UH’s Gasman has become the humble hammer

Patrick Gasman takes his role as a middle blocker literally, the emphasis being on the blocker part.

As in block an opponent, block out the pain.

Although Hawaii’s 6-foot-10 sophomore has vague memories of it, it’s what he did the last time the Warriors saw Penn State, their opponent on Friday’s second night of the Outrigger Resorts Invitational. Gasman had rolled an ankle prior to the NCAA men’s volleyball championship tournament first-round match with the Nittany Lions and “I don’t really remember much other than I got quite a few blocks,” he said.

Gasman put the memory of the rolled ankle on hold as Hawaii closed out the five-set come-from-behind victory over Penn State on a 31-11 run in Columbus, Ohio. The Warriors tied a season-high with 17.5 blocks; Gasman was in on a match-high seven, including teaming with Brett Rosenmeier on the aloha-ball stuff that capped the 15-4 rout in the fifth set in St. John’s Arena.

It’s that single-minded focus that has made the mechanical engineering major one of the best at this position. He ranks 16th nationally (1.05 bps) heading into the 24th Outrigger that begins today.

Not bad considering he began his volleyball career at age 10 as a libero. Eleven years and 22 inches of height later, “I’m enjoying the position more,” Gasman said.

His athleticism is as evident as it is impressive. Gasman has worked hard to overcome the broken right fibula and torn ligament suffered in a skateboard accident on Oct. 16, 2015, the fall of his freshman year.

“Pat has always been a hard worker and he’s in the best shape of his life,” said UH assistant coach Joshua Walker, a second-team All-American for the Warriors in 2010. “Two years ago, he was a projected starter and we never recovered from the injury, finished seventh in the league. At the time it didn’t feel like it was a good thing but, in hindsight, he has an extra year to get better and help us win a national championship.

“Pat’s a volleyball player, that’s the way we train, the way we recruit. We like volleyball players who can do everything. You never know when you’ll need him to dig, set or hit a pipe (behind the 3-meter line). He can do all of that.”

Gasman has no plans to ask head coach Charlie Wade to put on the libero jersey — “Tui (senior libero Tuileta) is even better than last year,” Gasman said — but he does enjoy being in the back row. That only happens when he serves so he has worked at that skill in order to have extended playing time on defense.

The one personal skill Gasman said he has worked on is his humility. He came to Manoa with numerous accolades — high school All-American at Buchanan, in Clovis, Calif.; Volleyball magazine Fab 50 selection; U.S. youth and junior national team member — and was heavily recruited.

“Where I think I’ve grown the most is trying to become more humble,” the 21-year-old said. “I’m a lot less cocky around my teammates.”

He has one constant reminder to help him stay grounded. The offending skateboard from 2015 sits atop Gasman’s locker, in two pieces courtesy of a sledgehammer.

The message Gasman hears is: “Don’t do dumb things.”

The country music-loving Gasman chose Hawaii over UCLA and UC Irvine, coincidentally the two teams that have handed the second-ranked Warriors (11-2) their only losses. One school didn’t have his major, the other didn’t feel like the right fit, he said.

“I have no regrets,” said the academic and all-freshman MPSF pick last season. “I’m completely happy where I am. I’m able to chase my dreams.

“We’ve talked about a national championship this season. Last year, we thought we had a good chance and I think we have a really good shot this year.”

A couple of things stood out in his recruiting process. One was the tremendous fan support — Hawaii, the attendance leader for 19 seasons since 1995, again leads the country with a 3,465 average.

Another?

“I get to wear slippers every day,” Gasman said.