Success Follows a Change in Attitude : Volleyball: After Mike Denver became an unselfish player, he earned a starting job with UCLA.

If there is one thing that UCLA volleyball player Mike Denver has learned after two years of sitting on the bench it is this: Selfishness is for losers.

Denver, a fourth-year junior who played a little as a redshirt freshman but not one minute last year, has been slowed in his development because of a series of sprained ankles. But he also said his attitude was a problem.

“I wasn’t happy at all with volleyball,” said the 6-foot-6 swing hitter, who has earned a starting position this season.

He was so unhappy, in fact, that he considered transferring to UC Santa Barbara, his hometown university. But UCLA Coach Al Scates talked him out of it.

“I thought he was self-destructing,” Scates said. “He would work hard and earn a chance to come on the varsity court, but a nagging problem (sprained ankles) would keep him way at the end of the line.”

Scates told Denver that he would sign a waiver permitting him to transfer to UCSB without having to sit out a year, but Scates told Denver that he would be making a mistake.

“I said, ‘As long as you’ve been here and worked hard for a couple years, you ought to give yourself a chance to start,’ ” Scates said.

Denver said that transferring was “something I thought about really briefly, but when I gave it some thought, I came to the same conclusion as Coach Scates did.”

After deciding UCLA was where he wanted to be, Denver’s attitude changed.

“I was frustrated and out of shape,” he said. “If you’re going to come back from injuries, you have to be doubly strong in your head, maybe, to get better. But I could not deal with it. I didn’t realize what I had to do. I did not want to make the extra effort.

“This year all I care about is winning a national title, and that has to be a team effort. Sure, I wanted to play a lot before, but I was just looking out for myself.”

Scates said that Denver and junior Mike Diehl (ironically, a transfer from UCSB) are battling for playing time and that they are “the strongest left swing hitters on the team.”

“What I like about Mike Denver is that he is a very steady performer who can pass, dig and hit well,” Scates said. “Mike Diehl is very streaky, but when he is on, he is almost unstoppable.”

Scates also said Denver has taken more of a leadership role.

“He is getting vocal, and we need that,” Scates said. “This is a very quiet team. I like to see him taking charge.”

Denver said: “I think my court attitude is pretty good. I’m under control and I want to win. I’m not sure if I fire other people up, but I’m fired up--and I’m pretty vocal on the court.”

Since he has been at UCLA, Denver has sprained his left ankle three times and his right one twice.

But he is determined not to let his ankle problems keep him off the court. “I know I can play ball,” he said. “It’s just a matter of staying healthy and keeping my head in it, of keeping the right attitude.”

The Bruins’ tall and talented lineup includes the 6-6 Diehl, 6-7 junior setter Mike Sealy, 6-9 hitter Tim Kelly, 6-4 junior Dan Landry, 6-4 sophomore swing hitter David Swatik, 6-5 junior Rich Bland, 6-8 freshman hitter Jeff Nygaard and 6-4 freshman swing hitter Erik Sullivan.

“This team is so deep in talent that, if one guy doesn’t come through, three others will,” Denver said. “You do or you don’t.

“I’m enjoying volleyball a lot more than I have in the last couple of years. I enjoy this team; as a whole it has got a lot more character than we had last year or the year before. I like to be around these guys--and not just when we’re playing. I think everyone is determined to go all the way (and win an NCAA title) this year.

“I’m not trying to pop off, but we can only beat ourselves.”