BROOKLYN, N.Y. — St. Francis College Brooklyn is posting a a series of interviews with St. Francis men’s water polo players by journalist Michael Randazzo as the Terriers prepare to open the 2018 season at Brown University’s Bruno Classic on Saturday, September 1 against Pepperdine University.
California water polo players arriving East to play for St. Francis often register surprise as they acclimate to the challenges posed by big city life and indoor pool play. Freshman Zane Drobenko of Newport Beach, fighting for a roster spot this Fall, is a graduate of the Sage Hill School, just south of Irvine. Selected MVP of The Academy League on the basis of 100 goals, 52 assists, 52 steals and 45 ejections earned, he led the Lightening to the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs.
Swimming World’s Michael Randazzo spoke to Drobenko on the St. Francis pool deck at the start of practices for the 2018 season.
– How did you spend the summer before becoming a Terrier?
I mainly played water polo with Patriot Aquatics—located in Irvine. I trained with them to get ready for the summer season, and for [Junior Olympics].
It was more relaxed training, mainly for seniors going to college. We would get time playing against the masters team.
The idea of getting ready for college was more important than winning something at JOs.
– What was your reaction to arriving in Brooklyn?
I’d never played in an indoor pool before, so the humidity hit me really hard. I wasn’t sure if I could handle it.
The thought of that surprised me, [as did] Brooklyn. SoCal is really spread out compared to New York City. But Carl [Quigley] took me on a tour of Brooklyn Heights—which has a neighborhood feel.
That and the small class sizes—that’s what really convinced me to come to St. Francis.
– What do you know about Terrier water polo?!
Before this, nothing really. Learning about the history of St. Francis was all brand new to me. It’s crazy how far back it goes. It’s a hard-working team.
That, and the fact that they made [NCAA] Final Fours a few years back [2012, 2013] brought me here too. The idea that there’s history that we can look back on but also look to the future—getting to a Final Four.
– How did you fit in with your new teammates?
We had senior practice the past few days and it was completely new to me. I’m used to just California guys. Being here with people from all over the world—with different cultures—was neat. I found it really interesting.
Jonas [Veazey], a senior, brought me in and introduced me to everyone, which was really nice. At first, I wondered how to talk to these guys but they were really friendly. Everyone spoke English, which was a good thing!
Everyone works together really well; the seniors are looking to help us freshmen at all times and bring us into the fold.
– Coach Dimitrov played for St. Francis as recently as 2015.
He was a center when he played in college, which I can play. There’s always things that I can learn to play that position, and he can show me that.
Also, Coach is super nice—which I found welcoming.
The fact that he’s young, he’s going to make a few mistakes but as he grows, we grow too.
– Last year a number of different players filled in at center; is that a role that you might see for yourself?
In our freshman class we have another center, but I might be playing there a lot. Usually you need two to three because it’s a tiring position. I spent my last year in high school playing center a lot as well as for my club.
That’s a position I know really well—but there’s a lot more I need to learn.
– How do you see the Terriers chances in the Northeastern Water Polo Conference?
Princeton, with Sean Duncan, will be tough. They recently got goalie Billy Motherway from Mater Dei. He’s really good; I played against him a few times. There’s another center, Wyatt Benson also from Mater Dei.
The fact that they have those players coming in means they’re a strong team already and they’re building on top—just like us.
Brown and Harvard beat St. Francis last year when [the Terriers] were going through a hard time with injuries. But this year our team is going to be really strong because of the seniors and because the chemistry is there.
Harvard, Princeton and Brown should give us a good run—[but] The competition is not going to change how they play. It comes down to how we practice and the mentality we have going in to the season.
Release courtesy St. Francis College Athletics Communications
