Hired late and with little time to recruit, Steve Hanson may not have a team to coach this fall in his first season heading up the Foothill College men’s water polo program.
“The season isn’t lost, but we’re under the gun to get something going,” said Hanson, hired in July to replace Nathan Resch. “We need to find more players.”
Hanson has been in this situation before. He salvaged the 2005 season at the University of the Pacific, where he began his reign as interim coach of the women’s team with just five players.
Foothill has four players – none of them returnees – and needs at least three more to field a team.
“In all my coaching experience, this is the most difficult situation,” said Hanson, who has coached at Santa Clara University and UC Santa Cruz over his nearly six years in the profession.
Hanson is frantically searching for players, whether they have experience in the game or not.
“I’m trying to track down players out there with eligibility who want to take classes,” he said. “I’m working all the angles.”
The coach found half of his recruits in summer classes and the others “just heard of the program through the grapevine,” he said.
So what happened to the players from last year’s team?
“That’s a good question; I’m not really sure,” Hanson said. “I don’t think they were held accountable for their activities from January on – they were cut loose. There are guys out there somewhere with eligibility, but I don’t know where they are.”
The Owls were supposed to start their season this week, but Hanson canceled the entire slate of September games. He hopes to fill out the roster in time for the Oct. 6 Coast Conference opener.
If interested in joining the team, call Hanson at 949-7387.
