Alright, so here’s the thing: sitting back and watching Tetairoa McMillan on the football field, sometimes it feels like you’re catching glimpses of other worlds or past lives or whatever. Really, it’s the kind of stuff only a guy like Matt Marrujo would catch. You know, Marrujo, the dude who’s juggling roles at Servite High as the volleyball coach and the athletic director, spends some of his days just kinda nodding along like, “Yep, that’s my volleyball kid right there,” when McMillan pulls off something insane at Arizona. Marrujo sees McMillan’s killer hand-eye coordination and recalls those intense steps, the kind you might notice in a high-flying spiker.
And McMillan, oh man, did he crack up about that one? He totally did. It’s like, “Yeah, I’m all about that. Volleyball rocked my world and had me catching and jumping through football fields like nobody’s business.” Between me and you? He loved volleyball the most – but maybe don’t spread that around too loud. It’s a bit of a secret, like the kind of stuff you whisper after a few beers.
Jump back to him as a kid, and he’s up for anything. Like, line up all the sports and pick one, two, or heck, just do ’em all. That was T-Mac. I kinda wonder if it wasn’t until, what, eighth grade when everyone thought, “Oh, football’s the cash cow he should ride.” But no matter the sport, he was ace at all of them and made everything look like a breeze.
Now, imagine this: a guys’ go-kart swap meet in summer 2018. Sounds random, but don’t fast forward, because this is where things get interesting. Miguel Monterola, from none other than the Orange Coast Volleyball Club, bumped into Tetairoa’s mom, Shawny, who casually pops up this video of her kid dunking at 12. You can almost hear Monterola’s jaw hitting the pavement: “Your son? Nah, man, where’d you get him, seriously?” And then it swirls into this sorta fate thing – convincing McMillan to drop by a volleyball practice at OCVC.
Anyway, volleying wasn’t exactly his first love, even though his mom and uncle were all about it. But hey, good old peer pressure along with Shawny’s college stories just kinda nudged him there. Next, you know, he’s swapping spikes with OC Buckeyes, syncing up with future Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita and the gang, winning titles, and, generally speaking, sky’s the limit.
And I mean, once McMillan hit the volleyball courts, everybody’s buzzing like a wasp at a picnic – “Who’s this No. 83?” He’s there booming around like this Greek god of sports, more muscle than most of us pack on in a lifetime, and trash-talking like there’s no tomorrow.
But pause – mental note to self – what’s crazy is, despite juggling football, basketball, and volleyball, McMillan had this gracious attitude. Always in it for the team, no bragging, none of that narcissistic diva stuff pro athletes get accused of. He’d grab rides from his buds, hit up trips to In-N-Out post-game, basically just a kid living his best life.
Imagine the path not taken, though. If he picked volleyball over football, his coaches seriously think he could’ve owned the scene, maybe going as far as the Men’s National Team. But that’s life, right? Sliding doors and choices. Still, former coach Rowan from UCLA said he’d have McMillan train a month and slot into top line-ups.
Anyway, McMillan says bye to volleyball, but not before setting a record with 36 kills in a high school match. Call it destiny or say it’s the universe nudging him toward football again, but now, eyes are on an NFL future. Speaking of futures, his old go-kart, yeah, the one from that fateful meet-and-greet with Monterola, sits in that dude’s garage collecting dust.
Once it’s all said and done, if McMillan pops up one day asking for that cart back, Monterola’s handing it over with a grin – ready for T-Mac to spin tales of what once was to his own little ones.
