HERMOSA BEACH, California — Trevor Crabb doesn’t do ensures anymore. Retired from that sport after a not-very-well-thought-out, spur-of-the-moment, emotionally fueled assure to win the 2022 Atlanta Gold Collection, on the heels of a victory in Fort Lauderdale wherein he and Tri Bourne didn’t drop a set, fell flat.
He and Bourne didn’t win Atlanta.
Not even shut. They completed ninth, their worst end result on the AVP in 5 years as a staff.
To some, possibly this seemed to be a crack within the armor of Crabb’s inimitable confidence. That possibly some self-doubt was kicking in. That possibly he didn’t really consider in himself sufficient to proclaim to the world any longer that he would, certainly, win no matter event he stated he’d win.
And as has been the case for everything of Crabb’s profession, anybody who doubted him, and had the temerity to counsel as a lot on social media or in any other case, was confirmed unsuitable — to the tune of $500.
Eric Nguyen was the primary.
Within the wake of this yr’s AVP Atlanta, wherein Crabb and Theo Brunner completed third and misplaced to Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, Nguyen commented on Instagram that “Andy and Miles will likely be in Hamburg [Elite16] and gained’t be taking part in within the [Manhattan Beach Open]. You truly might need an opportunity.”
Bear. Poked.
“Subsequent time we play them,” Crabb responded, “I’ll wager you $500.”
Others jumped on. Brad Timmer wished in. So did Brett Watson. Jon Justice, a stable participant in Florida who was the longtime volunteer assistant at Florida State, requested if he may take the wager as properly — even providing Crabb odds on the match.
“Deal,” Crabb replied to Justice. “Let me know the chances. And begin placing in time beyond regulation on the drive by.”
When, 4 weeks later, Crabb and Brunner skated by the winner’s bracket unscathed to the finals, and so did Partain and Benesh, probably the most anticipated match of the AVP season was on. Previous to the finals, Crabb confirmed with all these silly sufficient to wager in opposition to him that the bets have been on. Whereas he didn’t assure the victory, he did what he has all the time completed, leaning on what his good pals can solely shake their heads at and label the absurd confidence of Trevor Crabb: He wager on himself.
And he gained. Once more.
A 21-18, 21-19 victory over Partain and Benesh, one thing that shocked many within the American volleyball world, solidified the second AVP win of the season for Crabb and Brunner and their first excessive seeds.
“We have been 0-2 in opposition to Miles and Andy and after that Atlanta loss, that’s when these guys made these feedback,” Crabb stated. “Subsequent time, there’s no means I’m shedding to those guys once more.”
Into the direct messages and feedback he went, accumulating on his bets. Most tried to squirm their means out of it. Justice paid up.
“Shout out to Jon,” Crabb stated.
Bourne may solely snicker.
“He’s all the time taking receipts,” stated Bourne, who is aware of higher than anybody, having grown up with Crabb and partnered with him for practically 5 years.
At this level, it begs the query: Why, oh why, do folks proceed doubting Trevor Crabb?
When his AVP profession started in earnest, partnering together with his brother, Taylor, in 2015, they turned one thing of a pleasant storyline: A pair of brothers from Hawaii, taking part in a pure, ball control-oriented type of volleyball. They have been younger, enjoyable, straightforward to look at, a staff who may maybe give Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal — and later Nick Lucena — or Casey Patterson and Jake Gibb a good run. However because the collective seaside world fawned over the otherworldly items of Taylor, together with his generational arm and skill to make performs that belonged on SportsCenter, Trevor’s easy, considerably boring type of play went largely ignored. As they misplaced in a single closing after the subsequent — eight straight for Trevor — and Trevor’s mouth solely grew bigger, each in particular person and on social media, a hashtag started circulating: #NeverTrevor.
However at the same time as his wins started piling up, starting with a shocking victory on the 2019 Manhattan Seashore Open with Reid Priddy, the respect didn’t observe. Regardless of back-to-back Manhattan wins with Bourne in 2021 and 2022, regardless of being the 2022 AVP Workforce of the 12 months, Bourne dumped him on the finish of that season to companion with Chaim Schalk. Crabb, a little bit of a positional tweener who has performed left aspect and proper, defended and blocked, was left scrambling for a operating mate for the Paris Olympics.
Right here was a participant who had extra wins than anybody on the AVP Tour since 2019, and “nearly no person informed me to play Trevor,” stated Brunner, who was additionally a free agent after being dumped by Schalk. However as Brunner, a longtime rival of Crabb, started doing his due diligence on his future companion, he slowly turned a believer.
“I watched a ton of his video extra in depth than I’ve prior to now and I used to be tremendous impressed,” Brunner stated this previous December, after he and Crabb solidified their partnership. “I believe our personalities are going to be a very good match as a result of we get alongside, and I sort of want somebody bringing the vitality and he brings the vitality and instigates with the opposite staff and I adore it. I believe it’s going to be a very good match. We’ll see.”
He was, it appears, one of many few who thought so.
In a ballot originally of the season, followers have been requested which two American groups would qualify for the Paris Olympic Video games. Crabb and Brunner obtained simply 9 p.c of the votes, trailing Bourne and Schalk by 32 p.c, Benesh and Partain by 17 p.c, and Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander 14 p.c.
At present, Crabb and Brunner are second in factors per occasion amongst USA males within the race, trailing solely Partain and Benesh. They’re one in all two males’s groups to make a podium this season, profitable gold on the Espinho Problem. The one different pair to even make it previous the quarterfinals in a Seashore Professional Tour occasion this yr is Partain and Benesh.
And but…many nonetheless had the stones to wager in opposition to him. And lots of have been confirmed unsuitable.
Once more.
It would trouble some, this fixed stream of doubt.
Crabb — and now Brunner — thrives on it.
“I get to have the sweeter second on the finish after profitable or one thing like that and rubbing it of their face,” he stated. “Kinda like Chicago when folks wager in opposition to me.”
He’ll proceed taking, and accumulating, on these receipts. He’s completed it his entire life.
Why would he cease betting on himself now?