Kenneth Keller, a junior attacker on the Pepperdine men's water polo team, tell us about the team's strengths and weaknesses, and how well he feels Pepperdine prepares its student-athletesfor the outside world. The Waves are currently in Northern California getting ready to take on San Jose State on Friday and UC Davis on Saturday.
Q: How do you feel the season is going so far?
A: It is going pretty well. We have definitely had our ups and downs. The past few games have been tough, but we are definitely on the rise. We have a few big games this weekend that we have to overcome. We are still getting even closer as a team, which is huge for us.
Q: What do you think are your team's biggest strengths and weaknesses in the pool?
A: I think that our biggest strength is how close we are. We are like one big family, and we all really care about each other. We also have a pretty strong offensive presence in the water, which is good. Our defense has been lacking a little bit, so I think that is our biggest weakness right now. We definitely need to play better defense and be more aware of where guys are in the pool.
Q: How do you think that you can improve as a team to strengthen your weaknesses?
A: I think the biggest thing is communication between the guys. Like communicating when someone is driving or when someone is open; and talking to the guys behind you saying, "He's open." Communication is the core of our defense, and without that communication, we have some holes that we need to fill.
Q: You have a two game trip up north this weekend against San Jose State and UC Davis. How do you prepare yourself for those types of road trips both as an athlete and as a student?
A: First of all, as an athlete, we have the few practices before the game where we go to the whiteboard and focus on key players who we need to pay attention to in the game. We practice plays that the other team will run against us in practice,and go over what we are going to do in the game.
From a student standpoint, it takes a lot of communication also. Talking to your professors beforehand and letting them know that you will be gone. I will be missing two classes Friday because of the travel day. One of them is my math class, and the professor was really accommodating and is going to meet with me so I know what it is I missed and how I can catch up on it before the next class. Another big thing as an athlete is getting work done beforehand so you don't have as much to do on the road, but also being able to work on the road if need be to stay caught up.
Q: Are the professors in general pretty accommodating with you guys missing so much class?
A: Definitely. Especially now that it is my junior year, it feels like the teachers care a lot, and I know that I can communicate with them easily. With one of my teachers, I can even call him and he will talk with me if I am having any troubles. With all of my teachers, I know that I can email them and they will email back pretty promptly with answers to any questions I have. They really help me out when I need it, which is comforting to know.
Q: Speaking of being a student, how hard do you find being a student as well as an athlete at such a high level of academics and athletics?
A: My freshman year, it was definitely hard to find a balance, but as I have gone through the years, I perfected my own form of time management to be able to make time for the harder classes, find time to study, figure out tutoring times. It is really a lot of planning. Planning a week, sometimes even two weeks ahead for big assignments and tests coming up, and making the time to get those done. Being able to plan and have good time management is definitely a huge part of being able to play to your best ability, while also doing as well as you can in school.
Q: What do you plan to do after college? Do you plan on playing water polo professionally, or do you plan on heading right in to the workforce?
A: I actually am planning on hopefully getting into the five-year MBA program here at Pepperdine. If that works, I will do the extra year here at school. And hopefully after that, I want to get into either real estate or entrepreneurship, but I haven't decided between the two yet. I am looking at my options, and trying to figure out the best fit for me. So for me, it is probably going to be getting into the workforce rather than trying to continue my athletic career.
Q: How has Pepperdine prepared you for the hopes that you have for the future?
A: I think it has really prepared me well so far. Like I was saying earlier, time management is super important, and I think that college has really taught me that. It is going to be so important in the workforce. I also think that playing a sport in college has been incredibly helpful. Being able to handle getting up early, working with people toward a common goal. It's been great. From the academic side, the things that my professors have taught me are going to be invaluable in whatever venture I plan to take on. I think that I have had a lot of help and a lot of influential people who have helped me throughout my journey here at school.
Q: Finally, with the season winding down, what can we expect from the Waves for the rest of the water polo season?
A: Well, I can tell you right now that we are on the rise. It has been a tough start, but I think that we are changing our attitude as a team, and I really think that you are going to start seeing some more W's. And hopefully, when it comes to the Gold Coast Conference Tournament, we will win that and bring home a trophy. That is our biggest goal, and I think it is definitely an attainable goal. We just need to keep coming together as a team and really put in the work to get there.
