Experience as Player Gives Ervine a Feel for Coaching

ANAHEIM —  Now, the shoe’s on the other foot.

Dale Ervine, who starred in an all-star game for the Splash one year and for Arizona the next after falling out of favor with then-coach George Fernandez, won’t be having that problem anymore.

Ervine is the Splash’s first-year player/coach and the person responsible for getting the Splash a Continental Indoor Soccer League championship quickly.

It is a task he relishes, and there have been many changes since he became involved in managing his team.

“Not only is it an adjustment for myself, but it’s also an adjustment for the players,” said Ervine, 33, who led UCLA to an NCAA title as a player but has failed to win a championship as a pro.

Ervine has made the distinction between being a buddy, as in the past, and being a coach.

“He’s made that very clear--we can approach him at any time,” said Armando Valdivia, whose preseason performance indicated he had regained the form he had as one of the league’s best rookies in 1994.

But hanging out with the coach is a no-no. So is being late for practice and actions without consequence.

“You cannot continue to have the closeness of relationships that you had when you were a teammate,” Ervine said. “All my decisions are going to be based not on relationships, but on that given situation.”

Ervine brings with him the skills of a 400-goal scorer, the experience of 11 indoor seasons and the reputation of a golden boy.

But if the Splash doesn’t do well, Ervine might be blamed regardless of whether it’s his fault.

Still, he seems to have made a good impression. Raffaele Ruotolo, who hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with Ervine, practiced with the team until contract negotiations broke down.

“For the 1 1/2 weeks I was there, the practices were more intense, more disciplined, everyone showed up on time, practice started right at 9 a.m., everyone was willing to work, there were no complaints, everyone knew where Dale was coming from,” said Ruotolo, the franchise’s second-leading all-time scorer behind Ervine. “The young guys learned more in two weeks with Dale than they learned all last year with Ian [Fulton].”

Fulton made his CISL head coaching debut last season with the Splash and, for the first time since the team arrived in Anaheim, it failed to win a division title. It finished 15-13, and Fulton left the Splash to coach at Portland--the Splash’s opponent Friday at the Pond.

Players complained about a lack of organization last season, and Ervine isn’t making the same mistake. He’s trying to ensure every game situation is covered ahead of time. Drills are different from day to day. Practices start on time.

“Those guidelines are in place so that everyone understands what’s expected of them,” Ervine said. “If they choose to deviate or find a loophole, that’s fine, but they have to be prepared to accept the consequences.

“There’s a time when players need to sit back and say, ‘This isn’t a burden. It isn’t a chore to wake up, train for two hours, be on a stage for thousands of people and be paid for it.’ This is a joy.”

Forward Bernie Lilavois, playing for his fourth coach in three seasons, likes what he has seen.

“So far, Dale’s done a tremendous job, but we haven’t won or lost anything yet,” Lilavois said. “The true test is going to come during the season.”

Although Ruotolo (17 points in 14 games) is gone after a disappointing season, and midfielder Sam George (19 goals, 7 assists) is playing Major League Soccer, the Splash could make up for it if midfielder Danny Barber (21 goals, 30 assists) finds a consistent stroke and Lilavois (25 goals, 17 assists) improves on his one-on-one opportunities.

The midfield should be bolstered by 6-foot-5 Steve Kuntz, who had 115 goals and 64 assists in 126 indoor games in the National Professional Soccer League. A return to form of Valdivia, who scored 30 points in 21 games in 1994, also could help.

Doug Neely (43 blocks) and John O’Brien (54 blocks) anchor the defense, and Thor Lee--an all-star last year--was signed after the San Diego Sockers’ dispersal draft.

And then there’s Ervine, who was the league’s second-leading goal-scorer (45) and fourth in points (69 points).

Mike Fox, an All-American from Cal State Fullerton who played in the 1984 Olympics and competed six years indoors in Wichita alongside Ervine, will be the assistant. Fox will handle the in-game substitution changes, as well as the power-play defense and sixth attacker situations.

“I don’t expect them to do what they can’t do,” Ervine said. “I expect them to focus on what they can do well and what their strengths are, and bring their strengths into what we’re trying to accomplish as a team.”