“When I called that day, it knocked me off my butt,” said a laughing Ferguson, who admitted to seeing Genesis live in 1987. “This guy’s already in tune with what we’re doing here.”
When Ferguson arrived at USC, the now-second-year coach wanted to recapture a tradition of dominance that’s evaded the Trojans men’s volleyball program lately. So he diligently put together a highlight tape of the school’s NCAA championship performances from 1977, 1980, 1988, and 1990.
He set the whole thing to a hard rock version of “In the Air Tonight” by Nonpoint. Peleuses knew nothing about the highlight tape. It was a complete coincidence.
“I forgot I have that on there,” Peleuses said. “I need to change that.”
Peleuses is a co-captain on the Newport Harbor team that’s 12-3, which speaks to his leadership. He’s a laid-back, level-headed sort of leader, said Harbor Coach Dan Glenn. Ferguson saw the same thing.
“He’s really comfortable talking to adults,” Ferguson said. “When I talked to Tucker, it almost felt like I was talking to one of my buddies.”
Peleuses’ maturity isn’t just evident in his conversations; it shows in his palate too.
His signature dish is paella, but Peleuses is at home when he’s making difficult-to-pronounce food.
He’s enrolled in a culinary arts class at Newport Harbor and was accepted by USC’s Marshall School of Business. He’d like to open his own restaurant, and he’s doing an internship this summer at Sun Dried Tomato.
