It is a rare feat when a school manages to recruit blue-chip talent, but that is exactly what Long Beach State did when Nick Rascon put pen to paper to join the 49ers’ water polo team.
The crown jewel of head coach Gavin Arroyo’s 2010 recruiting class, Rascon has had immediate success at the college level. He has 36 goals in his freshman campaign to lead The Beach this season, which will come to an end this Saturday at noon against Pacific at the Campus Pool.
Arroyo cited Rascon’s innate competitiveness as the primary reason he recruited him.
“He doesn’t like to lose,” Arroyo said despite the 49ers 7-14 overall record including an 0-7 mark in conference play. “Nobody does, but some more than others.”
Rascon noted that the final decision on where he would play in college wasn’t easy. He said that almost every Mountain Pacific Sports Federation team was recruiting him, with the exception of UC Irvine.
In the end, he had narrowed his choices down to defending champion USC, California, Pepperdine and LBSU.
The Laguna Hills native said that Arroyo’s Olympic experience and the opportunity to play immediately were big concerns for him during the recruiting process. Rascon, who committed to The Beach on Jan. 30, also mentioned that he wanted to stay in Southern California.
Arroyo said the signing of the El Toro High School standout probably made a big difference for the rest of the 49ers’ recruits.
“I think other players want to play with Nick,” Arroyo said. “We ended up getting a pretty good recruiting class.”
One of those recruits was Dan Matulis, who met Rascon through his time on the U.S. National Junior Training Team in 2009.
During the year, there were two or three training camps, including one at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base. The two U.S. National Team-experienced freshmen said the experience prepared them for the college game because it was the same formation and style as college.
When asked of his first impression of the 6-11 Matulis, Rascon responded, “Oh God, this guy is going to kill everyone. He was a monster.”
Chemistry is developing between the two freshmen as they continue to get plenty of playing time.
“I used to only see him three times a year,” Rascon said. “Now I see him everyday and that’s only going to help us start to get that chemistry down.”
Rascon, whose goal is to play for the United States in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, has also received favorable reviews from the veteran leadership on his squad.
“I think most of us were excited to have him as a part of the team, we really kicked it off well,” team captain Taylor Clute said. “He’s got plenty of stories to add to ours and he is endless entertainment.”
Clute also noted that Rascon is a quick learner.
“As a leader, there are things I try to teach him,” Clute said. “If there is something that he doesn’t know, it usually only takes once to tell him and he’s got it relatively down.”
Rascon’s greatest mentor throughout his playing career has been his father.
“He critiqued me and motivated me,” Rascon said. “That’s something really special because he always made me strive for excellence.”
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