Keith Wilbur stepped in as the Santa Clara University men’s and women’s water polo coach in 2002. In 2006 he became the all time most successful men’s water polo coach and surpassed the 100 wins mark in 2008. Wilbur began his coaching career as the boys varsity water polo coach at Menlo School. Wilbur is a graduate of Princeton University. As a player he was a team captain his senior year, leading the Tigers defensively to three Ivy League Championships. Wilbur was also a member of the U.S. National Team in 1997-98 and competed at the l997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy.
SZ: In 2002 you took over the coaching job at Santa Clara University. In 2006 you achieved the honor of becoming the most successful men’s water polo coach in the university’s history. What have been the staples of your coaching success? What are some of the changes you’ve brought to this program that got it rolling?
KW: In terms of being the winningest coach, I think that has mostly to do with longevity. I really like Santa Clara University, and I made a commitment to be here for the long term when I was hired. I have been very active recruiting since my first day here, and I think that change probably had the most impact. Other changes have been more gradual, from lifting weights on a year around basis, running workouts in the off season, and creating a club program over the summer to give the athletes more opportunities to play. As we have improved, I have challenged the teams with a tougher strength of schedule every year, and I think they have benefitted a lot from playing high level competition.
Another huge change for us was the construction of the Sullivan Aquatic Center. About four years ago, Jack and Joanie Sullivan donated the money for this pool and it has made a huge difference for us. We went from having a non-regulation, too shallow, too short, and too narrow of a pool to having one of the best facilities to play college water polo. Practices are better, recruits are more interested, and we play 10-15 home games a year whereas we used to average about 2 home games a year.
SZ: Highlights of your athletic playing career include playing for Princeton University, being on the U.S. National Team (1997-98), and competing at the 1997 World University Games in Italy. What useful experiences in training and playing have you brought into your collegiate coaching role?
KW: I learned a lot from the different coaches that I have had from high school to club to college to National teams. I have definitely drawn lessons from the best coaches I had, but I also learned from negative experiences I had with other coaches, and I try not to do the same as them. Tim Hugar was the coach at Princeton my freshman year, and he was the best coach I ever had in terms of getting the team psyched up to play games. I just remember his pre-game talks, and by the time we hit the water, everybody was so amped up to compete. I felt like we exceeded our potential in every game we played that year. Paul Nelson was the coach at Princeton my last two years. I really like the strategies that he taught, and the relationships he developed with the players. I think there is a fine line to being a coach where your players can like you, but also need to respect you. Paul was able to balance the two very well. I also thought he was great at identifying his player’s strengths and putting them in the best situations to excel.
SZ: As coach of both the men’s and women’s teams how would you describe the mental/emotional difference of coaching/communicating with players? Is there a noticeable difference?
KW: I am asked this question a lot and I definitely notice a difference coaching the men and women. I truly enjoy coaching both teams and regardless of gender there are many different personalities with all the player’s. I really like the challenge of figuring out the best coaching approach for each personality and how to get those personalities to mesh well to work as a team. I find need to talk more when I coach the women. Whether it’s constructive help or positive feedback, they like to know what I am thinking and how they are doing. If I am not doing this they feel ignored. The men do not desire as much constant feedback. If I let them go without saying much, they usually assume they are playing well until I point something out.
SZ: Besides a player possessing athletic skill what are the clues you look for that demonstrate a player will be a good fit for the team dynamic?
KW: Outside of athletic skill I look for work ethic, responsibility, intelligence, competitiveness, maturity, the ability to work well with others and leadership.
SZ: What types of team building exercises do you set up for the player’s to promote team chemistry?
KW: I have been fortunate to have a sport psychology consultant, Adam Saucedo work with both programs and he does a lot of these type of team building exercises. Adam started with us three years ago as part of his final project for his Master’s, and now works with over half the teams at Santa Clara U. One of my favorite exercises that he does each week with our team is having every player stand up and pick a teammate that they appreciate and explain why. This is not something I expected my player’s would buy into right away, but they were totally into it. I think it is a great skill to be able to recognize another person for a job well done. It also means a lot to receive that recognition from a teammate. I find this exercise really opens up communication between player’s, motivates them to work hard for each other and builds our team chemistry.
SZ: What are your duties as a coach during the summer months? Is there down time or is it recruiting time?
KW: In water polo we are actually allowed to run club teams over the summer that include our college players. Most college teams in California also have summer club teams, and we have practice throughout the summer and play in a league with games most weekends. I run practices from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at night, so the players can still get summer jobs and internships that work with our schedule.
I also do a lot of recruiting over the summer. There are lots of club tournaments with great opportunities to see players from all over the country. The biggest summer tournament is Junior Olympics, and it is a four-day event for the boys, and then another four days for the girls. Every year I camp out at JO’s, watch about 10 games a day and see a ton of players. This year Stanford is hosting JO’s, so I do not have to travel very far. Boys JO’s are July 28-31, and Girls JO’s are Aug. 2-5.
SZ: You have a very busy schedule what do you do to recharge your energy to avoid burn-out?
KW: This may sound funny but I still like to play water polo. I find playing is a great break from coaching. I have a master’s group called BAM and we practice a couple of times a week. I usually go with them to a couple of tournaments a year. My master’s team has asked me to coach them, but I refuse because it is my break from coaching and I really just want to play. I just returned from a World Master’s tournament in Italy and had a great time. I feel totally recharged for coaching and recruiting this summer.
SZ: Do you have any favorite quotes, stories, tips that have guided you on your path to success as a water polo coach?
KW: I have read a lot of books and quotes by John Wooden, and I really like his approach and the life lessons that he taught while coaching. I also feel that I benefitted a lot from coaching all levels. Right after I graduated from college, I came back and coached my high school (Menlo School) junior varsity team, then the varsity team, then club teams, and then college. I learned every step of the way, and I am still learning.
SZ: Keith thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview.
Go Broncos!
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