W H E R E A R E T H E Y N O W ? A baller for life
FOR LLOY BALL, IT’S NOT SO MUCH OF A QUESTION OF WHERE IS HE NOW but, rather, where he has been. The legendary homegrown Hoosier, who spurned Bobby Knight and a basketball scholar-
ship at Indiana University to play volleyball, is enjoying his life after reaching the pinnacle of the sport as one of the game’s all-time greats. Updating Ball’s resume would keep a team of copy editors busy full time, but at least
his employer history hasn’t changed much lately. The most recent bullet item was his induc- tion into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in October in Holyoke, Massachusetts, a coronation for a career he celebrated with family, teammates and coaches during his induction weekend. “That was bittersweet for me,” Ball half-joked recently. “Bitter because it means I am old
and can’t play at the same level anymore. Sweet because it makes you feel appreciated to be part of a group of so many heralded players, and that the sacrifice of being away from your family and all that work meant something.” Ball, 43, now lives in Angola, Indiana, 45 miles from where he grew up in Woodburn (outside of Ft. Wayne) as a high school basketball star. He passed on an opportunity to play college basketball for Knight at Indiana to play volleyball for his father, Arnie, at Indiana Uni- versity-Purdue University at Fort Wayne (IPFW), where he helped revolutionize the collegiate setting position. He played in four Olympics for the U.S. Men’s National Team, ultimately winning the gold in 2008 in Beijing. Along the way he spent 16 years playing professionally all over the world – all with a fiery style that both endeared him to fans and made him a target for opponents. Nowadays, he runs somewhat of a philanthropic volleyball club in Angola, charging kids about one third the cost of clubs in Ft. Wayne and working with local charitable organizations to scholarship others who can’t afford the reduced rates. The club fields 19 teams. His son Dyer (14) and daughter Mya (9) both play in the Team Pineapple Club system and have shown early promise. Dyer is a 5-11 southpaw setter with size 14 shoes. “My dad told me not to marry anybody too short,” Lloy says. “My wife (Sarah) is 6-0 and was a swimmer and high jumper.” Ball says the big payoff for the club isn’t just for his own kids. “We’re blessed, so for me to
give a little bit back is something I feel is appropriate,” he says. “Now that my dad is retired from IPFW, he comes in and works with the kids – so it’s really a family operation.” Team Pineapple also sends an Open team to the USA Volleyball Open National Champi- onships each May, giving Ball the chance to lace up the sneakers with something on the line. Ball led the squad, which is made up of former IPFW players (ranging in age from 22 to 43), to the title last year in the Premier Volleyball League (America’s version of a pro league). “I call my playing a nice hobby,” Ball says. “It’s fun to train with the guys with a goal in
sight. It keeps me working out.” The workouts Ball fits in after fulfilling his role as a full-time father and husband keep him doing what he calls geriatric plyometrics, but the 6-8 setter still has some game. “You never forget how to set the rock,” he says. “I just can’t hit the jump serve 70 miles per hour anymore or get my armpits over the net. I would say I am about 70 percent of what I used to be.” The current U.S. Men’s National Team (2015 FIVB World Cup champions) has Ball’s attention. “I watch their matches when I can and tweet out comments for them,” Ball says. “I know what kind of a grind they are going through, and it’s kind of a brotherhood we are in, so I support them any way I can.” Ball is particularly fond of starting setter Micah Christenson, with whom he has worked and communicated with on occasion. “He has focus beyond his years,” Ball says. “No offense to the other guys on the team, but he is my favorite player. I think he is going to be at the controls of the team for the next 10 years.” Social media is creating some additional opportunities for today’s international players.
“These guys are getting more exposure now and that’s what this sport has always lacked,” Ball says. “There is an opportunity for these players to become bigger stars than we were.” Ball, however, is perfectly content to remain in relative anonymity in his small Indiana
Lloy Ball had one of the most successful careers of any U.S. Men’s National Team players. He enjoys the fruits of his volleyball labor on family vacations with his wife Sarah, son Dyer and daughter Mya. (Photos: Peter Brouillet, Ball Family, FIVB)
town. His journey has been unparalleled since he started playing balloon volleyball as a toddler in the living room with his father. Does he sometimes wish he had taken another route, maybe even a basketball career? “Hell no,” he says. “I wouldn’t change a thing. I have a great family and wife who support- ed me the whole way, and this sport gave me the opportunity to make a nice living. I got to drink beer with teammates after big wins and drink beers with other teammates after devastat- ing losses. The journey is the reward, not the gold medal.”
— Jon Hastings 66 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
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