Say, aren't you ... Chris Botez?

"That was just wrong," University of Hawai'i men's volleyball player Mauli'a LaBarre said of being mistaken for the UH basketball center while shopping at Safeway recently. "I mean, come on."

LaBarre, a 6-foot-9 middle blocker, should be familiar. He was raised in Makiki, attended Roosevelt High School and is entering the senior season of a UH career that began in 2000 and was extended because of a church mission. Then again, maybe the Warriors, who opened training camp yesterday afternoon, might not be easily recognizable after completing a makeover in style and philosophy.

While the roster is relatively intact — two players completed their eligibility last May and none of the newcomers is expected to start in the near future — the Warriors have changed their offense and placed a greater emphasis on serving and passing. As a UH consultant during fall training, Carl McGown, the former coach of Brigham Young and the U.S. national team, implemented many of the changes.

"He works miracles," middle blocker Dio Dante said. "He did a great job."

UH coach Mike Wilton said: "He gave us a nice tune-up. He's really cutting edge, mainly because he invents a lot of things."

Following a trend in international volleyball, the Warriors quickened the tempo of their offense. They are running a "second-step" attack in which an outside hitter is in motion — on his second step — before the set is launched. In the past, the Warriors ran quick sets only to the middle attackers.

"Anyone who knows anything about volleyball knows faster offenses are better," opposite hitter Matt Bender said. "I don't even like fast offenses, and I know they're better. We caught up with the times. Look at the teams that have won championships the last couple of years. They run fast offenses."

Setter Brian Beckwith said: "The game is changing, and so are we. It's going to be a lot of fun this year."

The quicker pace gave fits to the middle blockers during fall training camp — frustration, the Warriors hope, that opponents will experience this season.

"When we're playing defense against the first-team offense, the balls are going right by us," LaBarre said. "They're really hard to read."

The success of the quicker offense rests largely on accurate passing. In last year's first-round playoff loss, the Warriors had difficulty handling Long Beach's serves. Of the new offensive scheme, Wilton said, "If you don't pass well, it's hard to play fast."

This week, Wilton increased the number of passing drills. He also added a third net to allow more repetitions for the 16 players in camp. (The roster expands Monday, the first day of the spring semester.)

What's more, the emergence of outside hitter Eric Kalima, a converted libero, gives the Warriors a lineup of essentially four passers. The others are libero Alfee Reft, left-side hitter Matt Carere and Bender.

Last season, Bender struggled with his passing because he could not straighten his right arm, creating an uneven platform. He solved the problem by adjusting the way he positions his body while passing. Now, Bender said, "I finally picked up some passing ability. I like passing. It keeps you warm during the game when you're not hitting."

This season, the Warriors will attempt to serve more powerfully — a strategy inspired by Brazil's world championship team. "Brazil's (lineup) is like the Yankees' Murderers' Row," UH assistant coach Tino Reyes said of the six jump-servers.

The Warriors' starting rotation will have four jump-servers, with Beckwith abandoning his float serves. Only LaBarre and Dante will use float serves.

"Jump serves are good, but only if you keep them in play," said Wilton, noting the U.S. national team commissioned a study on the worst counter-productive skills in volleyball. "No. 1 is a serving error. There's nothing worse."

Reft said: "Games are won because of serving and passing. It makes sense to key on those two skills."

NOTES

The Warriors host Douglas in exhibition matches Friday and Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center. First serve is 7 each night. Barring injury or illness, Wilton said, UH will start Dante and LaBarre in the middle, Kalima and Carere on the left side, Bender at opposite, Beckwith at setter and Reft at libero.

Jason Salmeri, a former Warrior middle blocker, participated in his first practice as a full-time assistant coach. He will oversee the defense.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.