{"id":14,"date":"2019-05-01T19:05:37","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T02:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/?p=999948537"},"modified":"2019-06-24T03:36:18","modified_gmt":"2019-06-24T03:36:18","slug":"lbsus-tj-defalco-and-his-impossible-pursuit-of-perfection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/lbsus-tj-defalco-and-his-impossible-pursuit-of-perfection","title":{"rendered":"LBSU’s TJ DeFalco and his impossible pursuit of perfection"},"content":{"rendered":"

TJ DeFalco only wants one thing. It\u2019s a simple word and an impossible goal: perfection.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to do things perfectly, I feel like I have to do things perfectly,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to beat teams 25-0 every set and I\u2019m never going to get over that we can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That intense drive is his greatest gift and likely his biggest weakness. It\u2019s taken him to heights that few other NCAA players in any sport have reached. He was compared to Karch Kiraly while still a youth volleyball player, set high school records after going two years with no losses, made the USA National Team at 18, and this week, became just the third four-time First Team All-American in the history of his sport.<\/p>\n

Named the 2019 National Player of the Year on Wednesday\u2014he was awarded the same honor in 2017\u2014DeFalco is trying to add one more national championship ring to his collection this week, as Long Beach State\u2019s Walter Pyramid plays host to the NCAA Final Four. DeFalco’s Long Beach State, defending national champions, faces Pepperdine at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, and will possibly meet Hawaii in the national championship on Saturday at 5 p.m. Both matches are already sold out, and it\u2019s a good thing; this might be the last chance to see one of the best athletes in the history of the city playing in town.<\/p>\n

\u201cTJ is driven purely by a desire to be perfect at a game that doesn\u2019t allow you to be perfect,\u201d said LBSU coach Alan Knipe. \u201cJust trying to find a little bit more and a little bit more. He\u2019s incredibly special.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Next great thing’<\/strong><\/p>\n

While a relentless pursuit of excellency might make for an outstanding athlete, it\u2019s not the easiest trait for a young kid. But, according to DeFalco\u2019s father, Torey, his son has always had that kind of personality.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when he was a young, young boy, if his mom got frustrated with him while he\u2019s rolling his eyes or whatever, I\u2019d say this is a tremendous leader in training right here, he\u2019s just really, really raw,\u201d said Torey.<\/p>\n

DeFalco is one of seven kids and grew up homeschooled on a Missouri farm until the family moved to Southern California. There\u2019s a reason Torey was able to see through his son\u2019s occasional bursts of temper or frustrations.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of my personality derives from my father,\u201d said TJ. \u201cWe have the same brain type. He wants to do everything perfectly. If he was washing dishes he wants to find out how to do it the most efficiently, he wanted to feed the cows the fastest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sports became the perfect outlet for TJ; he grinded hard to become an excellent youth golfer, before falling in love with volleyball. DeFalco attended Huntington Beach High, where he and Long Beach State teammate Josh Tuaniga won three straight CIF Southern Section championships, including two 40-0 seasons their junior and senior years.<\/p>\n

The hype began to build around him as a young player as he began drawing comparisons to the best American volleyball players in history, including Kiraly. Even as that praise and those expectations accumulated, DeFalco didn\u2019t let them inside, instead, he\u2019d be on the court cursing at himself after an error, or barking into his hands after a missed serve. It was an attitude that could rub fans the wrong way, a heralded player storming around the court furiously.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Despite all evidence and opinions to the contrary, TJ DeFalco still believes the perfect game is possible. Photo by Stephen Dachman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve mellowed over the years, and I think I\u2019ve been able to teach him some of the things I\u2019ve learned so that he doesn\u2019t come off as an asshole,\u201d said Torey.<\/p>\n

DeFalco was the top college recruit in the country, and what Knipe saw wasn\u2019t a player who was a bad teammate or a negative personality, it was a player who was fighting to make sure he didn\u2019t succumb to other people\u2019s expectations or praise.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince he\u2019s been very young he\u2019s had to deal with very high expectations and that\u2019s not easy when you\u2019re a kid,\u201d said Knipe. \u201cYou have no time off, everyone is anointing you as this next great thing. The best thing about TJ is nobody could ever put an expectation on him that\u2019s even in the realm of his expectations for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘The right thing’<\/strong><\/p>\n

After graduating high school and spending a summer with the USA National Team, DeFalco arrived as a freshman at Long Beach State in an awkward position. He was clearly the most talented player on the floor in most matches but was also a newcomer to the team and the NCAA. He struggled with figuring out how to lead, especially with players who were older and more experienced.<\/p>\n

Even though Long Beach State had exceptional success in his freshman and sophomore campaigns\u2014reaching the Final Four as DeFalco was named first-team All-American\u2014they felt like disappointments.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t developed as a leader when we were younger,\u201d said Tuaniga. \u201cGuys had a hard time figuring him out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tuaniga and Knipe both say they\u2019ve been blown away by how much DeFalco has improved as a leader, becoming not just the best player on the floor, but a true leader and teammate as well. Asked how he got better at it, DeFalco said it was through the same process he\u2019s gotten better at every other skill on the court: relentless practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to fail a bunch of times,\u201d he said. \u201cI had to understand what it was like to yell at my teammates and then get crushed. I want us to be so good I can be negative or I can be corrosive, then if they don\u2019t want to deal with my shit it\u2019s five on six and it doesn\u2019t work. It doesn\u2019t lead to success.\u201d<\/p>\n

There wasn\u2019t one lightbulb moment, but there was a fork in the path. After DeFalco\u2019s sophomore campaign he was offered a sizable contract to leave Long Beach State and the NCAA and go play professionally in Europe. It was a tempting offer for a player who always wanted to be at the next level, the next rung on the ladder. DeFalco listened to the people in his life he\u2019d always turned to for counsel, speaking with his father and coach.<\/p>\n

His dad understood his son\u2019s desire to move on and the excitement of a six-figure offer but cautioned him: \u201cI said, \u2018Dude, that\u2019s a short term move. Your game is ready, but your head is not.\u2019 The bigger thing was to finish his commitment to Alan and to Josh and his teammates, to go finish with the boys. Within a few days he said, \u2018Yup, that\u2019s the right thing.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
TJ DeFalco and teammate Josh Tuaniga, part of the greatest recruiting class in LBSU men’s volleyball history, have been teammates since high school. Photo by Stephen Dachman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Knipe obviously had a vested interest in whether DeFalco stayed or left. He was a huge part of the greatest recruiting class in program history alongside Tuaniga and opposite hitter Kyle Ensing, and that class hadn\u2019t yet won a national title.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone could say I didn\u2019t want him to go pro because I didn\u2019t want to lose him, and I didn\u2019t,\u201d \u2018said Knipe. \u201cBut honestly, the biggest thing was I didn\u2019t think he was ready to go handle the non-volleyball part of that life in another country, isolated, with no network around him.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy for DeFalco to imagine that life\u2014lonely, still driven but without the contentment or satisfaction that comes from sharing in victories. It\u2019s even easier to see the harvest he\u2019s reaped by staying in Long Beach. He\u2019s become a better leader, a better volleyball player, he\u2019s in a long-term relationship with Long Beach State All-American women\u2019s volleyballer Hailey Harward, he\u2019s won a national championship and he\u2019s made history with four All-American honors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see him leaving here in a few weeks, having a great summer with the national team, getting on a good professional team, and I see him flourishing,\u201d said Knipe. \u201cAnd I really think that\u2019s because he decided he was better here, instead of just, \u2018I need it now, I need it right now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Enjoying the ride’<\/strong><\/p>\n

DeFalco would like to explain something. Knipe and other naysayers might dismiss the idea of winning a set 25-0, but DeFalco isn\u2019t ready to.<\/p>\n

\u201cA volleyball play is eight to 10 seconds,\u201d he explained. \u201cYou just have to focus for that long\u201412 seconds if there\u2019s a rally. That\u2019s what\u2019s so frustrating. Just focus for eight seconds, then you can take a break. It\u2019s just that it\u2019s so hard to do that for 75 to 180 plays in a row.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the way DeFalco\u2019s mind works. This is what he\u2019s thinking when he\u2019s biting his jersey after a mistake, but also his thought process when discussing the proportional rise in student attendance at men\u2019s volleyball matches over the last four years. This is why he\u2019s been chasing perfection for so long: because he\u2019s the rare athlete, in any sport, who has both the physical and mental tools to make that goal seem attainable.<\/p>\n

At the same time, his father and his coach and his teammates are optimistic about the happy, successful, fulfilled life ahead of DeFalco because he\u2019s learned to accept winning a set 25-16 instead of 25-0.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, you\u2019d always want to tell him, \u2018Hey man, you\u2019re missing out on some great moments,\u2019\u201d said Tuaniga. \u201cBut he\u2019s not missing them now. He\u2019s enjoying the ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Josh Tuaniga says TJ DeFalco is finally “enjoying the ride.\u201d Photo by Stephen Dachman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s more present with the intensity of the ups and downs and putting it in a perspective that\u2019s more healthy,\u201d said Torey DeFalco of his son. \u201cIt\u2019s OK to feel intense anger or fury at yourself, but they have to wash through and leverage into something that\u2019s holistic and healthier. You need longevity; he\u2019s chosen a sport and a career where you need that, and he\u2019s learned that lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are a lot of honors and accomplishments behind him and likely a lot before him. DeFalco is less focused on rushing to the finish line and more focused on enjoying the steps along the way. He stood in a corner of the Walter Pyramid on Tuesday this week, watching an opening round NCAA Tournament match between USC and Lewis.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really almost over,\u201d he said, the final matches of his college career just days away. That knowledge has him both introspective and excited.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still at a young stage in my career,\u201d he said. \u201cI need to work at shit just as much as anyone. I haven\u2019t succeeded at the next level so I don\u2019t know if I can yet or not, I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m ready for it or not. I just know I have to keep pushing and improving.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He leads Long Beach State into this week’s Final Four, looking to become the first team in school history to repeat as NCAA champions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":16394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","pmpro_default_level":0,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","footnotes":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[4],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=14"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-live.lbpost.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}