James Shaw's parents started bringing him to athletic events on the Farm when he was about a week old. From then on, as the son of a Cardinal coach, as a child fan of the varsity teams, and as a year-in, year-out attendee at Stanford's volleyball camp, he seemed almost bioengineered for a place in school history, especially as he developed into an outstanding teen athlete and successful student.
Recruited as a scholarship player for volleyball—the same sport his father Don had coached—it was as if he had belonged all along. How poetic. And also, declares the freshman, dead wrong.
Growing up, he notes, "I was here all the time." But always, he insists, with an awareness of being on the outside, no matter how hoveringly close. Everything feels different now—happily so—"just being on the inside of the locker room."
Whatever the pressures, the 6-foot-7 Shaw is taking them with poise. Sliding into the role of a floor leader as the setter, he's performing in the clutch, says coach John Kosty, at a level akin to being able to quarterback a football team as a freshman.
Don Shaw's Stanford career included 16 years as head coach for women's volleyball, winning four national championships, and a later six-year stint as men's head coach. He met James's mother when she was an administrative assistant for women's basketball.
Watching James play this season, he says, is a thrill not because it has been his dream, but because it's his son's. "He really did want this for himself. That's what's great."
