Putting the Smack Down

  MARY CIECEK/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Outside hitter
Ian Burnham proves his worth on the court after
three years on the bench due to a string of injuries. But he proved
invaluable as his team’s biggest fan.

By Amanda Fletcher
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Ian Burnham likes to talk smack.

It’s not that he’s a mean guy, but for the first
three years of his volleyball career, it was the junior’s
only way to support his teammates.

Entering his fourth season with the UCLA men’s volleyball
team, a string of injuries, including a broken arm last year, has
kept Burnham off the court for most of that time.

But that didn’t stop him from taking an active role.
Setting himself up in the stands with friends, Ian took it upon
himself to heckle the opposing team, trying to mentally take them
out of the game.

“I was always the one dishing it out,” Burnham said.
“That was my forte for a while, but it’s all in good
fun. You gotta support the guys somehow.”

This season is different though. This time Burnham gets to talk
his trash from the court.

“I think Pauley Pavilion security is pretty stoked that
I’m suiting up now,” he said with a laugh.

After team captain senior Mark Williams was sidelined with a
sprained ankle before the game in Hawaii two weeks ago, junior Matt
Komer moved to William’s spot, opening a place on the court
for Burnham at opposite hitter.

“He’s very good all around,” Scates said.
“He doesn’t seem to have peaks and valleys. It’s
valuable to be able to count on such a solid
performance.”

In his first career start against Penn State in the
Hawai’i-hosted Outrigger Invitational, which the Bruins won
for the fourth straight year, Burnham topped the team stats with 17
kills, three aces, six digs and three blocks.

“I always knew I had the ability to do it,’ Burnham
said. “I got a chance and proved myself.”

Since then UCLA has won its last five out of six games with
Burnham leading the team in kills for four of them.

With stats like that, now it’s Burnham who’s getting
heckled.

Especially in UCLA’s recent win over Pepperdine, when head
coach Al Scates won his 1000th victory.

“I got the standard Rogaine cheer because I’m going
bald, but nothing too bad,” Burnham said.

“There’s nothing I hate worse than being heckled by
a bunch of preppy kids.”

“It just gets him more fired up,”sophomore middle
blocker Greg Coon said. “When people talk trash to him, he
plays better.”

Evidently so. Burnham finished the match with a team-high 16
kills, along with two aces and three blocks.

So he can take it, but does he still dish it out?

“Sometimes,” Coon said with a laugh. “He
can’t help it. It’s part of his nature, like a
reaction.”

But since Burnham has taken his game to the next level, trash
talking isn’t the first thing on his mind.

“Right now he’s hitting as good as anyone,”
Scates said. “In scoring situations, he’s probably
hitting better than anyone on the team.”

Which is a good thing since Williams will return in two weeks,
meaning another shuffling of the starting line-up.

Burnham shouldn’t worry though. In only six games
he’s become the team’s third best digger and one of the
Bruins’ best all-around players.

“He’s definitely come out very strong,” junior
Kris Welch said. “He was given an opportunity to step up and
he’s definitely done that. I think he’s become a main
part of the offense and I hope that when Williams comes back,
he’ll continue to be able to do that.”

Opposing teams may not agree, but now that they don’t have
to deal with him in the crowd, Pauley security probably wants
Burnham to stay on the court too.