Briceno Won’t Take ‘No’ for an Answer : Volleyball: Some have told former Fountain Valley player to focus on making ’96 Olympic team. But he’s determined to play in Barcelona.

Carlos Briceno has been through tryouts before, so he is prepared for the outcome when the U.S. Olympic volleyball team cuts its roster in June.

Either he will make it . . . or he won’t.

Briceno already knows what it’s like to get cut. It happened to him as a 14-year-old freshman at Fountain Valley High School.

“I thought I was good,” he said. “I was pretty good at basketball, and all the basketball players were told to try out for volleyball to stay in shape.

“I had picked up all the skills from gym class and playing with my friends. But I was cut from the freshman team, and I had never been cut from anything in my life.”

But Briceno got a big break when one of the players quit the team. He begged the coach for a second chance.

“I told him I would come back and work my butt off,” he said.

Briceno joined the team. By the end of the season, he had earned a starting spot.

Three years later, he was an All-Southern Section selection. He went on to play college volleyball for four years at Hawaii, earning All-American honors as a senior, and now has an outside shot at making the Olympic team.

“Making the team would be a boost for me as far as exposure,” Briceno said. “I eventually want to play in Europe. Playing in the Olympics drives your net value up. Everyone wants a big contract in Europe.”

With that in mind, Briceno understands the importance of the next five World League matches, including tonight’s against Japan at the UC Irvine Bren Center.

In short, if he plays well in the World League, he could be on his way to the Olympics July 25-Aug. 9 in Barcelona.

Briceno has been with the U.S. team for only a year, but his playing time increased recently, as well as his productivity.

U.S. Coach Fred Sturm started Briceno in the Spain Cup finals against Italy in April. Briceno responded with a team-high 25 kills to lead the United States to the championship.

“Until the Spain Cup, I was only playing off and on,” Briceno said. “But Scott Fortune got injured, and I played three matches in his place.”

Briceno figured he had landed a permanent starting position after the Italy match. After all, he played well against one of the world’s top teams, right?

But reality set in when the team returned to its San Diego training center in late April. Former Olympians Steve Timmons, Bob Ctvrtlik, Jeff Stork and Doug Partie were back from playing in the Italian professional leagues.

“One day I’m in the starting lineup,” Briceno said, laughing, “and the next day I’m back on the bench.”

Still, Briceno is optimistic about his chances of making the team.

He’s only 24, and if he doesn’t make the team in 1992, he would have another shot in 1996. This will likely be the last Olympics for many of the veteran players, opening up as many as six spots if they leave.

“I went back to Hawaii after a few months with the national team and the thing that bothered me the most was what the reporters kept saying,” he said. “They kept saying, ‘Realistically, you have to be looking at 1996 instead of 1992.’

“But, deep down, I knew I had a chance in ’92. I would say I went from a 3% chance of making the team to having a pretty good shot. I think it’s between me and one other guy for the last spot.”

Briceno hopes his versatility might land him the 12th and final spot when the roster is trimmed June 27. Sturm has said he wants to keep good all-around players who he can use at a variety of positions.

“I have a lot of respect for the way Carlos plays,” Sturm said. “He’s so versatile. He can hit from the right or the left or the middle. He can hit from the back row or the quick set.

“He came out of Hawaii well-trained and prepared to play the international game.”

Briceno joined the team last May, shortly after the United States upset Italy at the Bren Center. He had just received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Hawaii.

The past year has challenged Briceno. Trying out for the team isn’t easy. Practices are long and intense, and players are often exhausted when they leave morning practices for afternoon jobs.

Briceno worked part-time at a San Diego restaurant-bar to help defray living expenses, but he had to quit when the team started traveling to matches.

“It’s difficult living day-by-day,” he said. “I’ve been struggling financially.

“During my first eight months, I was living on $400 a month. I had a car, rent and car insurance to pay. I was going into debt and had to take money out of savings to cover my expenses.

“It was like being a college student all over again.”

But, as Briceno knows, it’s a small price to pay for a trip to Barcelona.