June 1986 Volleyball Monthly

Selznick
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From Page .34
no longer had the consistent physical
ability that still flashed through in
brilliant outbursts: the perfect set from
the backline, the timely dink, the clever
second-hit, the occasional straight-down
smash. He displayed pace, a marshalling
of his energy', the wisdom to know
when to use it, and a competitive fire
that burned, amazingly bright, after 16
years of volleyball.
At Laguna that summer, with
unheralded Phil Anderson, he fought to
a second behind I^ing-Von Hagen;
O’Hara with Tom Haine, was fourth. At
Manhattan he played into the drizzly
darkness of the loser’s bracket finals on
Sunday night, raining down skyballs and
roundhouses before an enthralled crowd
of shivering fans.
I am reminded, now, of a slogan 1
read on a tennis bag: “Age and trickery'
will beat youth and talent anytime.” I
am also reminded of two Selznick
mental snapshots. In one he is on an
outside court at Manhattan, receiving
serves with his hands. 1 he referee calls
the first a throw, and the second, but
the third passes undisputed; everyone
knew it, too, was mishandled, including
the ref, who simply could not call three
in a row on Gene Selznick. That was
probably the last time anyone received a
serve in that fashion at Manhattan Beach,
another bookend to the end of an era.
The second image is of the 1966
season-ending State Beach Open, with
Selznick and Bobby Hogan dueling Rand
Carter and his younger brother Scott in
the finals on Labor Day. The Carters
were defensive dervishes, time and again
diving five and 10 feet into the crowds
after glancing spikes. They were sent
there by' Selznick. who with a
stiff-legged jump and wincing with
painful leg cramps, powered the ball
over the net.
The home crowd cheerd the
underdogs: “Go Bobby! Go Gino!” And
“Hogie the Magician" continued to the
sand after every rally, struggled to his
feet and squinted into the sun, forever
awaiting the next point. 1 can’t
remember who won. I don’t think it
mattered.
Gene Selznick influenced volleyball
with his play and his personality,
continues to do so today as a promoter
and coach, and even contributed a
World Champ, son Dane, to its history.
There are many who maintain, despite
the changes in the game and the
increasingly skilled athletes who now
pursue it professionally, that he was the
best who ever played, the all-time “King
of the Beach.” Perhaps. He was....the
first.O
June 1()86 VOLLEYBALL MONTHLY