Q&A; with Steve Walker

Former Newport Harbor High football quarterback and volleyball standout Steve Walker is in his second season as women’s volleyball coach at UC Davis. He returns to Orange County to guide his Aggies against UC Irvine in a Big West Conference match tonight at 7 at Crawford Court.

The former assistant coach at Arizona and Alabama and a former All-American setter at Long Beach State spoke by phone with Barry Faulkner earlier this week.

Question: Are you enjoying leading your own program?

Answer: I really am having a blast. Davis is just a great place. The community is terrific and it’s a great college town, a great atmosphere that you don’t get that often in California. And to be back in California has been a dream come true for me. With all the pressures of being a head coach, I’m having fun.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing a head coach that didn’t factor in as an assistant?

A: I think every situation you walk into as a head coach, talking to friends and colleagues, are all different. Here, it’s mostly just the culture. It’s a really unique situation. The players I inherited, were recruited as Division II athletes [UC Davis made the transition to Division I and join the Big West as an official member this season]. The expectations at this level, to some, seem like a foreign language. But I really like the kids I did inherit. They’re giving me everything I have and blending that with newcomers. A challenge in my situation is changing the culture and it has been really interesting, finding my way along, learning to know your players. When you’re recruiting, you have the opportunity to get to know them over two or three years, to see how they react in pressure situations. When you inherit players, it takes a while to learn about them.

Q: Anything special about leading a team into competition in Orange County, where you grew up?

A: I think it’s great. It’s always awesome to come home and I do have a history here. I think I’ve lived in almost every city in Orange County, so I’m pretty familiar with the surroundings. And just to be able to walk out and coach against [UCI Coach] Charlie Brande is so much fun. I’ve known Charlie since I started as a player at Newport Harbor.

Q: How important is it to be an official member of the Big West?

A: It has been a lot more fun being in the conference and not feeling like a vagabond. Our matches count and people pencil you in when they know it counts. I think, as a team, we’re more at home, being in a conference, though it doesn’t change my approach or our approach any. I think it also helps in the recruiting game.

Q: You played football at Newport Harbor, did that impact you as a coach?

A: Yeah, I think naturally, anyone who gets into coaching has that competitive streak. Otherwise, you can’t survive. Whether its on the gridiron or in the gym, the people who are drawn to coaching are going to have that.

Q: How soon can Davis become competitive in the Big West?

A: It’s hard to tell. I’m happy with the recruiting classes that have come in and I think we have a very good class next year. Once we get them in, we need to develop talent just like other programs. It’s hard to tell and if you want a timeline, it could take two years or it could take six years. It’s difficult to say. We’ll just continue to work hard and when it happens, it will be pretty nice.