Dealing with shifting sands is nothing new for Evan Silberstein, literally and metaphorically.
Where others might not be able to handle the often slippery changes underfoot, it doesn’t seem to bother the yogi who has long embraced the philosophy of being driven by the moment.
And, at the moment, Silberstein is embracing a new title: interim head coach for the University of Hawaii beach volleyball team. He has been the top assistant since 2015, the past six years, including a name change — from SandBows to BeachBows — and two head coaches — Jeff Hall (2015-2020) and Angelica Ljungqvist (2021), who replaced Hall following the administration’s decision to once again combine the duties of the indoor associate coach with head beach as a cost-cutting measure.
(From 2017-20, the beach program had its own staff. Hall had done double-duty for two Fall semesters as the associate coach for Dave Shoji).
In many ways, it hasn’t changed Silberstein’s role, at least not during the fall semester. He was the de facto head beach coach when Hall and then Ljungqvist were busy with the indoor team. And with UH in a hiring freeze for some positions, the “interim” label likely stands through the 2022 spring beach season.
“‘Interim’ hasn’t made it more difficult in terms of recruiting,” said Silberstein, who turns 47 next month. “I was doing the lion’s share of recruiting before so the workload is reminiscent of previous years.
“There’s so many threads of familiarity, but there’s also a little more authority to do things.”
To that end, the BeachBows are scheduled to make their first trip to the mainland for a fall tournament. The SoCal Challenge, a Big West- sponsored event, will feature eight teams — including four that advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals last May — at Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Headlining the field for the Nov. 13-14 event is defending national champion USC and 2018-19 winner UCLA. Hawaii missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time last spring, finishing 17-10 and second in the Big West Tournament.
The NCAA Tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the third week of the season, the BeachBows were 7-2, at the Orlando airport and headed to the Stetson Beach Blast when they got the news.
“That was the deepest team ever,” Silberstein said. “There were fireworks. It was our peak year. And we lost it.”
Hawaii also lost a number of players either to graduation or to transferring for a graduate program. The most notable of the transfers was Julia Scoles, part of USC’s title team last May.
“We were super young last year, but that group has the benefit of having played earlier (in their careers) than expected,” Silberstein said. “We love the slow roll into fall. We just started (last week). The girls will get more wellness training, too, what I call mental hygiene, and different concepts for conditioning.
“We’re celebrating that we can train this fall because we couldn’t last fall (due to the UH campus pandemic shutdown). We’re just enjoying it.”
Hawaii had been invited to mainland tournaments in the past, but it was always a “puzzle” trying to make it work, according to Silberstein. When money was a priority, traveling for an offseason fall competition wasn’t prioritized.
But there is a move within the NCAA to extend the beach season into fall. Hawaii, which was committed to the sport from its inaugural season in 2012, wants to be in on this as well.
“One of the first official things I did was to see if we’d be able to go,” Silberstein said. “It’s fantastic competition and something worth going to.
“I just spoke with (former UH All-American) Katie Spieler and she said she wished she would have had a chance like this. It’s huge for the student-athletes.”
There always has been community support for the program, which finished third twice and fourth twice in four NCAA appearances. This year, the financial support includes the SoCal Challenge Travel Campaign through the UH Foundation.
The goal is $25,000 with $16,790 raised through Sept. 6. Online contributions will be accepted through Oct. 31 at https://hui.uhfoundation.org/project/27214
The 2022 schedule is set, according to Silberstein, although contracts have not been signed. So far, the ever-changing travel restrictions haven’t had an impact.
“We’re expecting to see a lot of main powers back here and we’re going on the road to play in some events,” he said. “It’s the recognizable return to that level of (schedule) fullness we had before last year.
“We’re working on going back to Queen’s (Beach) in spring. (All seven of UH’s home matches last spring were at the Ching Complex). I think we can see the BeachBows back at Queen’s and campus in spring.”
The new football stadium at the Ching Complex is next to the beach courts. That proximity has given Silberstein some ideas, including the BeachBows having exhibitions on the field prior to or during halftimes of football games, once fans are allowed.
“I’m excited,” Silberstein said. “Keep it rolling.”
That sums up his philosophy of being driven by the moment and moving with opportunities placed in front. Former pro beach volleyball player, a cultural anthropology degree, law degree with an emphasis on Native Hawaiian rights, massage therapist, stand-up paddle board yoga instructor … it’s all been about connection to purpose, with shifting sands. including grains of aloha and namaste.
Reach Cindy Luis at cindy3luis@gmail.com
