Beacon breaks through

Beacon plays its home games at Kennedy because they don't have a gym on campus, just one of the many hurdles this burgeoning team has overcome. The Lions start BACAL tournament play next week, looking to win their first-ever league championship. It's amazing they're even in this position. Three years ago they finished 3-8. In 2006 they went 0-12. But last year was the start of their impressive turnaround.

They went 8-4 and took third in the league playoffs, and carried that momentum into this season. Beacon has been downright dominant in its 10 wins, most of them coming via three-game sweeps. The Lions' biggest victory came a month ago against nemesis Patten Christian-Oakland. Patten had beaten Beacon the previous six times the teams had met.

Led by seniors Bethany Chu, Nihari Patel and Helena Herado, the Lions play a quick, athletic game centered around defense. Since the Lions are relatively short on height by volleyball standards, they rely on their superior agility and fundamentals to keep rallies alive, turning great defense into instant offense. The senior trio are responsible for most of the team's offense, with the high-flying Chu able to hammer the ball down with authority.

In addition to the Big Three, Beacon has plenty of other players who have shined. Standout sophomores Emily Ishiki and Angelina DeCaro provide strong offense and effective serving, while Hannah and Sarah Chu -- Bethany's two younger sisters -- also play on the team and are integral parts of the Lions' success.

Sarah is actually a seventh-grader -- teams in the BACAL are allowed to use seventh and eighth-graders along with a couple of home-schooled kids -- making Beacon's situation all the more unique compared to all of the other schools affiliated in the California Interscholastic Federation, which Beacon is not a part of.

CIF rules prohibit seventh and eighth-graders from playing alongside ninth through 12th-graders, but schools like Beacon have to use their junior high kids because otherwise they wouldn't be able to field a team. Padilla is hoping to boost the school's enrollment in the coming years, with visions of one day joining the CIF.

For now, being small and out of the limelight suits everyone around the team just fine. Especially fourth-year coach Chris Chu -- yes, the father of Bethany, Hannah and Sarah. Chris Chu has a link with the school; his mother-in-law founded the school in 1969. Before getting his teaching credential seven years ago Chu worked in the high-tech field.

He earned a nice salary but needed something more. One time over dinner he mentioned to his family that he was thinking about getting into teaching. Everyone at the table had a giggle before getting back to their meal. That didn't deter Chu, who earned his credential before coming to Beacon.

It was a perfect fit because coaching volleyball always intrigued Chu. Once he got his credential, Chu got a job at Beacon as the school's elementary principal. He always had a yearning to coach; Chu said he played at City College of San Francisco and San Jose State. Chu has brought everything he learned from the corporate world to the volleyball team, emphasizing teamwork and fundamentals.

"I believe in teaching the basics until they're basic," he said.

That was hard at first, because most of the girls on the team had little or no background in volleyball when they first tried out for the team. However, since Chu has his players for a longer period of time, they've matured into the sound, talented players who are responsible for the Lions' breakthrough this season. But Chu wanted to teach his girls a greater lesson -- the lesson about life.

"Sports is a microcosm of life," he said. "More than anything, I want to teach our girls about attitude and choices. That when everything is stacked against you, you have a choice and an attitude to make to see what direction you want to go."

It's apparent the Lions are headed in the right direction. They've persevered through a winless season to come back strong and become perhaps the best team in the BACAL. A win in the league playoffs next week would validate that assertion.

"When we won our first match last year we all looked at each other and couldn't believe it," Chris Chu said. "Then we won another one and you're wondering what's going on. If we do win next week it will be like a Cinderella story, something you would never dream possible. This is a real life illustration that if you persevere, anything is possible."

Emanuel Lee can be reached at emanuel@smdailyjournal.com, and (650) 344 5200, ext. 109.