FOR CARROLL, COACHING IS PART FUN AND SUN.

Byline: JILL PAINTER

MANHATTAN BEACH - USC coach Pete Carroll strolled through the front entrance at the AVP Manhattan Beach Open on Sunday, much to the delight of many fans.

A few girls yelled, "We love you, Pete!" Another group of girls stopped and posed for a picture with him, as did Leonard Armato, owner and commissioner of the AVP pro volleyball tour. Even Congresswoman Jane Harman, who represents the 36th Congressional district in South Bay, had a chance to meet Carroll.

One man stopped to shake his hand, then said, somewhat jokingly: "This isn't a holiday. You're supposed to be working!"

This is work, actually. It's part of Carroll's genius. It's the fun part for him, the kind of stuff that didn't work in the NFL but works wonders with 19-year-old kids. What could they possibly not like about sand, sun, sport and girls?

Carroll, who lives near the beach in Rolling Hills, loves volleyball and everyone in his family plays. His wife, Glena, played indoor volleyball at the University of Pacific.

It's a chance for Carroll to expose players to something other than pass rushing and kickoff return coverage. For the past several years, Carroll comes with two buses full of football players in tow. He wants to expose some of the Trojans to a sport many have never seen.

And it's a few hours of reprieve from him barking instructions.

"Guys get a chance to get a little California lovin'," Carroll said. "They get some culture, and we bring the young guys down who don't know what this is all about."

Even Carroll was spotted having fun boogie boarding here recently.

Learning the art of beach volleyball isn't exactly why they came to the beach. Sure, they might learn something new. But most important, they keep learning something about their coach.

Carroll never stops trying to find ways to invigorate both himself and his players. And this year is no different, even if they're the consensus by everyone on the planet to win the national championship.

There will be more autograph seekers, more squealing girls and more headlines.

Carroll knows when big, burly linemen walk down Manhattan Beach Boulevard in groups with USC T-shirts, they'll get noticed. And that's just fine with him.

"It's about dealing with distractions," Carroll said. "It's a chance for us to come down and get in a setting like this and handle ourselves well. We're making sure that they realize that they've got to act well and represent and take care of this time that we're here.

"They're going to have to do it on their own all the time anyway, so this is a little bit of practice."

Carroll walked toward the beach with all the gusto and bravado that he does on Howard Jones Practice Field.

"Who's in the final?" Carroll asked a couple of reporters.

When told, he nodded. You know he knows players by name, even the ones not named Karch Kiraly.

This is practice for younger players to learn, and the veterans to be reminded, that playing for the national championship doesn't mean everything has to be taken so seriously.

Freshman fullback Jordan Campbell had heard all about Carroll's tricks and outings and has loved every minute of it.

He was thrilled to see the movie "Rush Hour 3" the night before and more than happy to fill the afternoon with volleyball.

"Coach is always surprising us," Campbell said. "He takes our mind off football so we can get refreshed. We would've just been sleeping in the dorm."

Campbell, who prepped at Norco, had never been to a volleyball event, like many of his teammates who are from out of state. But that didn't stop Campbell from enjoying the event.

Campbell and his teammates strolled around the beach, eating, chatting with people and watching a bit of the final in which Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers beat Dax Holdren and Sean Scott.

"It's good to watch a talent I don't have," Campbell said. "You've got to be in shape to do that, and it's like any sport where you have to give it your all."

This was junior linebacker Rey Maualuga's third trip to Manhattan Beach. The best part?

"The girls," he said.

The Trojans were treated to the beach's version of the Laker girls -- the AVP dancers. They wore pink bikinis and tossed lip balm and T-shirts into the crowd. Carroll and several players stood on a back stage, while others stood near the court and a group of Jose Cuervo girls who were sporting yellow swimwear.

It was a hot day and some players wanted to avoid the sun, especially because they had a scrimmage later in the evening.

"It's kind of a good thing and a bad thing," Maualuga said. "We're out here and we get beat up in the sun, then we're too tired (for practice). But it gets our mind off football."

They're not tired of Carroll, the biggest, baddest, funnest kid in town.

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