Coast Coaches Corner -- Dan Matulis
It is amazing how much can change over the course of 12 months. This time last year, Dan Matulis was an assistant coach at Long Beach State and his biggest news at the time was he to become a father for the first time. Orange Coast College was fighting with the rest of the elite water polo programs, while training and competing in a facility that was … well … let's just say "a bit outdated in size and practicality."
Turn the clock to present day … the world is struggling with the COVID pandemic and all sports, including water polo, are put on hold. But for Matulis and the OCC aquatics programs, the future has never looked brighter! In addition to Matulis becoming the new men's and women's water polo coach for the Pirates, there is a brand-new, state-of-the-art aquatics pavilion that is DYING to be played in!
We recently reached out to Matulis and caught up with our new head coach to see how the last few months of his life have transpired, both as a coach and as a new dad.
Tell us about your life since becoming hired at OCC … how has the transition been so far?
"It has definitely been a most interesting transition. I never thought I'd meet so many people virtually! I can't wait to meet everyone face to face. I've already built some remote working relationships and I'm very excited to see our athletic teams in person again, once they get back on campus."
Tell us your thoughts on the new aquatic center … I know you haven't been able to use it just yet, but what are you most looking forward to once we get back to full swing again?
"I am so looking forward to showing off that facility! It allows OCC to provide an experience no other two-year school can. It's one of the best pools in the state, period. It's even nicer than most of the Division I schools! It provides such an incredible setting, not only for water polo, but for swim meets of any level. There's covered stadium seating, two video boards, state-of-the-art facilities, the locker rooms are immaculate, plenty of space for both men's and women's teams … it has it all. Plus from a sport education aspect, we will have the ability to teach the sport and show game strategies that a lot of schools simply won't have the ability to do. I'm so excited to grow this sport and we can even have night games! We can host big events and really get the community really excited about this sport."
For years we've always been that men's team that's always a very GOOD team year in and year out, but just not quite able to get by those elite teams, whether it's Golden West or Long Beach. What are your plans to hopefully get us past our rival Rustlers?
"I think it starts with marketing our college. We have one of the biggest colleges in California, with excellent programs. I'd also like to continue to develop some characteristics of this program and establish ourselves as THE team. When I was an assistant at Golden West, I used to hear people say, 'I wanna wear a ring, so I'll go there.' We want to develop Division I athletes and along the way, we will also develop a championship program. We need to give our athletes as much opportunity to succeed as possible and with our new aquatics pavilion and the student success programs and our new on-campus apartment living, we now have the foundation to be successful in all areas."
While it's easy to focus on men's water polo because of the constant success of the program, we've got a women's program that is ready to take that next step into becoming a consistent success as well. What will it take for OCC Women's Water Polo to earn a place among the top programs in the state?
"On the women's side, it's interesting … there are a LOT more opportunities for women to play at the four-year level and at the community college level, we need to provide that steppingstone for those opportunities. There are way more high-level male water polo players and not as many opportunities. Our way to approach this at OCC – use it to our advantage. We need to develop women's water polo at this level and help them get these opportunities that are out there. It's a more level playing field on the women's side, so there's the opportunity for immediate success. It takes some work to find the numbers and it will take some time, but we will get there."
Beyond the pool, what type of foundation and overall OCC experience would you like to create for your water polo programs?
"I'm creating a holistic model of athletic success and academic success. Going to class, putting forth your best effort, both in the pool and in the classroom. There's such a connection to that and working hard in the practices. No coach wants you to just work hard the day before a game … it's the same in academics and cramming the night before for an exam. The skills we are teaching you … they aren't just for the next six months … it's for life. Athletics is so great at building character and these skills transfer into life. I was lucky that I had that connection between academics and athletics. It's definitely a skill-set that carries over into day-to-day life and if I can show these athletes how to work just as hard in their studies as they do in the pool, then they will leave OCC ready to take on anything that comes their way."
As a young coach -- in this world of technology and information -- what are some things you can bring to this program that will perhaps give our teams a bit of an advantage heading into the new season?
"During COVID, there definitely is an advantage when it comes to knowing how to work with the technology that's out there. I've been teaching with Canvas for years and I've been able to use Zoom and all of the tools they provide. We can have breakout rooms to work on specific items with a more specific group of athletes. The timing of all of this is hard, but as a new coach, I've been able to use this down time to our advantage. We are defining who we are as a team and we are establishing our policies with the extra time that we normally wouldn't have during this time of year. I told the athletes that the foundation we are building now, they can come back in 10 years and say they were the inaugural part of building these successful programs. I've tried to connect with the team within the roles. The days of long-worded emails or letters to players … those days are in the past. If we learn how to communicate with how they're comfortable with, that would be a much more affective formula. Using Hudl, using Sports Code, being able to break down film, etc. These days we can run through every single situation and provide athletes immediate feedback. We now have the ability to have practice and show them on our new video boards instantly what we see and how to correct whatever mistakes we see."
It seems that water polo usually has a player or two that might not be from this country. With your experience as a coach and player who has worked with international athletes, what are some crucial elements needed to help these athletes feel more comfortable in these new surroundings?
"For me, it's a matter of creating a sense of community within the team … how we are gonna act and perform as a group. From what I can see, the athletes do a great job of helping out our out-of-town or out-of-area athlete. It truly IS an international sport. California is the only state at the two-year level and Southern California is the Mecca of water polo in this state so we see a lot of out-of-state athletes that want to play at the highest level. Now that we have dorms, it's going to be such a great advantage for us. They look beautiful from what I've seen!"
What's been the mood of the players so far during his awkward time?? As far as the sophomores go, not only are they dealing with this COVID situation like the rest of us, but they're also getting acquainted with you as their new head coach. How have the athletes been during all of this?
"Both men's and women's teams … I'm really proud of both of them. New coach, COVID, new facilities … they've done such a good job of controlling what they can control. It's very rare for a new coach to be able to identify such great leaders on these new teams. I still haven't even talked to them face to face, but I can already tell who the leaders are through zoom meetings. I'm really proud how they've done and I'm excited to see it translated."
In addition to this new life-changing job experience at OCC, you've recently become a dad! I guess COVID has allowed you to spend more time with your wife and son during this crazy time. How has the world of fatherhood been treating you?
"It's been really great! My wife and I have been really fortunate that our son has been so well-behaved and it's made life so easy for us. The flexibility HAS been nice but I can't want to get to get back to the pool again. But to be able to spend the first six months of his life has been so awesome. We've all been so lucky."
I know that in addition to your expertise in water polo, another key component to OCC hiring you was on the academic side of things. What are some goals for you here at Coast to help our athletes excel in the classrooms as well?
"For me, student-athlete success is huge. It starts with having a relationship and providing them resources and access to those resources. They can be prideful, but that doesn't necessarily lend to getting help. We want them to succeed and we want to give them help. I want all of my athletes to transfer and get to that next level with a high GPA. I want to integrate the PRESS program with all of our sports and the PRESS Program is something I'm really excited about. I'm also a part of our curriculum committee and I'll be assisting in writing the curriculum that meets the student's needs and goals. If we can create more classes that the students want and we properly teach that learning, we will all get better as student-athletes and as a college."
One thing you definitely bring is the many, many years of playing experience. If you had to pick a favorite memory from your playing days, what would it be? Is there a moment that stands out the most for you?
"During my junior at Long Beach State, we would compete a lot against the Pac-12 Conference and that strength of schedule really jumped us up in the national rankings. We went from No. 10 to No. 5 in one year and I new we had a big class of athletes my junior year. Going into those playoffs with the feeling of, 'Hey, we're really good!' That year, I really felt like our team 'made it' and we got our culture at Long Beach State as one of the top programs in the nation. I'm so very proud of that accomplishment. I'd love to get that same feeling here at OCC and I'm going to enjoy the process."
