University Southern California Trojans
Q&A with Newcomer Freshman Brad Pan
December 05, 2023 | Men's Volleyball
Pan is a libero from Cupertino, Calif. and gave us some great hometown recommendations.
In an effort to get to know our incoming athletes further, sports information student assistant Malala Pyle sat down with freshman libero Brad Pan and asked him a few questions.
Malala Pyle: Where are you from?
Brad Pan: I am from Cupertino, California.
Malala: What's your favorite thing about your hometown?
Brad: There's always something to do. I can go up to San Francisco whenever, and the beach is super close by.
Malala: Where are your favorite places to go in your hometown?
Brad: There's two beaches in Santa Cruz that my friends and I go to every now and then. One is called Panther Beach and the other is Davenport. Davenport is more lowkey and less crowded, and Panther is always a nice place to go if you have a big group of friends.
Malala: Any hometown food spots?
Brad: Oh yeah, Mongolian Barbeque. It's so good! It's expensive, but every time I go back I have to hit it at least once. There's also a Japanese/Curry/Katsu place called Demiya. I worked there in high school and my friend's mom owns the place. It's so good, one of the best.
Malala: Were you involved in anything outside of volleyball in high school?
Brad: Yeah, I was class president my freshman, sophomore, and junior year, and I was ASB (Associated Student Body) president my senior year. I think that helped me a lot with my leadership skills.
Malala: You were captain of your high school volleyball team for three years. What's one of your biggest takeaways from that experience?
Brad: Different people have different communication preferences — you can't talk to everyone the same way when you're trying to be a leader. For example, one teammate might not like confrontation but the other one might need confrontation in order to succeed, develop, or learn. The other one might just need your support.
Malala: What is your favorite sport to play that isn't volleyball?
Brad: I'd say maybe golf.
Malala: Breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Brad: I want to say breakfast because breakfast always hits the hardest.
Malala: What's your favorite meal in that category?
Brad: French toast with syrup, strawberries, and bananas on it.
Malala: What is your dream place to live?
Brad: I think previously I would've said Hawai'i. I visited and it's great, it's amazing, but I can't see myself living there. Honestly, my dream would be to stay home in NorCal — it's really nice.
Malala: Favorite show or movie that you grew up watching?
Brad: My favorite movie series is Harry Potter, for sure.
Malala: Why USC?
Brad: USC definitely offers the most amount of resources and opportunities for not only student-athletes but for students in general. I think USC sets you up very well for success post-grad.
Malala: Are you more into podcasts or music? If you're on Spotify, who was your number one artist for Spotify Wrapped?
Brad: Music, for sure. Omar Apollo.
Malala: What do you like to listen to genre wise?
Brad: Rap, R&B, Lofi — things like that.
Malala: What's the best joke you've ever heard?
Brad: What's a DJ's favorite dressing or sauce? Mara-nara.
Malala: Who do you look up to the most and why?
Brad: Both my parents. They both immigrated here, my dad a little earlier than my mom, but they both came in and didn't know how to speak English. They worked their way up, worked hard, and now are both making good money and supporting me in coming here.
Malala: What is your best volleyball memory?
Brad: I think when I committed here. It's a little less common for the people and students in my area to commit or go Division I for sports.
Malala: What has been the best part of your day so far?
Brad: The bacon from Little Galen. Love it. I used to hate bacon, but the bacon there got me into it.
Malala: What's your favorite season of the year?
Brad: Fall.
Malala: What do you associate with fall? Why fall?
Brad: Just being able to dress nicely. I think the winter is way too cold, you have to layer up more than what's necessary — wearing thermals, and sometimes jeans just don't cut it even though they are so thick already. In the fall, you can throw on a shirt and maybe a sweater or a sweatshirt and then pants, and it's perfect for the entire day.
Malala: Any advice you would give your past self?
Brad: Trust the process. A lot of things come hard at first, but you have to stick to it and eventually the hard work will pay off.
Malala Pyle: Where are you from?
Brad Pan: I am from Cupertino, California.
Malala: What's your favorite thing about your hometown?
Brad: There's always something to do. I can go up to San Francisco whenever, and the beach is super close by.
Malala: Where are your favorite places to go in your hometown?
Brad: There's two beaches in Santa Cruz that my friends and I go to every now and then. One is called Panther Beach and the other is Davenport. Davenport is more lowkey and less crowded, and Panther is always a nice place to go if you have a big group of friends.
Malala: Any hometown food spots?
Brad: Oh yeah, Mongolian Barbeque. It's so good! It's expensive, but every time I go back I have to hit it at least once. There's also a Japanese/Curry/Katsu place called Demiya. I worked there in high school and my friend's mom owns the place. It's so good, one of the best.
Malala: Were you involved in anything outside of volleyball in high school?
Brad: Yeah, I was class president my freshman, sophomore, and junior year, and I was ASB (Associated Student Body) president my senior year. I think that helped me a lot with my leadership skills.
Malala: You were captain of your high school volleyball team for three years. What's one of your biggest takeaways from that experience?
Brad: Different people have different communication preferences — you can't talk to everyone the same way when you're trying to be a leader. For example, one teammate might not like confrontation but the other one might need confrontation in order to succeed, develop, or learn. The other one might just need your support.
Malala: What is your favorite sport to play that isn't volleyball?
Brad: I'd say maybe golf.
Malala: Breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Brad: I want to say breakfast because breakfast always hits the hardest.
Malala: What's your favorite meal in that category?
Brad: French toast with syrup, strawberries, and bananas on it.
Malala: What is your dream place to live?
Brad: I think previously I would've said Hawai'i. I visited and it's great, it's amazing, but I can't see myself living there. Honestly, my dream would be to stay home in NorCal — it's really nice.
Malala: Favorite show or movie that you grew up watching?
Brad: My favorite movie series is Harry Potter, for sure.
Malala: Why USC?
Brad: USC definitely offers the most amount of resources and opportunities for not only student-athletes but for students in general. I think USC sets you up very well for success post-grad.
Malala: Are you more into podcasts or music? If you're on Spotify, who was your number one artist for Spotify Wrapped?
Brad: Music, for sure. Omar Apollo.
Malala: What do you like to listen to genre wise?
Brad: Rap, R&B, Lofi — things like that.
Malala: What's the best joke you've ever heard?
Brad: What's a DJ's favorite dressing or sauce? Mara-nara.
Malala: Who do you look up to the most and why?
Brad: Both my parents. They both immigrated here, my dad a little earlier than my mom, but they both came in and didn't know how to speak English. They worked their way up, worked hard, and now are both making good money and supporting me in coming here.
Malala: What is your best volleyball memory?
Brad: I think when I committed here. It's a little less common for the people and students in my area to commit or go Division I for sports.
Malala: What has been the best part of your day so far?
Brad: The bacon from Little Galen. Love it. I used to hate bacon, but the bacon there got me into it.
Malala: What's your favorite season of the year?
Brad: Fall.
Malala: What do you associate with fall? Why fall?
Brad: Just being able to dress nicely. I think the winter is way too cold, you have to layer up more than what's necessary — wearing thermals, and sometimes jeans just don't cut it even though they are so thick already. In the fall, you can throw on a shirt and maybe a sweater or a sweatshirt and then pants, and it's perfect for the entire day.
Malala: Any advice you would give your past self?
Brad: Trust the process. A lot of things come hard at first, but you have to stick to it and eventually the hard work will pay off.
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