There's something special brewing in Brookline, where the boys' volleyball team is roasting the competition
That's a 25-20, 25-16, 25-14 sweep on the road for
— AJ (@aj_traub)
Though the Warriors have been on the outside looking in at the other top three teams in the Bay State Conference (and the state) the last few years, this season, they are ready to join that top tier.
Brookline (5-0) opened as the Globe's No. 1 team and
'We have made it far in the playoffs, but there is a different feeling with this season,' said junior
Amir Tomer
. 'I felt coming into the season, the vibes were kind of a new chapter for Brookline volleyball.
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'It feels like we've taken a step in the right direction, and it really feels like we have something special going here.'
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Brookline senior Kristaps Vaivars has benefitted from a new offense under first-year coach Lexi De La Cruz.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Though nearly all starters have returned from last year's quarterfinal squad, the big change is the new coach.
Lexi De La Cruz
is not just a SMASH Volleyball Club coach, but a libero on the Boston Bounce, a Volleyball League of America team.
Prior to this season he coached some of his Brookline players, and has found opportunities to play alongside them as well.
'He pushes us every day,' said Smagula. 'Whether it's him coaching us or him getting on the court and playing against us — he's one of the best players in New England and I've luckily been able to be coached by him on the beach a lot — he brings the same energy to the beach and that energy and that passion for the sport.
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'When you see your coach demonstrating that and showing so much passion and love for every single player, it makes you want to win. It makes you want to play your hardest. It makes you want to leave everything on the court.'
Luka Gallucci is a sophomore helping anchor the middle for Brookline.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
De La Cruz learned volleyball growing up in Puerto Rico, where the sport is popular enough to have a professional league. He brings an aggressive style and passion for the sport into his coaching.
'Coming here and seeing it might not be the biggest sport was a challenge to me,' he said. 'I'm trying to make sure every team I coach looks cool. Everyone wants to see them play volleyball.'
It has not taken long for Brookline to implement De La Cruz's game plan: running offense through the middle to open up the court. Senior
Kris Vaivars
,
Kris Vaivars tries twice at the pin, then smacks a kill from the middle. This is how the Warriors are finding lanes
— AJ (@aj_traub)
'Because everyone can hit from the outside, middle, right side, or back row, we're able to run a lot more plays,' Vaivars said. 'Other high school teams are really not used to that because plays like that are not common in high school.'
With Smagula —
Liam Raybould
and sophomores
Kais Al-Fakhuri
and
Luka Gallucci
in the middle, there are many ways the Warriors can win a point.
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'This year, our team has literally unlimited weapons,' Smagula said. 'There are 10-plus guys on our team that can put a ball down.'
The only position the team needed to fill this season was libero. Senior
Andrew Bacon
is getting starter minutes for the first time.
His sister
Bella
, a junior, was
'I watch her all the time and take notes from her,' Andrew Bacon said. 'As far as playing the same position, I'd say she really helps me out because she can pass and hit. So she allows me to do things that are also fun. Most people don't have a sister that plays.'
Great dig by Andrew Bacon and Alec Smagula takes it himself. What a play by the Warriors!
— AJ (@aj_traub)
Bacon said Smagula, whom he considers the best setter in the state, has developed chemistry with him quickly.
It's Bacon's first, and last, ride, and his excitement is evident.
'It's everything I wanted,' he said. 'Being the [top-ranked team], starting as a libero. I couldn't ask for more.'
Natick, MA - 4/{itcday}/2025 - 05BVOLLNOTES -- Brookline players celebrate during the win. High school feature/notes on top-ranked Brookline boys' volleyball during a Bay State Conference match vs host Natick. Brookline won the match in three straight sets. Photo by: Barry Chin/Globe Staff ) Section: Sports, Reporter: AJ Traub.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Set points
• O'Bryant's coach,
Paul Pitts-Dilley
, said the team's 6-foot outside hitter,
Louis Chiu
, is often relied on for his height and athleticism. However, off the court, the junior is ranked fifth in his class.
On April 4, Chiu presented an affordable Cuffless Blood Pressure Measurement at the Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair. The project, which addresses an increase in high blood pressure among adults, earned the Christa McAuliffe and the Sanofi Specialty Care Grand Prizes in March.
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He will represent Boston Public Schools in May at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Columbus, Ohio. Even with the added responsibility, Pitts-Dilley said Chiu has been dependable for the Tigers.
'We only see maximum effort and a smile,' Pitts-Dilley said. 'There is no better role model for what we are trying to do at the O'Bryant.'
• With a strong start and a 3-1 win over Agawam, Chicopee Comprehensive (6-0) is proving that last year's run to the Division 2 quarterfinals as a 22-seed was no fluke. The junior-heavy squad kept its record undefeated with a five-set win at Longmeadow on Thursday.
Matches to watch
Saturday, No. 12 Acton-Boxborough at No. 10 New Bedford, noon
— A pair of one-loss teams meet for a weekend matinee, and it will be A-B's first taste of nonleague play.
Monday, No. 6 Cambridge at No. 2 Newton North, 4:30
— A big test for the undefeated Falcons: the defending Division 1 champion coming off its first loss.
Monday, No. 8 BC High at No. 13 St. John's (Shrewsbury), 6:15
— St. John's (S) beat St. John's Prep. Then the Prep beat BC High. If BC High can take out the Pioneers, who have just the one win, it will open up the Catholic Conference.
Tuesday, No. 1 Brookline at No. 2 Newton North, 4:30
— The Warriors took down the other top Bay State teams, but have yet to test their breakout season against the defending champions, who will be on the second match of a back-to-back.
Correspondent Alexa Podalsky contributed.
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San Francisco Chronicle
8 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
When Don Nelson collects Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, he'll throw shade at Doncic trade
Don Nelson never coached by the book, maybe because he never read the book, having had no intention of coaching in the first place. So the man honored Sunday at the Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals game in Oklahoma City with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award had to write his own virtual book on coaching. Here is a snippet, which might bring back fond memories for long-time fans of the Golden State Warriors. It takes place in early 2007 at Smitty's, an Oakland dive bar near Lake Merritt. Nelson, coach of the Warriors, arrives with two of his players, Stephen (Stack Jack) Jackson and Baron (Boom Dizzle) Davis. The Warriors hired Nelson that season, an eyebrow-raising move because he was 66 and had been out of coaching a year, seemingly retired. This was his second go-round with the Warriors, having coached them for seven seasons, starting in '88. The Warriors had just traded for Jackson, who came with baggage. The previous season, while on probation for an assault-and-battery charge, Jackson got into a beef at a strip club and fired several shots from his handgun. Davis had a rep for not getting along with coaches, including the previous Warriors coach, Mike Montgomery. At Smitty's, Nellie, Stack Jack and Boom Dizzle played shuffleboard, drank scotch and talked basketball for a couple hours. Finally, Nelson told his two players, 'You guys are going to be my captains. You run this team, and we're going to have fun.' And so it was. The Warriors scrapped and swashbuckled their way into the playoffs and pulled off the 'We Believe' miracle, a No. 8 seed defeating the No. 1 seed Dallas Mavericks. Yes, Nelson had a style. Still does. He said for Sunday's on-court award presentation he would wear a tuxedo jacket, out of respect for the honor; a black t-shirt and blue jeans, because he doesn't take himself too seriously, and a Hawaiian necklace, because he is an adopted son of Maui, his long-time home. And shoes. More on those in a moment. The award is a big deal to Nelson. He hasn't left Maui in six years. He was lured away from paradise by the Chuck Daly honor, the culmination of Nelson's lifetime love affair with basketball that began in a chicken yard in rural Illinois, on his parents' hog farm. 'My uncle Walt put up a basket (a bicycle tire rim) in the chicken yard, and the chickens just (pooped) all over your court, of course,' Nelson says. 'It was a mess. One day I was playing against the guy next door, I dropped my gum, I thought I found it three or four times.' With Nelson's stories, sometimes you have to ponder the punch line for a moment. When Nelson was in seventh grade, pork prices slumped and the family lost the farm. That was fortuitous for young Don, because the one-room schoolhouse with six kids back on the farm wasn't going to lead him to college. The family moved to big-city Rock Island, where Don, big, strong and smart, became a star in high school. At Iowa, he was a third-team All-American as a junior, and in those pre-NIL days, he took a summer job at the International Harvester factory in Rock Island, operating a punch press. 'I looked to my right and to my left, and both guys working those machines had fingers missing,' Nelson said, laughing. 'They got 'em lopped off on the machines. They had these protective sleeves you're supposed to wear, but this was piece-work, and the only way you could make money was to take the sleeves off so you could go faster. I'm looking over, their goddamn fingers are missing and I'm going, 'Holy s—t, it's going to be hard to be a basketball player with fingers missing.' ' Nelson survived the factory, and after Iowa he went on to a 12-year NBA career, earning five rings with the Boston Celtics. He played one season under coach Red Auerbach, before Auerbach moved to the front office. Nelson made it a routine on game days to arrive at the arena several hours early and drop by Auerbach's office. 'I would sit there and talk basketball with him,' Nelson said, 'and I just learned so much from him. That's how I really got deep into the game. Things like how to run a team, how to get your team ready, get after guys at halftime.' That reminded Nelson of a story. 'One game we were down by about 15 at halftime. Red got on my old friend, Tom (Satch) Sanders. He said, 'Goddammit, Satch, you're not playing worth a s—t. If you don't get going, we're going to lose this game.' Satch says, 'Coach, I haven't been in the game yet.' ' After retiring, Nelson needed a job, so he decided to become an NBA ref. He worked the Summer League in Los Angeles and was told he'd need a year of seasoning in the Eastern League. Then he got a call from Milwaukee Bucks' GM Wayne Embry, offering him the assistant coaching job under Larry Costello. Back then (1976-77), NBA coaches had one assistant coach. 'I had a family of five and no job, so at least I was working,' Nelson said. Eighteen games into the season, the Bucks were 3-15 and the frustrated Costello quit. 'I begged him not to, because I thought I'd get fired,' Nelson said. Team owner Jim Fitzgerald offered the head job to Nelson, who turned it down twice before giving in. 'He said, 'Look, give it a try, we don't have anybody, we've got a game tomorrow.' So I said, 'OK, I'll try it and see what happens.' So I went from being a $25,000 assistant coach to being a $50,000 head coach.' At Milwaukee, out of pure expediency, Nelson developed his style of position-less basketball, which he would later bring to the Warriors, creating Run TMC. With the Bucks, Nelson was coach and general manager, and for that first season, the team's only scout. 'Being the GM, that gave me a tremendous advantage, I could pick players I thought we could work with and be good with. So I always picked the best player (regardless of size) and kind of made it work.' He made it work for 1,335 wins, second on the NBA's all-time list to Greg Popovich. Nelson coached the Warriors three seasons after We Believe. Then Joe Lacob bought the team and fired him. The Chronicle reported that Lacob wanted "a young, up-and-coming coach." 'I was a little surprised with the way things happened, but I think it is for the best for everybody,' Nelson said back then. Next — and last — stop for Nellie: Maui. He and wife Miss Joy fell in love with Hawaii during his playing days and bought a vacation house on Maui in '95, then bought more property. 'There was a good time to buy property on Maui,' Nelson once told me, 'and during that time, I bought a lot of it.' The Nelsons' beautiful waterfront home in Kihei is a base for Miss Joy's competitive Hawaiian canoe paddling, and for Nellie's poker. Years ago, Nelson became famous for his regular poker games with a group of Maui neighbors, including Willie Nelson and Owen Wilson. Times change. Nellie still plays poker with the boys every Wednesday, but Willie retired from poker after he got COVID. Too risky, although he still tours and performs, and has a new album out. Don Nelson still plays golf two or three times a week, and says he is feeling good. 'I quit smoking cigars and pot, and quit drinking alcohol,' said Nelson, noting he also smoked cigarettes for 30 years, a habit he picked up with the Celtics, who would light up at halftime. 'I quit weed about six months ago. I haven't drank alcohol in five years or so, so I'm pretty boring, but I'm pretty healthy. I don't participate in that stuff anymore, I do OK without it.' Boring, but with style. Nelson said his outfit for the Sunday ceremony would include special shoes, a tribute to Luka Doncic. 'I'm wearing a pair of Luka's shoes,' Nelson said. 'He's my dear friend, this is in protest of the trade (the Mavericks traded Doncic to the Lakers in midseason). I get 15 seconds on national TV. I don't have to say anything. Look for those shoes, goddammit.'
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