Auburn Volleyball

[Mikey 16,781]

Lost to UAT 3 sets to one last night, on the SEC TV network. Now, I don't profess to be a volleyball expert, I never played organized volleyball or coached the game. I watch Auburn when the team is on TV and I watch Olympic volleyball every four years and that's bout it. That having been said, our team looked over-matched and wasn't really in it. Twice they had 8 point leads and then lost the set when UAT got serious. It wasn't a pretty picture.

The announcers mentioned that AU lost four important players to the transfer portal since last season and picked three new ones up. That's about what it looked like out there, no team cohesiveness.

I guess this isn't a big deal in the overall scheme of things but I do want to see my Auburn Tigers field a competitive team regardless of the sport.

[mustache eagle 2,453]

We know a kid who plays Vball in the SEC.  She was shocked that Auburn's coach wasn't fired after last year.  Her interpretation is the Auburn coach is a jackwagon - some of her teammates are friends with Auburn players.  My guess is the vball importance factor/time frame hasnt reached a critical mass to do anything.  I'm not sure I have ever watched more than a passing moment here or there.

[slot canyon 1,368]

On 10/3/2019 at 5:32 PM, Mikey said:

Lost to UAT 3 sets to one last night, on the SEC TV network. Now, I don't profess to be a volleyball expert, I never played organized volleyball or coached the game. I watch Auburn when the team is on TV and I watch Olympic volleyball every four years and that's bout it. That having been said, our team looked over-matched and wasn't really in it. Twice they had 8 point leads and then lost the set when UAT got serious. It wasn't a pretty picture.

The announcers mentioned that AU lost four important players to the transfer portal since last season and picked three new ones up. That's about what it looked like out there, no team cohesiveness.

I guess this isn't a big deal in the overall scheme of things but I do want to see my Auburn Tigers field a competitive team regardless of the sport.

I did not know out VB team was so poor until I read this thread and looked at our record.  As of today, we are 0 - 7 in SEC play.  I have always felt VB was a good sport but admit I have not attended any games in person.  Clearly need an upgrade in order to be competitive.

[Mikey 16,781]

1 hour ago, slot canyon said:

I did not know out VB team was so poor until I read this thread and looked at our record.  As of today, we are 0 - 7 in SEC play.  I have always felt VB was a good sport but admit I have not attended any games in person.  Clearly need an upgrade in order to be competitive.

Watching their play on the TV was a sad experience. They've been on again since then but I couldn't bring myself to watch. Here's hoping there is a better future for the players, parents and all associated with AU volleyball.

[AUGoo 2,698]

I believe they lost 6 important players via the portal and graduation from last year.  This included our starting, Freshman setter who transferred to Illinois only to not win the job there.  So, she would rather sit on the bench in Champaign then play at AU.   Says a lot.   I saw he had a highly ranked group coming in this year as Freshmen.  So, maybe he can recruit- but who couldn't recruit to the Loveliest Village- he can't seem to get players to stay.  I saw the bama match, it was heart breaking.  

I have a high school volleyballer, who I'm told is pretty good.  She loves AU.  Would be a dream to see her on the Plains.....

It's just so disappointing to see them so down and out.

[Mickeyb1 10]

1 hour ago, AUGoo said:

I believe they lost 6 important players via the portal and graduation from last year.  This included our starting, Freshman setter who transferred to Illinois only to not win the job there.  So, she would rather sit on the bench in Champaign then play at AU.   Says a lot.   I saw he had a highly ranked group coming in this year as Freshmen.  So, maybe he can recruit- but who couldn't recruit to the Loveliest Village- he can't seem to get players to stay.  I saw the bama match, it was heart breaking.  

I have a high school volleyballer, who I'm told is pretty good.  She loves AU.  Would be a dream to see her on the Plains.....

It's just so disappointing to see them so down and out.

Actually, Micah Allison was injured earlier this fall. She is the backup setter but is now playing outside hitter in their rotation. 

[jared52 4,358]

 

[auburnphan 6,050]

The program is ready for a fresh face.  I think there is more talent on this team than the results showed.

[slot canyon 1,368]

Had not heard Coach Nold had parted ways.  Based on overall record we clearly need a change. Glad the AU AD is paying attention. Note in SEC this year the top 5 teams (SEC record) 

Florida 16-2

Kentucky 16-2

Missouri 13-5

TAM 13-5

Georgia 12-6

The bottom three were Alabama @ 4-14, Mississippi State @ 2-16 and Auburn @ 1-17.

Looked up the top teams in country and found Stanford, Texas and Duke were considered top 3 but Florida and Missouri were in top 10.  Let's hope we can interest a good coach to come in and improve our bottom of the pile program.  

Looked at a YouTube video of a mid-November game this year between Florida and Kentucky played at Florida.  Kentucky won 3-2 with a close last game. What was evident was the number of fans at the game.  No doubt, if you have a good product on the field/floor, people tend to support it.  Also was surprised to see that the Florida Coach (Mary Wise) has a winning record of 0.887 and has been at the helm for 29 seasons.  Sounds outstanding to me. 

Edited December 3, 2019 by slot canyon

[AUGoo 2,698]

Any word on coaching search?

[slot canyon 1,368]

On 12/8/2019 at 5:51 PM, AUGoo said:

Any word on coaching search?

I had wondered the same and have been following the Auburn VB twitter page several times a week for any news.  Now I realize that the D1 college VB championship tournament is taking place with the finals down to Stanford and Wisconsin.  Hopeful that AD Green is looking at some coaches who had success in the tournament.  If that is the case will need to exercise some more patience.

[AUGoo 2,698]

I can only dream that we are looking at someone that high up in the coaching establishment.

[slot canyon 1,368]

Unlike some of the higher profile sports, I don't see any articles about who might a potential replacement for the volleyball HC position.  Note we had #7 recruiting class for 2018  but don't know how many may have been in the transfer portal as Mickey mentioned above in the OP.  Have no idea who may be a candidate at this point but looked at a couple of schools who have had success and are not what I would call high profile schools.  A couple that were interesting were Towson and Costal Carolina.  

Towson (Maryland) plays in the Colonial Athletic Association and went to the 32 team field in the NCAA VB championship this year.  They won their first game to advance to second round and lost to  #11 Penn State (3-1).    Their HC is Don Metil who was hired 2013.  They ended this season 29-3.The prior 3 seasons the record was 17-15, 27-6 and 24-9.

Costal Carolina is coached by Jozsef Forman since 2012.  He is from Hungry and played on the Hungarian Junior Championship team.  Overall record at Costal Carolina 156-67 (Sunbelt Conference).  Their record this year was 24-6.  Has won 4 conference championships which has led to being in the NCAA tournament 4 times.  I presume his ties with Hungry has led to recruiting players from that area as this years team had players from Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Hungry and Serbia...…...Talk about out of state tuition.  

It would be nice if we could pull a coach from a top 25 NCAA D1 school but I don't have my hopes up.  Thought I would look at a couple of coaches who may be under the radar so to speak.   Maybe someone who actually knows about volleyball could enlighten us. 

[AU64 10,122]

On 12/21/2019 at 2:38 PM, slot canyon said:

Unlike some of the higher profile sports, I don't see any articles about who might a potential replacement for the volleyball HC position.  Note we had #7 recruiting class for 2018  but don't know how many may have been in the transfer portal as Mickey mentioned above in the OP.  Have no idea who may be a candidate at this point but looked at a couple of schools who have had success and are not what I would call high profile schools.  A couple that were interesting were Towson and Costal Carolina.  

Towson (Maryland) plays in the Colonial Athletic Association and went to the 32 team field in the NCAA VB championship this year.  They won their first game to advance to second round and lost to  #11 Penn State (3-1).    Their HC is Don Metil who was hired 2013.  They ended this season 29-3.The prior 3 seasons the record was 17-15, 27-6 and 24-9.

Costal Carolina is coached by Jozsef Forman since 2012.  He is from Hungry and played on the Hungarian Junior Championship team.  Overall record at Costal Carolina 156-67 (Sunbelt Conference).  Their record this year was 24-6.  Has won 4 conference championships which has led to being in the NCAA tournament 4 times.  I presume his ties with Hungry has led to recruiting players from that area as this years team had players from Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Hungry and Serbia...…...Talk about out of state tuition.  

It would be nice if we could pull a coach from a top 25 NCAA D1 school but I don't have my hopes up.  Thought I would look at a couple of coaches who may be under the radar so to speak.   Maybe someone who actually knows about volleyball could enlighten us. 

This is probably a sport where you have to be a real "insider" to have any idea who is a good coach and suited for AU. 

There was a day when our swimming team was mostly international ….and we've done well in golf and tennis too....so no reason not to see what's going on in other countries in Volleyball.   If we are gonna spend some money to get a good coach we might as well go all the way and chase the best players too. 

[slot canyon 1,368]

12 hours ago, AU64 said:

This is probably a sport where you have to be a real "insider" to have any idea who is a good coach and suited for AU. 

There was a day when our swimming team was mostly international ….and we've done well in golf and tennis too....so no reason not to see what's going on in other countries in Volleyball.   If we are gonna spend some money to get a good coach we might as well go all the way and chase the best players too. 

Searching for list of best VB countries the names mentioned at the top seemed to be Brazil, USA, China, Russia, Serbia in no particular order.  Looking at some of the top teams this year the Stanford roster has 8 players from California and interestingly 2 from Kentucky.  They do have a player from Canada.  Baylor roster 10 from Texas and 4 from California.  Also 1 player from British Columbia and 1 from Netherlands.  Wisconsin had most of their players from Wisconsin and Illinois at 5 each.  Kentucky did not appear to have any concentration as far as recruiting area; they had 2 home state players, 3 from Texas and 2 from Wisconsin.  So just from a random sampling of some of the top teams it would not appear that there is not much of an international flavor.  California and Texas appear to be well represented.  Like other sports, If your program is highly regarded then you attract highly regarded athletes.  However, there may be some advantage to having international connections and not having to go head to head with other US programs for some of those top players.  Maybe with most of our other programs being "stable" AD Green can give this hire adequate attention and attract a coach with a successful profile who can attract good players and be a promoter of the program.

[slot canyon 1,368]

Maybe a continuation of some of the observations in my post above.  Looking at the top 25 D1 teams at years end they are spread all over the country.  If there is any concentration I would say it is in the large state of Texas where 4 teams are represented; Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M. and Rice.  Otherwise there is quite a scattering of top 25 ranked teams (including Hawaii).  Looked for top VB producing states and will include a couple of paragraphs from 2015 MaxPreps article Toughest States to Win High School Volleyball State Title.  

"One reason it has become so difficult to win high school volleyball state titles in California, Kentucky, Texas and Indiana is because of parity. Another is the year-round club impact that is creating more talent and experience at an earlier age.
According to the MaxPreps Computer Rankings presented by the Army National Guard, 18 of the Top 25 teams come from California (six), Texas (seven), Indiana (three) and Kentucky (two). In the Top 50, 31 are from those states. And in the Top 100, more than half (58) come from Texas, California, Kentucky and Indiana. It simply doesn't get more challenging than that."

Although being tall would not be the only attribute of a good VB net player we could probably agree there is some advantage to being the one breathing the thinnest air.  I noticed that Stanford had  2 players listed at 6'6" and another at 6'5".  Their star outside hitter Plummer at 6'6" had 22 kills during their domination of Baylor in the championship game.  The Baylor roster listed  6'6" and 6'4" players.  Closer to home the #10 Gators have players listed 6'6", 6'7" and 6'8".  Auburn's two tallest listed players were a couple of outside hitters @ 6' and 6'4".  It would also be helpful to have a lot of fast twitch fibers, explosive jumping and good court vision.

Looked at April 2019 article from Volleyball Mag.com they had ranking to top 50 recruited high school players.  Some of the text follows: " And as usual two of the biggest states in the land, Texas and California, landed the most players on the list. The Lone Star State led with nine entries on the Fab 50, while California was right behind with eight."  " Stanford had the most Fab 50 recruits this time around with five, with Purdue, Ohio State, Nebraska and Oregon coming in strong with three each. Will these four find their way to the top of the VolleyballMag.com women’s recruiting class rankings that will follow in several weeks? Stay tuned."

Seems it would be an advantage for a coach to have a recruiting connection with the above noted states and a reputation of developing  talent to compete at the highest level. I don't know that AU can pull in a top tier coach.  May have to take a chance on someone who has shown promise at some lower level.  I would be satisfied with steady progress in that case.   

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by slot canyon

[AUGoo 2,698]

This years recruiting class does not look very deep. I'm guessing that the new coach will be looking hard at the transfer portal.  I see that we signed two 2020 players this year: a 6'4" middle and a 6'1" setter.  I'm guessing players are waiting to see who is named head coach before making decisions about transferring.  Have not seen any mention of players we have lost to transfer.  After finishing worst in the SEC, I'm guessing this is a start from the ground project, but with the portal system perhaps building on the Loveliest Village will not be such a gigantic task.

[slot canyon 1,368]

Don't know how long it takes to replace a volleyball coach.  AU parted with Coach Nold on Dec 2.   If you were going to force the current coach out then seems you would have some candidates in mind.  Maybe the AD is still basking in the great performance of the football team down in Tampa and has been distracted.  In 2018 Bama parted ways with their coach on 11/9 with 5 games remaining in the regular season.  That year their SEC record was 7-11.  On 12-18-18 They hired a new coach (Lindsey Devine from East Tennessee State) and this year finished with SEC record of 4-14.  Seems we should hear something soon.  Has anyone been tracking the AU planes to get a read on who we might be looking at? ✈️😄  Some of the top coaches I have checked on have been at their schools for 20+ years so likely difficult to pry a high profile coach away from an established program.  

[auburnphan 6,050]

On 1/4/2020 at 11:32 AM, slot canyon said:

Don't know how long it takes to replace a volleyball coach.  AU parted with Coach Nold on Dec 2.   If you were going to force the current coach out then seems you would have some candidates in mind.  Maybe the AD is still basking in the great performance of the football team down in Tampa and has been distracted.  In 2018 Bama parted ways with their coach on 11/9 with 5 games remaining in the regular season.  That year their SEC record was 7-11.  On 12-18-18 They hired a new coach (Lindsey Devine from East Tennessee State) and this year finished with SEC record of 4-14.  Seems we should hear something soon.  Has anyone been tracking the AU planes to get a read on who we might be looking at? ✈️😄  Some of the top coaches I have checked on have been at their schools for 20+ years so likely difficult to pry a high profile coach away from an established program.  

They are near finished interviewing applicants at this time, looking for the right fit.  There has been a lot of interest and hope to have things wrapped up quickly.  Have not heard of a single applicant's name being leaked either.

[AUGoo 2,698]

On 1/4/2020 at 11:32 AM, slot canyon said:

Don't know how long it takes to replace a volleyball coach.  AU parted with Coach Nold on Dec 2.   If you were going to force the current coach out then seems you would have some candidates in mind.  Maybe the AD is still basking in the great performance of the football team down in Tampa and has been distracted.  In 2018 Bama parted ways with their coach on 11/9 with 5 games remaining in the regular season.  That year their SEC record was 7-11.  On 12-18-18 They hired a new coach (Lindsey Devine from East Tennessee State) and this year finished with SEC record of 4-14.  Seems we should hear something soon.  Has anyone been tracking the AU planes to get a read on who we might be looking at? ✈️😄  Some of the top coaches I have checked on have been at their schools for 20+ years so likely difficult to pry a high profile coach away from an established program.  

I would not begin to dream of getting a top coach from a high profile job, but would love an assistant from one of those high profile jobs.  Preferably a B1G program person who has  midwest connections.

[slot canyon 1,368]

1 hour ago, auburnphan said:

They are near finished interviewing applicants at this time, looking for the right fit.  There has been a lot of interest and hope to have things wrapped up quickly.  Have not heard of a single applicant's name being leaked either.

Thanks for that. 

1 hour ago, AUGoo said:

I would not begin to dream of getting a top coach from a high profile job, but would love an assistant from one of those high profile jobs.  Preferably a B1G program person who has  midwest connections.

I have no idea who they have as candidates but along the lines you were suggesting AUGoo I looked at the Baylor staff.  They made the semi-finals this year.  One assistant Samantha Erger has been there 5 years as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator.  Prior HC at a small college in Texas.  Played her college VB at Bowling Green.  She represents what may be available.  She has a family and her spouses work may prelude someone like that from looking for another position.  I am not implying that she is even a candidate but she has the type of profile that could be an example of possibilities.  Also noticed their HC Ryan McGuyre who has been there since 2015 is only 44 years old.  He has steadily improved the program from overall 17-13 his first year to this years 29-2.   His previous job was an assistant at Florida State.  I would be OK with an assistant with good resume who has a vision as to how recruit and  improve the program,,,,,,,,don't expect a miracle; just forward progress. 

[auburnphan 6,050]

If Greene had his own list it seems the interest wasn’t mutual.  They are interviewing from a pool of coaches who applied for the job.

[AuburnAlumFromThe423 106]

On 1/7/2020 at 11:58 AM, AUGoo said:

I would not begin to dream of getting a top coach from a high profile job, but would love an assistant from one of those high profile jobs.  Preferably a B1G program person who has  midwest connections.

^^^This. If Auburn wants to be competitive in volleyball, this is the mentality it has to have. Go after somebody who knows what success is in a top tier program.  It could be the head coach, maybe not. Maybe it is a top assistant. We don’t need to bring in a coach who has had success in a mid major or less. I know this is volleyball, but this formula can translate into problems in other sports.  See Auburn men’s basketball before Bruce got here, with Lebo and Barbee.  How did that work out for us? 

Not to give a history lesson, but I was a student at Auburn in the mid 90s. I started going to volleyball matches in 1996. At the time, we were winning almost 20 matches a season, including an SEC WEST title in ‘96. As the 2000s rolled in, we had back to back 1, that’s right, 1 win seasons. We have never really recovered from that, with the exception of 2010, the first NCAA tournament experience and a win in the tournament. We have to bring in someone who can build a culture of winning. Coach Hoppa has been producing at the Soccer complex for the better part of 2 decades now.

In the 90’s the team was playing at the Student Act Center. I packed the ACT, got the shirt, and was part of the largest crowd at the time, almost 800. The team now plays in a 9000+ seat arena that was sold out last night for gymnastics (how wonderful that was). I would like to see the same for a volleyball match on any given Friday night , especially on a football home weekend. We need to hire someone who will have that vision and recruit well and put a good product out on the floor to represent the greatest university in the world, and people will come.

Greene needs to realize that although this sport does not generate much revenue, it does not to be treated as such. Hopefully the process of looking at candidates is thorough and not just looking through applications. This is Auburn University athletics, not the Honey Baked Ham, Co. at holiday time. I just want all athletic teams to be given an opportunity to be successful.

[secfuture 3]

auburn volleyball bringing in a GREAT class of 2022 with a top ranked libero (sarah morton) and outside (akasha anderson). Brent crouch new face of auburn is doing a very good job bringing in impact players to create a better future for auburn volleyball. more fans, better players, and some fire in the program can definitely let the auburn tiger make it to the NCAA tournament and make a name for not only the volleyball program but the university as well. war eagle 

[AlaskanFAN 1,666]

https://auburntigers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/coaches/brent-crouch/2584

Brent Crouch, who has served as the head women’s volleyball coach at the University of Southern California the past two years, has been named Auburn’s head coach, Director of Athletics Allen Greene announced Tuesday.

QUICK FACTS
College	Texas A&M ’98 and ‘00
Family	wife, Marcy, sons, Jonathan and William

COACHING RECORD
Head Coaching Career	Six Seasons
Career Record	95-91
NCAA Appearances	2

COACHING CAPSULE
2020-	Auburn	0-0
2018–19	Southern California	40-25
2014-17	Portland	55-66

YEAR	SCHOOL	REC.
2019	USC	18-14
2018	USC	22-11
2017	Portland	15-15
2016	Portland	17-13
2015	Portland	16-15
2014	Portland	7-23

“We are excited to welcome Brent, his wife Marcy and sons Jonathan and William into the Auburn family. Brent is a well-respected teacher, motivator and tactician which have guided him throughout his accomplished coaching career. Most importantly, we feel that Brent’s leadership will further enhance the Auburn experience for our student athletes.  We look forward to the development and growth of the Auburn volleyball program under Brent in the years to come.”

In two seasons at USC, Crouch led the program to consecutive NCAA second round appearances, including a second-place finish in the Pac-12, and a No. 21 ranking in the season’s final AVCA poll in his first season on campus in 2018. This past season, the Trojans were 18-14, while outside hitter Khalia Lanier became the fifth player in Pac-12 history to record 2,000 kills and 1,000 digs in career.

Under Crouch in 2018, the Trojans finished 22-11 overall with a 13-7 record in Pac-12 matches. USC played one of the toughest schedules in the nation and faced 18 ranked opponents in the regular season and were awarded the No. 11 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Setter Raquel Lázaro was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and outside hitter Brooke Botkin was chosen for second-team AVCA All-America honors. Lázaro and Lanier were each tabbed for All-America honorable mention.

Under Crouch’s tutelage, outside hitter Emilia Weske was tabbed to the Pac-12’s All-Freshman Team while middle blocker Jasmine Gross added All-Pac 12 honors.

“The first words Allen Greene spoke when I asked him what makes Auburn special were, with no hesitation, ‘The Auburn Family. It's a real thing here,’" Crouch said. “Over the past several weeks of getting to know Auburn and the athletic department, I came to learn some of what he meant.  This is an elite athletic program, and yet it is as warm, hospitable and passionate as any place I have been.  From the beginning, Brant Ust and his wife Jessica, Joy Vrbka, and Allen and Christy Greene made my wife Marcy and I feel right at home.  A heartfelt thanks to each of them.  I can't wait to experience the full force of the Auburn Family at the next competition on campus.”

Prior to arriving at Troy, Crouch was the 2016 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year. He inherited a winless Portland program and within two seasons guided the Pilots to their winningest season in 25 years. Crouch first took over at Portland in 2014 after the Pilots went 0-27 the previous season. After going 7-23 in his debut season, he guided the Pilots to a 16-15 mark in 2015 (its most victories since 1991) and then improved upon that in 2016 with a 17-13 mark. His 2017 team, which was hampered by injuries, was 15-15, with five losses coming in five-set matches. His overall four-year record at Portland was 55-66.

The 48 victories in his final three years was Portland's best three-season total since 1984-86. The Pilots' 10-8 third place WCC finish in 2016 was its most league wins since 1985 and highest conference finish since 1989. He led Portland to the program's first-ever victories over Top 10, Top 15, and Top 25 opponents. Crouch coached three All-WCC first team players and a WCC All-Freshman team pick, along with three WCC All-Academic first teamers. He also helped establish beach volleyball as a varsity sport at Portland in 2016.

“Volleyball in the SEC is on the rise, and it is only a matter of time before it leads the country,” Crouch said. “I want to be at the forefront of that growth. Auburn volleyball is ready to take off, and I'm excited to partner with the department to ensure this happens.  Once I knew I was aligned with the core values, mission and the specific vision of volleyball at Auburn outlined by Allen Greene, it was a simple decision to come on board.   The Auburn family is going to see a volleyball program playing a fast, aggressive style of volleyball and to continue to develop young student athletes at the highest level on and off the court.  I expect us to be earning a bid to the NCAA tournament very soon, and I know our athletes are up for that challenge.  It's a great time to be an Auburn Tiger!"

Crouch arrived at Portland after four seasons (2010-13) at Saint Mary's College, where he was an assistant with the indoor program and head coach of the beach team.

During his time at SMC, the Gaels' indoor team went 73-40 overall, finished in the top three in the WCC standings each season by winning 73.4 percent of its league matches (47-17) and earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament in 2012, advancing to the second round. Besides being involved in the team's offense and defense, recruiting, scouting, practice planning, statistical and video analysis and scheduling, he provided academic support, as he mentored several WCC All-Academic honorees and helped the team to the athletic department's highest grade point average, an NCAA Public Recognition Award, and an AVCA academic award.

Crouch also coached the inaugural Saint Mary's beach team in 2013, guiding the Gaels to an 8-2 record, the best mark among all Northern California teams, as well as a No. 9 national ranking and a bid to the AVCA national championship for the program's top pairs team.

Crouch also has coaching experience with the USA Volleyball program, including working with U.S. Women's National Team head coach Karch Kiraly, being an assistant with the U.S. Collegiate National Team that captured a gold medal at the 2016 U22 Global Challenge and serving as both an indoor and beach coach in the USA Volleyball High Performance program.

Crouch played for Texas A&M's club team from 1993 to 1997. He earned his bachelor's degree in history in 1998 and his master's in philosophy in 2000, both from Texas A&M, then a doctorate in philosophy from Oregon in 2006.

He competed on the beach from 2005 to 2007 in AVP and CBVA events and placed second at the 2005 California Cup state championship.

He has held various teaching positions in philosophy at Oregon, San Diego City College, and Saint Mary's College since 2000.

Crouch and his wife Marcy have two sons, Jonathan and William.