Volleyball, the industry’s only printed publication covering all aspects of the sport, has been presenting its annual Fab 50 lists for boys and girls for more than three decades. Some of the sport’s all-time greats have graced the Fab 50 list over the years. This year’s boys’ Fab 50 was voted on by an elite panel of NCAA Division I-II men’s college coaches—representing many of the game’s top programs—and club coaches throughout the country. Who on this list will be the next big thing at the collegiate level and beyond? Please enjoy the 2012 Mizuno/Volleyball Boys’ Fab 50, which honors the top 50 senior boys’ youth talents in the United States.
Bennett Bird
Height 6-6
Position OH
High School Westview (San Diego, Calif.)
Club Seaside
College BYU
Andrew Benz
Height 6-6
Position MB
High School Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.)
Club Balboa Bay
College UC Irvine
Parker Boehle
Height 5-8
Position Libero
High School Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Club MB Surf
College UC Santa Barbara
Parker Brown
Height 6-3
Position OH
High School Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Club NA
College Ohio State
Matt Callaway
Height 6-7
Position MB
High School Wheaton-Warrenville (Ill.), South
Club Sports Performance
College Penn State
Evan Chang
Height 6-0
Position Libero
High School Urban School (San Francisco, Calif.)
Club MVVC
College BYU
Branden Clemens
Height 6-6
Position MB
High School Carmel (Ind.)
Club Ultimate
College Harvard
Joe Ctvrtlik
Height 6-1
Position S-OH
High School Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Club Balboa Bay
College Stanford
Jacob Delson
Height 6-5
Position OH
High School Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Club Legacy
College UC Santa Barbara
Griffin Ender
Height 5-9
Position Libero
High School Valencia (Calif.)
Club Legacy
College Pacific
Eric Ensing
Height 6-6
Position RS
High School Valencia (Calif.)
Club Legacy
College Long Beach State
Dan Ford
Height 6-4
Position S
High School Council Rock North (Newtown, Pa.)
Club Yorktowne
College Lewis
Christian Franceschi
Height 6-3
Position OH
High School Bishop Moore (Orlando, Fla.)
Club NA
College Pacific
Joseph Grosh
Height 6-7
Position MB
High School San Ramon
Valley (Danville, Calif.)
Club MVVC
College BYU
Driss Guessous
Height 6-7
Position MB
High School Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Club MB Surf
College Ohio State
Madison Hayden
Height 6-3
Position OH
High School Servite (Anaheim, Calif.)
Club HBC
College Stanford
Dillon Hoffman
Height 6-1
Position Libero
High School San Clemente (Calif.)
Club Balboa Bay
College UC Irvine
Jack Hughson
Height 6-6
Position S-RS
High School Poway (Calif.)
Club Seaside
College UCLA
Peter Hutz
Height 6-3
Position S
High School Marquette
(Milwaukee, Wis.)
Club West Allis Lightning
College Loyola
Thomas Jaeschke
Height 6-7
Position OH
High School Wheaton-Warrenville (Ill.) South
Club Sports Performance
College Loyola
Josh Kirchner
Height 6-6
Position OH
High School Hamilton
(Sussex, Wis.)
Club West Allis Lightning
College USC
Tommy Leonard
Height 6-8
Position MB
High School Barrington (Ill.)
Club Pipeline
College USC
Ryan Manoogian
Height 6-0
Position OH
High School Windward (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Club SMBC
College UCLA
Owen McAndrews
Height 6-4
Position MB
High School St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)
Club Matchpoint
College Loyola
Michael Mullahey
Height 6-5
Position S
High School Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Club SCVC
College USC
Trevor Novotny
Height 6-4
Position OH
High School Catholic Memorial (Waukesha, Wis.)
Club West Allis
College Loyola
Steve O’Dell
Height 6-5
Position S
High School McQuaid Jesuit (Rochester, N.Y.)
Club Pace Bootlegger
College UCLA
Nick Olson
Height 6-9
Position MB
High School Eisenhower (New Berlin, Wis.)
Club West Allis Lightning
College Loyola
Christopher Orenic
Height 6-3
Position OH
High School Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Club SCVC
College USC
Tyler Ortman
Height 6-8,
Position MB-OH
High School Carlsbad (Calif.)
Club Shorebreak
College USC
Kyle Palmer
Height 6-7
Position MB
High School Servite (Anaheim, Calif.)
Club Balboa Bay
College UCLA
Edgar Palos
Height 6-0
Position OH
High School Huntington Beach (Calif.)
Club The HBC
College Long Beach State
Zack Parik
Height 6-4
Position S
High School Downers Grove (Ill.) North
Club Sports Performance
College Penn State
Nick Porterfield
Height 6-3
Position OH
High School Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Club MB Surf
College UCLA
Chet Radish
Height 6-5
Position OH
High School Homestead (Cupertino, Calif.)
Club MVVC
College Long Beach State
Andrew Roberts
Height 6-5
Position OH
High School Lwr Dauphin (Hummelstown, Pa.)
Club Yorktowne
College Penn State
Marty Ross
Height 6-8
Position MB
High School Providence
(New Lenox, Ill.)
Club Ultimate
College Pacific
Michael Saeta
Height 6-4
Position OH-S
Position Polytechnic (Pasadena, Calif.)
Club MB Surf
College UC Irvine
Bradley Sakaida
Height 6-1
Position Libero
High School Oak Park (Calif.)
Club Legacy
College Cal State Nortridge
Jonah Seif
Height 6-8
Position S
High School Thousand
Oaks (Calif.)
Club Legacy
College UC Santa Barbara
James Shaw
Height 6-7
Position S
High School St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.)
Club MVVC
College Stanford
Alex Slaught
Height 6-4
Position OH
High School Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Club MB Surf
College USC
*Alex Stephanus
Height 6-5
Position MB, RS
High School Vistamar (El Segundo, Calif.)
Club SCVC
College Stanford
Darren Sorrell
Height 6-9
Position MB
High School Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.)
Club Balboa Bay
College Hawaii
Kyle Suppes
Height 6-8
Position MB
High School Bellarmine
(San Jose, Calif.)
Club Bay to Bay
College Pepperdine
Brooks Varni
Height 6-2
Position Libero
High School Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Club SCVC
College USC
Gabriel Vega
Height 6-7
Position OH
High School Iolani
(Honolulu, Hawaii)
Club Ku’ikahi
College Stanford
Bobby Walsh
Height 6-7
Position MB
High School Mt. Carmel (Chicago, Ill.)
Club Ultimate
College Lewis
Andrew Whitt
Height 6-5
Position OH
High School Laguna Hills (Calif.)
Club Balboa Bay
College Long Beach St.
Jack Wilson
Height 6-5
Position OH
High School Cosby
(Midlothian, Va.)
Club RVC
College George Mason
John Zappia
Height 6-6
Position MB-RS
High School Mater Dei
(Santa Ana, Calif.)
Club Balboa Bay
College UCLA
* Early high school graduate
Note 51 players are listed. There was a three-way tie for the 49th position. The tie was not broken.
30 Underclassmen To Watch
Aidan Albrecht
Height 6-6
Position OH
Year Jr.
High School Old Bridge
(Matawan, N.J.)
Club Warren Six Pack
Jacob Arnitz
Height 6-5
Position RS
Year Soph.
High School Esperanza
(Anaheim, Calif.)
Club Balboa Bay
Jackson Bantle
Height 6-2
Position RS
Year Jr.
High School Loyola
(Los Angeles, Calif.)
Club MB Surf
Thomas Beckman
Height 6-7
Position RS-OH
Year Jr.
High School University
(St. Louis, Mo.)
Club St. Louis High Performance
Christian Blough
Height 6-5
Position S-OH
Year Jr.
High School McQuaid
Jesuit (Rochester, N.Y.)
Club Pace Bootlegger
Hayden Boehle
Height 6-0
Position Libero-OH
Year Soph.
High School Loyola
(Los Angeles, Calif.)
Club MB Surf
Kyle Dagostino
Height 5-9
Position S
Year Soph.
High School Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.)
Club Tampa Bay Invaders
Joey Farrell
Height 6-6
Position RS-MB
Year Jr.
High School Glenbard East
(Lombard, Ill.)
Club Sports Performance
Kupono Fey
Height 6-4
Position OH
Year Jr.
High School Punahou
(Honolulu, Hawaii)
Club Ku’ ika
Cole Fiers
Height 6-3
Position S
Year Jr.
High School Palos
Verdes (Calif.)
Club SCVC
Jennings Franciskovic
Height 6-0
Position S
Year Jr.
High School Oaks Christian
(Westlake Village, Calif.)
Club Pacific Pali
Zach Gates
Height 6-6
Position RS
Year Jr.
High School Huntington
Beach (Calif.)
Club The HBC
Christian Hessenauer
Height 6-5
Position OH
Year Soph.
High School Dana Hills
(Dana Point, Calif.)
Club 949
Ryan Kaseff
Height 6-5
Position MB
Year Jr.
High School Mira Costa
(Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Club MB Surf
Chris Kennedy
Height 6-3
Position S-OH
Year Jr.
High School Loyola
(Los Angeles, Calif.)
club MB Surf
Connor Lammey
Height 6-5
Position MB
Year Jr.
High School Avon Grove
(West Grove, Pa.)
Club Yorktowne
Riley Mallon
Height 6-3
Position OH
Year Jr.
High School Mira Costa
(Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Club SCVC
Oliver Martin
Height 6-9
Position OH
Year Jr.
High School Calabasas (Calif.)
Club Pacific Palisades
Cole Paullin
Height 6-7
Position MB
Year Soph.
High School Loyola
(Los Angeles, Calif.)
Club MB Surf
Mitch Penning
Height 6-8
Position MB-RS
Year Jr.
High School Westminster Christian (Town and Country, Mo.)
Club St. Louis High Performance
Kevin Rakestraw
Height 6-11
Position MB
Year Jr.
High School Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Club Balboa Bay
Louis Richard
Height 6-3
Position OH
Year Soph.
High School Redondo Union
(Redondo Beach, Calif.)
Club MB Surf
Earl Schultz
Height 6-3
Position OH
Year Soph.
High School Walter Payton
(Chicago, Ill.)
Club Powerhouse
Mitch Stahl
Height 6-8
Position MB
Year Jr.
High School Chambersburg (Pa.)
Club Yorktowne
Scott Stephanoff
Height 6-4
Position MB
Year Jr.
High School Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Club SCVC
Brendan Surane
Height 6-6
Position MB
Year Jr.
High School Providence (New Lenox, Ill.)
Club Ultimate
Larry Tuileta
Height 6-2
Position OH
Year Soph.
High School Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Club Ka Ulukoa
Jake Walenga
Height 5-11
Position OH
Year Soph.
High School Lincoln-Way North (Frankfort, Ill.)
Club Ultimate
Lucas Yoder
Height 6-4
Position OH
Year Jr.
High School San Clemente (Calif.)
Club 949
Jack Yoder
Height 6-3
Position S
Year Jr.
High School San Clemente (Calif.)
Club 949
Originally published in July 2012
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