
Allen”s first roster at Alabama features 13 players, with seven returners and six newcomers. Captain Stephanie Riley is the only senior on the team, while Fitterer, who also is a captain, is one of three juniors.
Those players are the ones who are most familiar with Alabama”s most recent success of reaching the NCAA tournament in 2006 and ”07. Allen said the lure of coaching in one of the nation”s top conference and the opportunity to create a powerhouse was too much for him to pass up. He knows it will be difficult and that it will take time, but there is no denying his energy and his vision will help him succeed.
“This has been a terrific challenge because we”re dealing with a situation that is much different than where I am coming from,” Allen said. “It is always tough in building. I have taken over four programs now, and all four of them have been in pretty similar shape. It requires a drastic change in the thinking process to make that thing happen.
“I don”t question that we have kids who will sit here and tell you they want to win. The problem is they are very naive at times about what it takes to win. You don”t know what you don”t know. … I think we have to change some of the thinking. We didn”t end up last in the SEC just because we had bad athletes. There were a few things wrong with this situation. We”re not going to accept anything less than the best those kids have to give us, and that may not be enough. That also is a reality. We”ll all come to grips with that as the season progresses. This is not a destination. This is an opportunity to climb the stairs, and when you stop climbing we probably will find another set of stairs for you to climb.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 49 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.