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On a bus ride to Pauley Pavilion before the start of the NCAA Final Four, Hawaii men’s volleyball coach Charlie Wade and setter Tread Rosenthal reminisced about the day Rosenthal informed the coaching staff he will play for UH.
It changed the direction of the program.
“I reminded him if you remember what you said to me when he called to commit back when he was in high school,” said Wade, after winning his third national championship as UH’s head coach. “He said, ‘Coach, let’s do this, I am going to come in there and we are going to win championships together.’ For me, it’s a thrill that we can see that through completion before his career is over and we got a chance. … He did say it was multiple (championships) so we still have got some work to do.”
That phone call was in early July, 2022 after Hawaii had won its second national championship in a row.
UH still had setter Jakob Thelle, who was the AVCA National Player of the Year.
Hawaii came one match short of a third title in a row, losing to UCLA in four sets in the final. It marked the final match for Thelle and Dimitrios Mouchlias, who was also named an AVCA All-American and had two more years of eligibility, but decided to turn pro.
Wade had opposite hitters in the pipeline ready to replace Mouchlias. But keeping Hawaii at the level of playing for national championships came with the commitment of Rosenthal, who enrolled early after his junior year of high school.
“He’s got a bit of that Pied Piper kind of vibe to him. Guys like playing with the guy,” Wade said two days after the national championship victory over UC Irvine. “Everybody wants a good setter, and he has been the starting setter on the (United States) U17, U19, U21 teams and he’s the best that America has to offer. Clearly one of the best players in the world with this generation.”
The success this year’s volleyball team began with Rosenthal elevating himself to another level as a junior.
Louis Sakanoko, Adrien Roure and Justin Todd all elevated their games to another level and the additions of Trevell Jordan in the middle and and Quintin Greenidge at libero only further boosted UH’s chances to complete this run.
Where Rosenthal also made an undeniable impact was in keeping the team together, through lengthy flight delays and players’ suitcases and bags getting stolen in a parking lot in Palo Alto, Calif.
Watching his relationship with Kristian Titriyski, who missed two months of the season for a variety of reasons, and keeping his Bulgarian opposite hitter engaged even as he made plans to turn professional after the season, made a big difference down the stretch.
Titriyski led Hawaii in kills in all three NCAA Tournament matches and closed out UC Irvine in the final with 16 kills and only four errors.
“He’s one of the most unique teammates I think I’ve ever had,” Rosenthal said. “And that’s going back to when I first met him. I think I’ve had the most arguments and the most one-on-one real time with him. We’ve got a deep connection and I guess it’s been building since last year.”
Hawaii sophomore outside hitter Finn Kearney met Rosenthal prior to UH while playing international volleyball.
Kearney, who would likely start for just about any other team in the country, was a serving sub for Hawaii all season.
He will have a chance to play wherever he likes, if he chooses to do so, but part of his reason for staying in Hawaii is his relationship with his setter.
Rosenthal’s two most favorite things about college volleyball is chasing championships on the court and hanging out with the team off of it.
“Just having the boys around all year, it was a really fun year because our team was so tight,” Rosenthal said.
When Rosenthal was named the Big West Player of the Year, he was asked about why he came to the University of Hawaii. He mentioned the players before him, including Thelle. The two remain in touch and connect via text from time to time.
“I haven’t done what they did necessarily for this program,” Rosenthal said prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament. “It’s a big a step for not only me, but this team, and it’s super cool to be a part of this.”
A national championship changes that. A second national championship would put him in a very elite category of the absolute greatest players to don a UH jersey.
That’s a goal that he can think about next year. For now it’s back to representing his country and finally getting to play with the senior national team.
“He’s going to have another full summer,” Wade said. “I think he is going to bypass any of the age group stuff and really focus most of his time with the senior national group.
“And you know, he’s 19-years-old. Volleyball players aren’t really good until they are like 30 or in their mid 30s. He’s got 10 years of growth and development. At 29, he will be one of the best players in the world. It’s wild to think where this is going to lead and going to be so much fun to watch.”
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It changed the direction of the program.
“I reminded him if you remember what you said to me when he called to commit back when he was in high school,” said Wade, after winning his third national championship as UH’s head coach. “He said, ‘Coach, let’s do this, I am going to come in there and we are going to win championships together.’ For me, it’s a thrill that we can see that through completion before his career is over and we got a chance. … He did say it was multiple (championships) so we still have got some work to do.”
That phone call was in early July, 2022 after Hawaii had won its second national championship in a row.
UH still had setter Jakob Thelle, who was the AVCA National Player of the Year.
Hawaii came one match short of a third title in a row, losing to UCLA in four sets in the final. It marked the final match for Thelle and Dimitrios Mouchlias, who was also named an AVCA All-American and had two more years of eligibility, but decided to turn pro.
Wade had opposite hitters in the pipeline ready to replace Mouchlias. But keeping Hawaii at the level of playing for national championships came with the commitment of Rosenthal, who enrolled early after his junior year of high school.
“He’s got a bit of that Pied Piper kind of vibe to him. Guys like playing with the guy,” Wade said two days after the national championship victory over UC Irvine. “Everybody wants a good setter, and he has been the starting setter on the (United States) U17, U19, U21 teams and he’s the best that America has to offer. Clearly one of the best players in the world with this generation.”
The success this year’s volleyball team began with Rosenthal elevating himself to another level as a junior.
Louis Sakanoko, Adrien Roure and Justin Todd all elevated their games to another level and the additions of Trevell Jordan in the middle and and Quintin Greenidge at libero only further boosted UH’s chances to complete this run.
Where Rosenthal also made an undeniable impact was in keeping the team together, through lengthy flight delays and players’ suitcases and bags getting stolen in a parking lot in Palo Alto, Calif.
Watching his relationship with Kristian Titriyski, who missed two months of the season for a variety of reasons, and keeping his Bulgarian opposite hitter engaged even as he made plans to turn professional after the season, made a big difference down the stretch.
Titriyski led Hawaii in kills in all three NCAA Tournament matches and closed out UC Irvine in the final with 16 kills and only four errors.
“He’s one of the most unique teammates I think I’ve ever had,” Rosenthal said. “And that’s going back to when I first met him. I think I’ve had the most arguments and the most one-on-one real time with him. We’ve got a deep connection and I guess it’s been building since last year.”
Hawaii sophomore outside hitter Finn Kearney met Rosenthal prior to UH while playing international volleyball.
Kearney, who would likely start for just about any other team in the country, was a serving sub for Hawaii all season.
He will have a chance to play wherever he likes, if he chooses to do so, but part of his reason for staying in Hawaii is his relationship with his setter.
Rosenthal’s two most favorite things about college volleyball is chasing championships on the court and hanging out with the team off of it.
“Just having the boys around all year, it was a really fun year because our team was so tight,” Rosenthal said.
When Rosenthal was named the Big West Player of the Year, he was asked about why he came to the University of Hawaii. He mentioned the players before him, including Thelle. The two remain in touch and connect via text from time to time.
“I haven’t done what they did necessarily for this program,” Rosenthal said prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament. “It’s a big a step for not only me, but this team, and it’s super cool to be a part of this.”
A national championship changes that. A second national championship would put him in a very elite category of the absolute greatest players to don a UH jersey.
That’s a goal that he can think about next year. For now it’s back to representing his country and finally getting to play with the senior national team.
“He’s going to have another full summer,” Wade said. “I think he is going to bypass any of the age group stuff and really focus most of his time with the senior national group.
“And you know, he’s 19-years-old. Volleyball players aren’t really good until they are like 30 or in their mid 30s. He’s got 10 years of growth and development. At 29, he will be one of the best players in the world. It’s wild to think where this is going to lead and going to be so much fun to watch.”
Continue reading...
