WASHINGTON, D.C. — After the goal that saved the GW men’s water polo season, Atakan Destici had something to say.
The junior from Turkey beat the buzzer with a perfectly placed dart to tie the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) final on Sunday, November 18. As the Colonials prepared for overtime against Bucknell University, he took charge in the huddle with a passionate pep talk.
The scene spoke to Destici’s growth in and out of the pool. When he arrived in the U.S. for the first time in 2016, a moment like that would’ve seemed unlikely. It’s taken endless hard work over the past two-plus years to build the comfort and confidence to speak up in his second language.
Yet surrounded by his teammates with the pressure palpable, Destici was ready with words from the heart.
“After that goal, I knew that we were going to win that game,” Destici said. “I was so hyped. I just wanted to reflect my whole emotion to my teammates.
I told them how important it is for our program and also for us. We put in a lot of work in this four-month period, and it had to pay off.”
Destici was right, of course.
GW edged Bucknell, 12-11, in overtime to earn a return trip to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship before making more history last Saturday with a spirited comeback at Princeton to win 14-13 in overtime, boosted by three goals, five assists and three steals from its top scorer.
With their first-ever NCAA victory, the Colonials are one of six teams left in contention for a national title with a showdown versus 11-time national champion the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) coming Thursday, November 29, at Stanford University’s Avery Aquatic Center. They wouldn’t be here without Destici, a three-time All-MAWPC pick whose contributions go far beyond the 224 goals and program-record 194 assists he’s piled up during his career in Buff and Blue.
“The biggest thing I’ve seen from him is how much he truly cares about being on the team,” head coach Barry King said. “For somebody with the skillset that he has, it could be really easy for him to be the guy that really shoots the ball all the time, but his desire to do all the little things – whether that’s assists or steals or whatever else – that make him one of the more impressive teammates that I’ve ever seen.”
Destici can appreciate this incredible postseason push, mainly because of what he’s learned since his arrival in Foggy Bottom. He’d never been to the U.S. before reporting for his first preseason, and his exposure to NCAA water polo before that came solely from YouTube.
Growing up in Turkey, Destici always figured he’d attend college close to home. He had plans to take Turkey’s national university entrance exam until a starring performance at the 2014 Youth World Championship in his hometown, including a win over the United States, put him on the radar of college coaches here.
Destici joined the Colonials with the physical tools to be a star right away, but his continued success is a testament to his ability to adapt every step of the way.
Destici’s gaudy stat line, highlighted by 81 goals, as a first-year in 2016 hid what was a difficult transition. The language barrier made things tough in and out of the pool.
Playing for a decorated club in Turkey, Destici took pride in his ability to set up others. GW didn’t have that same depth at that point, and he had trouble letting his new teammates know what he was seeing in games and practices. Often, that meant forcing shots he knew he shouldn’t take.
“When I came here, it was a huge experience for me,” Destici said. “Every day, I just tried to adjust as much as I could at the beginning.”
Most important, Destici wanted to learn. He said hanging with the rest of the Colonials, whether it’s meeting up to study or to watch the latest action movie, has helped him adapt to his new surroundings as much as anything.
“I have Turkish friends here, but I spend most of my time with my teammates,” Destici said. “They are a great group of guys.”
The feeling is mutual.
“Out of the water, he’s definitely one of the kindest, most gentle people I’ve ever met,” said senior Jack Kerwin. “Then in the pool, he’s a completely different human. It’s pretty unreal to see when you get to know him.”
Destici’s continued progression has mirrored the program’s steady growth.
When King arrived before last season, he challenged Destici to be more of a playmaker. What followed was a 58-goal, 77-assist season and the program’s first-ever MAWPC title and NCAA berth.
Destici found that approach to offense was also a lot more fun, too.
“My mindset if just one player scores, one player smiles, but if one player can assist and the other one scores, then two people smile,” said Destici, who last weekend passed Brian Mojica (’15) to become the program’s all-time assist leader. “I love that quote.”
Heading into this season, King had a different challenge: at times, Destici had been too unselfish in 2017 and cost his team by passing up open shots. The coach believed the next step in his development was to strike a better balance.
This season, Destici’s 156 points have come via 84 goals and 72 assists. Right now, he ranks second on the program’s single-season list behind only GW Hall of Famer Glauco Souza‘s 185 in 1992.
King said Destici has put in the effort during practice and through film to get there.
“When your best, most-skilled player is also the hardest working guy on your team, that’s just the ultimate dream for a coach,” King said. “It’s not a mistake that he’s as good as he is skill-wise because the guy works so hard at every single thing he does.”
As the stakes have risen, Destici has upped his game to match. He posted eight goals and 12 assists over three games at the MAWPC Championship, highlighted by his clutch score in the championship game.
The Colonials were on the brink of a season-ending loss when Bucknell scored to take the lead with eight seconds remaining.
After a timeout, goalkeeper Austin Pyrch hit Zach Slaughter, who fired across the pool to Destici. GW’s leading scorer shook free from a defender and launched a shot into top right corner of the net at the buzzer.
“When I scored that goal, I didn’t feel like ‘Yes, I scored that goal,'” Destici said. “I felt like if anyone was there with the ball on my team they would score that ball, too. I felt that because that was a game that we played for each other.”
That was the message that he carried into the huddle as the Colonials prepared for overtime.
King was pleased but not surprised to see Destici step up in that spot. In fact, when his star spoke up the coach stepped out of the huddle, confident there was nothing more to add.
“I was like ‘Oh, he’s ready to go? I’m ready to go,'” Kerwin remembered. “He’s one of those people that you know he plays for you, and that just makes you want to play for him even more.”
Last weekend, GW needed to dig deep again at Princeton University, rallying from an 11-6 hole with six straight goals. In the comeback, he scored once, dished a couple of assists and played a key role in the defensive effort that locked down the Tigers.
Fittingly, Destici had the ball in his hands as the final seconds ticked out on another overtime victory. He tossed the ball skyward as the Colonials began celebrating their first NCAA victory.
“I’m really proud that we changed the mindset of this program,” Destici said. “Before I came here, the only goal was to be champion in our conference. I believe that we totally changed it as a team. Now, our aim is to show we can go and compete in the national championship.”
Release courtesy George Washington University Athletics Communications
