Matt Digges Q&A
10/19/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Junior men’s water polo player Matt Digges (
Q: Tell me about your injury this year?
A: “It started with my arm feeling kind of weak and sore. When I finally saw the doctor they told me I had a blood clot in my arm.”
Q: How did they treat it?
A: “They put me on blood thinners and I couldn’t work out until they did some more tests. They needed to do a procedure to see if my rib was pressing on the clot. If it turned out that my rib was pressing on the clot, then I would have to have the rib removed and that would end my season.”
Q: That must have been hard to hear. What were you thinking?
A: “I was just waiting to see what the test said. It turned out that the rib didn’t need to be removed and the clot was shrinking, so I was cleared to play.”
Q: I’m sure that was a relief not only for you, but for your team. Is it good to be back?
A: “Yes, we have some goals we believe we can attain and we sacrificed playing last year to get to this point.”
Q: Have your recent losses to USC and UCLA (two of the top four teams in the country) deterred you any?
A: “Not at all. We know our mistakes, which were mainly playing out of our system and trying to play someone else’s game. We’ve had great practices this week and we feel confident we can play with any of the top teams.”
Q: I know your coaches share a different philosophy than most others. Can you tell me about that?
A: “Basically they believe in developing everyone on the team, so we can bring any individual off of the bench and feel confident in their ability as a player. It’s great for the starters because it gives us minutes off and we know we’re still very competitive.”
Q: As one of the veterans on the team, how did it feel when you found out the coach was bringing in one of the top recruits in the country? Is there ever any jealousy?
A: “Absolutely not. We welcomed Caleb (
Q: We’ve talked before about the “family atmosphere” that exists on this team. What do you attribute it to?
A: “I think it’s about respecting each other and working hard together. Coach (Jack) Kocur and Coach (William) Rodriguez help bring it all together.”
Q: How would you describe Coach Kocur as a coach and as a person?
A: “He’s very competitive, yet he cares a lot about us as individuals. He teaches us to be good people as well as good players. The team has learned a lot from him.”
Q: And is Coach Rodriguez the same?
A: “He’s great too. He tells us all the time that ‘you have to work through adversity.’ ”
Q: What has being at Pepperdine and participating in water polo taught you?
A: “Responsibility, leadership and time management. I think you can apply those three qualities to every area of your life.”
