TIFF WELLS
Staff Writer
It’s hard for an incoming freshman to make an impact in college volleyball, let alone make a big splash for a top-notch program like Pepperdine. Making the transition from high school to college volleyball is tough and that’s what is so amazing about what sophomore Jonathan Winder has achieved thus far in his career.
In his first season of collegiate volleyball, Winder won numerous awards. He was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Newcomer of the Year, the National Newcomer of the Year, second team All-American and third team all-MPSF as well as being the first freshman since former Pepperdine star Sean Rooney 2002 to be named the National Player of the Week.
Not bad for only having started playing the sport as a freshman in high school. In fact, volleyball may not have been Winder’s best sport in high school. He was invited to the 2004 McDonald’s High School Basketball All-Star Game after a stellar senior season.
Had he chosen to play basketball in college, he likely would have ended up at Gonzaga University, not Pepperdine. The Bulldogs scouted him heavily during his junior and senior seasons in high school.
“During a couple of my basketball practices in high school, the coaches came and watched me play and liked what they saw,” Winder said. Basketball had to go by the wayside, though, when Winder chose Pepperdine volleyball over offers from Brigham Young University, UCLA and UC Irvine.
Standing at 6-8, Winder came to Pepperdine from Irvine, Calif., with high expectations after earning several distinct honors while playing both high school and club volleyball. He was also a member of the U.S. Junior National Team that played in India in the summer of 2004. The India trip opened his eyes to volleyball on the national stage.
“It showed me that I have to bring my A-game every night,” Winder said. “Because when other countries see they are playing the U.S., you know they will bring their best game.”
Despite Winder’s accolades in the U.S. and abroad, his setting prowess is only a recent addition to his game. In high school, he was an outside hitter, but the club season allowed him to get to know the setter position, which he mans now for the Waves.
Pepperdine Head Coach Marv Dunphy sees his new setter as a different breed.
“He isn’t your stereotypical setter,” Dunphy said. “He’s able to reach high balls at the net that smaller setters couldn’t get to and he’s an excellent blocker because of his height.”
While in high school, Winder said he felt like he had to do it all to win volleyball games because his team relied on him so heavily. That’s not the case at Pepperdine.
“Now, I just set it up and let my hitters win the game,” Winder said.
Dunphy said it’s his court vision that has helped him become a great setter.
“He sees things really well on the court,” Dunphy said. “And he’s open to new things and plays free. He listens to all the coaches and tries to learn something new every day. That is the sign of a superior athlete.”
During the 2005 Final Four, Winder came down with a viral infection that forced him to play sick in both of the Final Four games Pepperdine won at UCLA. This fire is what drives him as an athlete. Winder’s fiery edge is so apparent that his opponents even give him more respect than most underclassmen get.
“He’s a great competitor,” said UCLA sophomore libero Tony Ker. “He brings a lot of positive energy to the court.”
Winder and Ker were teammates on the U.S. Junior National Team and played against him during club volleyball.
“He is a true student of the game,” Ker said. “He’ll watch the tapes of opposing teams three times when most people only watch it once or twice. He really studies the game and his opponents.”
Winder has some serious goals for his future. One of which is to play for the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing, China in 2008, just a few months after his intended graduation. However, if that plan fails, he’s got a backup.
“I hope to play professionally and hopefully make the team in 2012,” Winder said.
Dunphy said he thinks Winder has the tools to make it in international play, but needs to hone his skills to be one of the best in the world.
“He can take his game to the next level because he has such a good head on his shoulders,” Dunphy said. “But he needs to get stronger in order to get better.”
However, the present is what matters most to Winder. And for the Waves, that present is defending the National Championship from 2005.
“My goal is to win three more national championships,” Winder said. “I want to stay on top and not let anyone take away that title while I’m here. You can never win enough and you must go into every game believing the team can win it.”
Winder’s winning edge may be inborn, but the fire in his belly needs fuel and before every home match, there’s once place to find Wonder preparing to take on his opponents.
“I ate at Subway before every home game last year,” Winder said.
It’s the power from those sandwiches that helps him toast his opponents.
02-09-2006
