LOS ANGELES — Sometimes the best game plan isn't drawn up on a whiteboard—it comes from a simple phone call. When Hawaii men's volleyball coach Charlie Wade needed a practice spot before the NCAA semifinals, he didn't scroll far. He dialed up Mira Costa athletic director Mike Rosenthal, who happens to be the father of his star setter, Tread Rosenthal—a finalist for the AVCA National Player of the Year award.
The Rainbow Warriors rolled into their hotel early Thursday morning, catching some well-earned rest before making the 13-mile trek south. But in classic Los Angeles fashion, that short drive turned into an 85-minute crawl through late-afternoon traffic. Their destination? Mira Costa High School—the same court where both Tread Rosenthal and freshman outside hitter Thatcher Fahlbusch wrote their high school legacies.
"Lindsay (Tread's mom) was already reaching out about putting together a meal for the team, so we just kind of combined the two," Wade said after practice. "It's a beautiful facility, and Tread gets a chance to come home, hang out a bit, and get a meal to boot."
The 'Bows put in a solid 90-minute session to fine-tune their game plan ahead of Saturday's NCAA Tournament semifinal showdown at Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus. And what a showdown it will be—they're facing Big West rival Long Beach State in what promises to be an electric rematch. The first semifinal pits Ball State against UC Irvine at 12:30 p.m., with the winner taking on the 'Bows or the Beach for Monday's national championship.
While the team drilled, the Rosenthal family turned practice into a homecoming. Both of Tread's parents watched from the sidelines, scooping up volleyballs afterward and then feeding the team. Mike Rosenthal, who anchored NFL offensive lines from 1999 to 2007, knew exactly what was most important.
"Obviously so cool to have him back here and the team here," Mike said. "And we've got to get them fed. An offensive lineman knows the most important thing is to make sure they get fed."
The Rosenthal family journey has been anything but ordinary. Mike took over as Mira Costa's athletic director in 2022 after relocating from Austin, Texas, late in 2021. Tread and his dad made the move first, with Lindsay and Tread's three sisters joining them the following summer. Tread played just two seasons of high school volleyball before skipping his senior year entirely, enrolling early at Hawaii in 2023 to fill the massive shoes left by setter Jakob Thelle.
"No. I don't like him," Tread joked when asked about living solo with his dad. "I'm joking, of course. Yeah, we all had our goodbyes." On that six-month father-son chapter in California: "My sisters were back in Texas finishing the semester, and they had volleyball and stuff. We had six months together just figuring out California. It was really fun."
Mike Rosenthal hasn't had the chance to watch his son play a match in Hawaii this season, but with the NCAA semifinals just days away, there's no better stage for a reunion—and a shot at history.