McConnell scores big for the Beach

Published October 20, 2016

Nolan McConnell sat in his house day after day and stewed. He was mad, angry that his water polo career had come to a halt for the time being, maybe forever.

He was frustrated that he couldn’t be with his Long Beach State water polo teammates as they battled for the conference title. Upset that he would miss his entire junior season.

He also was scared. What if, because of a torn ligament in his left arm, he never again could compete at a high level. And if he couldn’t play, who was he?

“It was a scary thought,” McConnell said as the team prepared for last weekend’s tournament at Lindgren Aquatics Center. “Playing water polo is all I’ve ever done in my lifetime.”

And done it well. McConnell leads the No. 6-ranked Long Beach State in scoring with 31 goals in 16 games. He scored two goals in a 13-8 loss Saturday to No. 3 USC on Saturday at Lindgren Aquatics Center.

McConnell began playing water polo at age five, following in the footsteps of his father and two older brothers. He starred at Laguna Beach High, where he earned back-to-back CIF Division III Player of the Year honors and led his team to two CIF divisional titles. He was a two-time second team high school All-American and a member of the USA Junior National team.

McConnell quickly made an impact with the 49ers, starting 29 of 32 games as a true freshman, scoring a third-best 27 goals. He followed up his rookie season with a 45-goal season as a sophomore and garnered the attention of USA Water Polo. McConnell was chosen for the 14-man Senior USA Water Polo team.

Then it happened. During a summer tournament game against UC Irvine a year ago, McConnell felt a twinge in his left elbow. No worries. The team had a week off before opening official practice, which would give him plenty of time to rest his elbow.

The 49ers’ top attacker wouldn’t know until that first practice that his season was over.

“Tearing your UCL is weird because you can pretty much do anything,” McConnell said of the injury normally associated with baseball pitchers.

“I was able to lift stuff. I was able to swim fine without any pain. Thing with the UCL, it’s only activated when you are throwing the ball. I was feeling great, thought nothing of it. Then I went to go pick up a ball.”

The ball stayed in the water; McConnell did not. He required surgery for a torn UCL and would miss the season as he rehabilitated and retreated to what he called a “dark place.”

“I was just sitting on my butt for 6-7 months. It was very rough, physically and mentally,” he said. “I never thought about quitting but I lost my identity. I was going through depression.”

McConnell, a child development major, turned to counselors and a psychologist for help. They helped him realize what he was feeling was normal, his identity intact.

More importantly for McConnell, his game skills hadn’t diminished. He has regained his strength and scoring prowess.

“I was out for 11 months and I was scared to start playing again. I didn’t know if I could get back to where I was,” McConnell said. “But being in a position here at Long Beach with great teammates, a great coaching staff and trainer, I’m back.

“I think everything worked out smoothly and the important thing for me was taking everything one day at a time.”