Eric Jones

Barry Faulkner

Corona del Mar High boys volleyball coach Steve Conti has won CIF

Southern Section championships with a 5-foot-10 middle blocker. But,

when he saw then-freshman Eric Jones towering over his basketball

teammates in late 1999, he didn’t hesitate to deliver his recruiting

speech.

“He told me he had done a lot more with a lot less and that I had

the potential to be a strong player,” Jones, now a 6-7 senior middle

blocker, recalled.

With no volleyball experience, Jones began with the basics on the

frosh-soph, then continued to develop as a sophomore on the junior

varsity. Last season, he emerged as a force in the CIF playoffs and,

after a strong season with the Balboa Bay Club’s 17-and-under team,

he accepted a volleyball scholarship from Stanford.

Before he heads north, however, Jones is committed to helping the

Sea Kings (14-10, 7-0 in the Pacific Coast League through Thursday

and ranked No. 2 in CIF Division II) win a Southern Section crown.

To that end, Jones, who missed the first three weeks of this

season with a sprained ankle, has continued to polish the skills

that, along with his muscular 220-pound physique, make him an

imposing presence for CdM.

And while the former standout hockey defenseman acknowledges his

size as a positive, he does not consider intimidation one of his

attributes.

At least one teammate clearly disagrees.

“After we hit in warmups, [CdM sophomore] Tom Welch usually comes

up to me and tells me ‘Dude, they’re scared of you,’ ” Jones said.

“He tells me to go out there and intimidate them. I guess there is an

intimidation factor, but I don’t see it.”

What CdM opponents, and Conti, have seen this spring, is more

developed court awareness from Jones, whose intelligence is also

reflected in his 4.1 grade-point average.

“He has continued to improve as a hitter, not only on serve

receive, but in transition,” Conti said of the Daily Pilot Athlete of

the Week, who helped CdM win two league matches, then finish fourth

in the prestigious Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions last week.

“Last year, he had a tendency to sometimes get lost in the middle of

the play. This year, he’s getting off the net and getting back up to

hit a lot more consistently. He can be such a big weapon for us.”

Conti acknowledges Jones’ devotion to volleyball, including

playing club, has helped make him an enticing prospect at the

collegiate level. But, still playing catch-up with the taller, more

seasoned players that congregate in big-time college programs, both

Jones and his coach realize he has a way to go to realize his

potential.

“I sat down with Coach Conti for about 35 minutes earlier this

week and we talked about all the things I need to do to be able to

compete at the college level,” Jones said. “It’s such a higher level,

I know I have a lot of work to do.”

Jones’ work, this season, includes playing the entire rotation,

which allows him to continue to pound sets from the back row. In the

front row, his agility and improved recognition, allows him to hit

quick sets in the middle, as well as back slides, which involve

beginning his approach toward the middle, then veering to the

outside, hitting the ball after jumping off one leg. But while he

enjoys thumping kills, Jones said he is even more passionate about

stuffing opposing hitters.

“Blocking is my favorite thing to do,” he said.

“That’s good to hear,” Conti said. “The name of the position is

middle blocker.”