After years of below-average results and finishing dead last in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, the LBSU men’s water polo team transcended to new heights in 2014, finishing second in the conference and in the MPSF Tournament.
For Long Beach State head coach Gavin Arroyo, 2014 was by far the most memorable season of his coaching career.
“For me, [those were] the best coaching moments,” Arroyo said. “The MPSF weekend definitely had some indescribable moments. Anytime you can beat a Pac-12 team it’s pretty extraordinary.
But in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the team endured a major communication breakdown between the coaches and players, causing a lack in chemistry that was reflected in their results. They went winless (7-15, 0-8 MPSF) in the conference in 2010 and finished 1-7 in 2011.
“There were times when I loved and hated water polo,” senior attacker Milos Vrzic said. “[Arroyo] was responsible for both.”
According to senior Nick Rascon, who started his college-playing career at LBSU in 2010, players on the team felt tension with Arroyo.
“Before, the players weren’t comfortable,” Rascon said. “Maybe they were scared or afraid of him. They didn’t need to be; it was just a lack of communication, where both sides weren’t able to get their points across.”
Rascon said that early in his 49er career, he was also one of those players who had minimal interaction with Arroyo.
“I came in and didn’t really approach [Arroyo], and he didn’t approach me,” Rascon said. “I kind of just put my head down, and did what I was told to do.”
Arroyo’s lack of communication with the players stirred up frustrations.
“There’s probably a reason for that,” Arroyo said. “It takes a couple years before I give them a voice. I’ll give a voice to the older players once I see that they are committed. If they bled for me for four years, they’re going to get a voice.”
Arroyo said he distanced himself from younger players in order to allow room for them to develop.
“I have to earn their respect, and they have to earn mine,” Arroyo said.
The 49ers started to mesh together after Arroyo opened up to the players who had proved their dedication to the team.
“As the years went on, his communication skills would improve,” Rascon said. “Everybody could talk to him, and he would [be responsive]. This last season, everyone felt more comfortable practicing and playing, and being around him.”
In the quarterfinals of the MPSF Tournament, The Beach defeated Arroyo’s alma mater, California, 9-6, and then stunned top-ranked UCLA in the semifinals, 5-3. Its bid for an NCAA Tournament appearance escaped them after Stanford knocked off LBSU 9-8, in the championship game.
“To be able to beat two [Pac-12 opponents] and almost beat a third in three days,” Arroyo said. “That breaks down a lot of barriers and limitations as a coach.”
The accomplishments that LBSU garnered this season, including reaching as high as No. 3 in the NCAA rankings, gave the team a taste of the success that Arroyo experienced as a player.
During his playing career, Arroyo was a two-time All-American and water polo standout at California. He helped the Golden Bears win three consecutive NCAA titles, from 1990 to 1992. He also played seven seasons of professional water polo in Greece and Spain.
While Arroyo worked as an assistant coach at his alma mater, he found his path to LBSU as the head coach. With all the experience he gathered as a player, he felt inclined and motivated to share the water polo knowledge with young and inspired athletes.
“I found that the information I acquired was something pretty special as far as what people were doing. I felt like that was something I needed to give back,” Arroyo said.
In hindsight, Arroyo said he is fortunate for being able to keep his head coach position despite the difficult seasons and bad records. He credited the athletic department and athletic director Vic Cegles for sticking with him through the tough times.
“They stuck by me and believed in me when it wasn’t looking good, and we had a couple bad years,” Arroyo said. “They stood by me, and that said a lot because I knew what I could do, and for whatever reason, we weren’t getting it done.”
This season, The Beach accumulated the most conference wins (22-7, 7-3 MPSF) in Arroyo’s nine-year tenure at LBSU. As a result, he led the team to the deepest MPSF Tournament run in the program’s history, and was rewarded with the MPSF coach of the year award.
Though six seniors from this season’s team are graduating, the 49ers look to build off of the momentous run they put together during the MPSF Tournament.
“One thing we have proven is that it’s doable,” Arroyo said. “This feels too good to be a one-time thing.”