Knocking some sense into someone is a saying most people are familiar with, and for John La Rusch it was the first step toward realizing he had a future in volleyball.
“My dad actually coached volleyball, and has been coaching volleyball for over 20 years now,” La Rusch said. “I grew up in the gym. I was four years old walking across the court and he hit me in the head with a volleyball. That’s just kind of how I grew up.”
A Long Beach native, La Rusch has strong ties with this city. He was born at Long Beach Memorial Hospital and attended Polytechnic High School where he was a three-time All-Moore League selection. He has lived here his entire life, so the decision to play for Long Beach State was an easy one.
“My senior year it was hard for me to see myself wanting to go anywhere else,” La Rusch said. “I took my recruiting trip here, and I just loved it.”
La Rusch’s 6-foot-6-inch frame may intimidate some people, but the senior opposite comes off as easy-going with a calm and cool demeanor. He’s full of smiles when talking about the team, his city and the hip injury that sidelined him for a year.
After his freshman and sophomore years at LBSU where he appeared in only 19 games, La Rusch was forced to redshirt the 2013-2014 season due to that hip injury. But La Rusch, being his laid-back self, actually called it a blessing in disguise.
“I was able to learn more of the system off the court during the season,” he said. “We had so many phenomenal guys last year who helped me and everyone else out and it was just really nice to have.”
La Rusch’s time off the court helped him breakout in 2015. He started 25 out of 26 matches during his junior year and led the 49ers with 3.09 kills per set. His efforts helped him garner All-MPSF honorable mention recognition.
LBSU’s head coach Alan Knipe said he was impressed with La Rusch’s mentality and volleyball acumen when he recruited him and even during his year on the sidelines.
“I’ve always been a very big fan of John’s team-first mentality and his volleyball IQ,” Knipe said. “He is a very gifted attacker with great vision. He is a very even-keeled player and does a good job investing into our team system and team culture.”
Now a senior, La Rusch enjoys being one of the older players on the team. He’s taken it upon himself to be a leader on and off the court, as well as becoming a mentor for the younger players.
“It’s such a huge transition process from high school to college your first year,” La Rusch said. “One of the huge things is practicing every day. It’s not something you really had to take seriously every single day. In high school, maybe you got away with a day off with not giving your best. That’s something you have to do here.”
Knipe said that La Rusch has embraced his role as a leader.
“John is doing a great job of being one of our team leaders,” Knipe said. “He shows it by example every day in practice and in every video session. He has great communication in regards to our systems and is always willing to share his experiences with the younger guys.”
Despite being a senior, La Rusch said that the freshmen and sophomores on the team help keep him accountable when he isn’t giving his full effort. La Rusch has seen limited time this season, but his role as a leader is intact.
“The one thing we always expect from our program is just to work hard,” La Rusch said. “That is the one thing we always want to take pride in. Just outworking every team we play and each other in practice. It’s a huge thing I expect from this team.”