UH’s Rado Parapunov has eluded potholes and found a path to greatness

The road to greatness has detours.

Think Pali Highway, where contraflow lanes are sometimes open, sometimes not, and the way into town or to the Windward side requires adjustments and alternatives.

Such is the road for Rado Parapunov, who came into the Hawaii volleyball program with shiny international credentials and even brighter potential. The cones were out, each marked with a ‘C’ … Commitment … Confidence … Consistency … each put in front of a pothole that, if not avoided, could result in distraction and damage.

The 6-foot-9 left-handed opposite has embraced the three cones, using each to build into what has been an impressive junior season so far, personally and for the team. Not only are the Rainbow Warriors (12-0) undefeated going into tonight’s Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Invitational opener with King (10-5), they haven’t dropped a set, an NCAA record 36.

“For me, I don’t care if we lose a set or two as long as we win,” said Parapunov, the reigning AVCA national player of the week. “The vibe we have on the court is better this year, our mind-set has changed.

“We look at every single team equally. We study the best we can, prepare the best we can and play like we are playing for the national championship every night out.”

Hawaii was denied a chance to prove that last year when not being awarded the at-large berth into the NCAA tournament, the bid going to the Warriors’ last opponent, UC Irvine. Parapunov knows exactly what he was doing when learning the season was over. The Warriors were flying back to Hawaii and the Bulgarian national was drinking coffee.

“As an athlete, you want to finish the season fighting on the court, not drinking coffee on a plane,” he said. “Coach (Charlie Wade) has told us, ‘Don’t let someone else decide your fate.’

“At Irvine, we wanted to prove to whoever voted against us, if they had questions go back and watch the game.”

Hawaii left the Bren Events Center with two sweeps, jump-started by a drama-filled Set 1 the Warriors won 33-31. There were 10 sets points, four for UCI, six for Hawaii, the first at 26-25 on Parapunov’s ninth kill in the opener.

His 12th kill gave the Warriors their last at 31-30 with junior hitter Colton Cowell ending it with an ace. Key was the ability of senior setter Joe Worsley to go to Parapunov on cross-court sets, the speed of which didn’t allow for the Anteaters’ block to be well-formed.

“You can see the confidence in him,” Worsley said. “It’s not an arrogance. He has presence on the court.

“The tempo has sped up because of our connection. Two years ago, it was just set (him) the high ball. The biggest thing this year is his footwork, which allows him to hit so many more shots at any point of the game. He gets his feet to the ball and can hit almost any set I give him.”

The connection improved with the countless reps over the summer where Parapunov went to the Pacific Rim Volleyball Academy in California run by the Worsley family. Parapunov added another ‘C’ to the equation: Change.

He has changed his diet, dropping the extra weight that had his father calling him “chubby.” He has joined teammates Cowell, James Anastassiades and Dalton Solbrig in changing their eating habits and “taking care of our bodies,” Parapunov said.

It has all led to Parapunov’s numbers improving exponentially since his freshman season, one hampered by a knee injury suffered in warm-ups of the season-opener against Erskine. He already has more blocks, aces and digs 12 matches into 2019 than he had in 25 matches in 2017, and has as many kills (118) as his freshman total.

He’s also hitting .513, ranking him second nationally, up from .272 as a sophomore.

“His performance every night since the season started has been impressive,” Wade said. “He’s worked really hard at all parts of his game. He’s in better shape, his defense is better, his blocking is coming along.

“We felt that from the time he got here he was a legitimate player of the year candidate.”

“When players come in what you want to see is the improvement in consistency,” Warrior assistant coach Josh Walker said. “It’s what sets apart the great players from the OK ones, the All-Americans from the role players.

“Rado’s the most consistent he’s been since he’s been here. It’s been in his technique, his execution, his thinking. He and Joe have spent a lot of extra time working together. Joe has pushed him to get better.”

There are still bouts of homesickness, his missing his home 12 hours away in Sofia and his mother’s moussaka (Bulgarian dish of beef and potatoes). But Parapunov has connected with the small Bulgarian community in Hawaii, joining them last Sunday for the annual Bulgarian liberation celebration that included mesenitza (cheese bread).

Parapunov has matured, the personal road not so uneven. Those detours? It’s just another way to get where he wants to go, taking Hawaii with him.

OUTRIGGER HOTELS & RESORTS INVITATIONAL

At Stan Sheriff Center

Today

>> No. 6 Pepperdine (11-4) vs. No. 15 Ball St. (9-8), 4 p.m.

>> King (10-5) at No. 2 Hawaii (12-0), 7 p.m.

Friday

>> Pepperdine vs. King, 4 p.m.

>> Ball State at Hawaii, 7 p.m.

Saturday

>> King vs. Ball State., 4 p.m

>> Pepperdine at Hawaii, 7 p.m.

>> TV: Spectrum Sports (Friday & Saturday)

>> Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM (today & Saturday), KHKA, 1500-AM (Friday).