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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, September 19, 2002

Chaminade water polo team making a big splash

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

As far as first impressions go, it doesn't get any better for first-year Chaminade men's water polo coach Ben Nary II, who has the 20th-ranked Silverswords off to a school-record 7-0 start.

Nary inherited a Chaminade team that went 7-8 last year and has immediately turned it into a postseason contender.

Nary, who is a former University of Hawai'i men's water polo club player, brings enthusiasm and coaching experience to the Silverswords. He coached the UH women's water polo team when it was a club sport, and the Pac-Five and Kamehameha swimming and water polo teams before taking over at Chaminade.

"Looking at the quality of players we had, I kind of expected this," said Nary, who guided Chaminade to its first-ever victory over 18th-ranked UC-Davis earlier this month. "I knew we had the potential to be a good team. I'm real excited and the players are too."

Tomorrow at 7 p.m., the Silverswords will take on 19th-ranked Brigham Young-Hawai'i (2-4) at Kamehameha Schools pool. It is the first time two nationally ranked local NCAA men's water polo teams will play each other, Nary said.

"We want to let people know that we're for real and show them that our 7-0 road trip was not a fluke," said junior defender Logan Rapana, who is from Wellington, New Zealand. "We have a lot riding on this game. We have to prove ourselves to a lot of people."

Nary said one of the team goals this season is to gain one of eight berths in the Western Water Polo Association postseason tournament. A victory over BYUH tomorrow would improve Chaminade's standing in the WWPA, he said.

"It's a crucial game for us," Nary said. "The first seven wins we had were against WWPA teams. Out of 15 (WWPA) teams, we beat seven."

The Silverswords are beating opponents with a suffocating defense and a quick counter-strike offense. Sophomore goalie Chris Howard, a converted field player, has allowed an average of only 7.2 goals per game.

Offensively, Chaminade has scored 100 goals in seven games for a 14.2 goals per game average. For most teams, 10 goals per game is considered acceptable. Milos Matijevic, a freshman from Belgrade, Yugoslavia, leads Chaminade with 27 goals scored, while senior Petar Samac, of Zagreb, Croatia, has 20.

"We have a lot of good shooters who can put the ball away," said senior captain Eric Billington, who is from San Luis Obispo, Calif. "We have a strong offense."

Billington said the Silversword defense forces turnovers and bad shots, and sets up fast-break opportunities on offense.

"The pressure slows them down and makes them rush their shots," Billington said. "Then we take advantage of their mistakes."

Billington said Nary has rejuvenated Chaminade by recruiting talented players such as Rapana and endeared himself to players with a coaching style that seeks input from players.

Nary has also received permission to use Kamehameha's pool to practice this year. Last year, Chaminade wandered O'ahu trying to find a practice pool after its regular practice site at Kaimuki High School needed repairs. Unable to find a pool, the team sometimes trained in the ocean.

"We wanted to secure a regular practice site, fortunately the athletic department at Kamehameha gave us that opportunity," said Nary, who was hired by Kamehameha to maintain the pool.

• Pacific West Conference women's volleyball: The four local small college volleyball teams — BYUH, Chaminade, Hawai'i Pacific and UH-Hilo — hold the top four spots in the six-team Pacific West Conference. BYUH (11-0 overall, 2-0 in Pacific West) is first, followed by Chaminade (8-1, 2-0), Hawai'i Pacific (7-3, 2-0) and UH-Hilo (5-8, 1-1). Montana State University-Billings (5-8, 1-3) is fifth and Western New Mexico (8-5, 0-4) is sixth.