This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Water Polo Looking to Make A Splash at Niles West

After one year as a club sport, Niles West's water polo team completed its first season at the varsity level.

Eric Himmler wasn’t sure about water polo. He swam for Niles West in the winter, but couldn’t commit to the school’s newest sport, one he had never played before. He tried out for baseball instead.

But after he didn’t make the cut, Himmler knew exactly where he was going.

“I walked right in with my baseball bat and glove and said, ‘Coach [John Przekota], I’m joining the team,” said Himmler, a sophomore. “Now it’s probably the most fun part of high school.”

Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Himmler’s story isn’t unique. In only its second year of existence – and first at the varsity level – Niles West’s water polo team is littered with athletes who had no previous experience in the sport. Many of Niles West’s swimmers have made the transition to the “other” water sport, but it has been anything but easy.

“They are two totally different sports, swimming and water polo,” said Ryan Miller, a junior and one of Niles West’s varsity captains. “Water polo you have to work as a team, unlike swimming where it’s so individual. It’s a new experience.”

Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A FAMILY GAME

John Przekota lives water polo. Just by talking to him, you get the sense that it’s his passion. Przekota was an all-state player at St. Patrick’s and went on to play in college. He coached at his high school alma mater before taking the head coaching job at Niles West.

Water polo runs in the Przekota family. Four of John’s five brothers were all-state selections in high school. So when he needed another coach, Przekota didn’t have to look far, as Joe, who had just graduated from Iona College, became the head coach of the frosh / soph team.

“It’s great to have somebody who understands where I’m coming from and also brings more to the table than I could bring,” said John, who coached Joe while at St. Patrick’s.

The Przekota coaching tree even extends beyond Niles West. Peter, another Przekota brother, completed his first year as the head coach at Maine East.

START OF A SPORT

Before Niles West committed to a varsity water polo team, they ran a one-year trial run at the club level in 2010. The team practiced three or four times a week and played only 10-12 games.

The goals Przekota had for his athletes were gaining exposure to the sport and learning the basics. To start their first practice, Przekota literally showed the team a water polo ball. The games would get the team – especially the swimmers -- accustomed to water polo’s physicality.

“The first couple games of the year you’d literally have guys in the water looking at us like, “Oh god, what should I do? This guy’s mauling me,’” Przekota said. “They’re so not used to the contact.”

SECOND-YEAR PROGRESS

Przekota doesn’t care about regular-season results. He couldn’t even recall his team’s record when asked after a recent practice. All he wants is progress and improvement.

“I care about ‘Are we getting better?’” Przekota said. “And the answer’s yes.”

Early in the season a lot of the varsity team was still struggling. They weren’t grasping the flow of the game and the team aspect of water polo. So after a 9-7 loss to Foreman in late March – one that Przekota says they probably should have won – the varsity organized a meeting and conducted team-building activities.

Since then Przekota has noticed an improvement at practice. More people are talking, in the pool and from the bench. That wasn’t happening in the first third of the season.

It’s shown up in matches as well. In early March Niles West lost to Maine South, 16-1. In their last two matchups, the Wolves played close contests against their CSL South rival, losing by three and four goals respectively.

They defeated Maine West in the first round of the IHSA Northbrook Sectional, but fell to No. 1 seed New Trier in the quarterfinals, ending their inaugural varsity season with a 6-19 record.

“We can see ourselves improving,” senior Elliott Kerbel said. “A lot of it is getting to know the game and knowing what’s going on. There’s a lot of general inexperience with everybody.”

DEVELOPING A SWAGGER

After coaching at St. Patrick’s – a perennial state powerhouse – Przekota knows establishing water polo as part of the sports culture at Niles West won’t happen overnight.

He’s starting a grammar school camp this summer that will hopefully continue into the fall. The high school team will compete in a summer league and try to set up scrimmages with other teams in the area. And there’s a tentative plan to take the team to see college water polo matches over Labor Day weekend.

The process still goes beyond what Przekota can do as a coach and an unofficial ambassador of the sport. Thankfully, he says, the program has the support of the administration and other coaches.

“[Niles West swim coach Dan Vander Jeugdt] has been pushing these kids just as hard as we have to get them out for water polo,” Przekota said. “To have 50 kids for your first year as a varsity team is unheard of. That’s a lot of what he’s doing in the building and what our kids are doing talking up the sport.”

Przekota exhibits little doubt that water polo will be successful at Niles West. But more importantly, he’s got his team believing the same thing.

“People are slowly discovering that we have a water polo team,” Kerbel said. “They’re interested even though they’ve never played before, asking us how we play. Our team is going to be huge in a couple of years.”

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?