Kostas Unfiltered: The Road To A 6-Peat And Beyond
Comments (0)
Kostas Genidounias is extremely happy to have won his third NCAA title with USC Water Polo (Taiu Kunimoto/Neon Tommy)
Taiu: How was this title different from the previous ones?
Kostas: It was very different. It was harder throughout the season. Many people doubted us. We had lots of ups and downs. Our confidence wasn’t as high because of the losses we had, but we’ve been there and we knew what it took. The feeling at the end…I couldn’t believe it. It was amazing, it was very unique, I haven’t felt like that ever before.
Taiu: Did the loss against Pacific during the season contribute to the different feeling?
Kostas: No, they were a team to beat and we trained for them entire season. But that wasn’t the factor that made it different. It was because we were back [almost] the entire game (in the title game) and they were having a great day. We were behind 10-8 with 3 minutes and 30 seconds to go, and within 90 seconds we scored three goals, which turned the situation around.
Taiu: How did you guys celebrate after the game? Were you too tired to celebrate?
Kostas: You are never too tired to celebrate! [laughs] Trust me, my arms were cramping up during overtime. When I was holding the trophy, I had to let it go because I was cramping up. First we went to this restaurant with all the coaches and parents, and we came back here (Los Angeles) and had more fun. It was one of those nights that you will remember forever. The feeling of being around people that you wrote history with and celebrating with them was incredible.
Taiu: It has been almost a week since you guys wrote history. Has the hype and excitement continued to exist in your daily life or has it died down a little?
Kostas: The hype and excitement were really high for the first two days—Sunday, Monday, maybe a little bit of Tuesday. But, those finals killed me. I have been in my house [studying] for three days. I didn’t even change outfits! But the excitement is still there. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.
Trojans celebrate their record breaking 6-Peat. (Facebook)
Taiu: Was it hard to keep your mind off of the memories from the championship game?
Kostas: Oh yeah. You know how many times I looked online trying to find highlights? I have even watched the game while studying. I am a great procrastinator, so I tried not to study by watching videos and reading articles on the 6-peat.
Taiu: It was a game with a lot of ups and downs. SC was behind, then had a lead, but tied at the very end. What was your emotional state during the game?
Kostas: Usually you are nervous before the game, but when the whistle blows, everything goes away like magic. We knew it was going to be a hard game, but we’ve experienced this kind of [disadvantageous] situation before, especially against UCLA last year. When we were down, we knew we could come back as long as we stayed together as a unit. That’s what we did and that’s how we came back.
Taiu: What was going through your head when your penalty shot was blocked by Pacific’s Goalie Alex Markis?
Kostas: The score was 8-7. Had I scored, I would have tied the game. But I missed it. I still think about it every day more than once. I got really discouraged when they scored a penalty to double the lead to 9-7 on the next play. But Coach Vavic had been talking a lot about how "you don’t have to get down on yourself, you have to keep your confidence up." At that moment, all I tried to do was to erase the memory off of my mind and keep playing hard.
Taiu: What was going through your head when Pacific tied the game at the last second? How did your coaches and your teammates react?
Kostas: That goal was partially my fault. I should have taken that guy, so I take the blame and it was my fault. During the timeout after the play, everybody was disappointed because we could have won the game, but it didn’t happen. But, as I said, you can’t get down on yourself.
Taiu: In the second OT, Nikola Vavic scored the last goal and couple of minutes later you won the game. When did it become apparent that you were going to win?
Kostas: It’s funny because the night before the final, we gathered as a team with players and coaches. We were talking about how it will feel like to win the game again. It might have been Nikola who said "the moment you realize that you’ve won, and there is nothing that can happen to stop it, is an amazing feeling." I get goosebumps right now just by revisiting that memory. Once I got the [last] steal, I passed [the ball] back to Nikola, and we passed it around. They were chasing after us but there were nothing that they could do.
Taiu: Can you describe what happened to your teammates in the water right after the game ended and you knew that you guys were already a champion?
Kostas looks to complete his career at USC with another NCAA title next season (Facebook)
Kostas: I was beside Nikola when the game ended and we just looked at each other. The look in his eyes (I bet my eyes too) was just full of amazement and disbelief. We were like "how did that happen!?" Once you know that you’ve won, there was just so much emotion at the same time. It was a relief to know that you did what you were supposed to do and that your hard work paid off. It’s an unique feeling that only sports can give you.
Taiu: In our previous interview, you told me that the key to winning the 6th National Championship was to listen to the coach. Looking back, was it still the wisdom of Coach Vavic that helped you guys defend the title?
Kostas: When we lost that game against UCLA, we had to win all the [remaining] games in MPSF tournament in order to make it to NCAA. After the loss, we had a practice on Saturday and Jovan said, "the rest of our games are really important but we have to go have fun! I’ll try to make it fun." I think Jovan was an important factor because he gave us all confidence. He knew how to build a championship team and he kept us together [even during hardship] for the entire season.
Taiu: It was the last season for a lot of the team’s talented seniors, including Nikola Vavic and Jeremy Davies. After their departure, do you feel the need to step up your game and take more responsibilities on your shoulders?
Kostas: The responsibility builds up [every year] as the seasons progress. Once I’m a senior, I have to be a leader and carry the team just like others did— to the national championship [again]. It is definitely going to be very hard but I am very excited.
Taiu: How confident are you for the seventh?
Kostas: I don’t want to say big words. I try to be as humble as possible, but USC always strives for number one. As you said, next year we are going to be losing many of our best players. It is going to be tough, but I am sure Jovan will be recruiting the best he can. And the Trojans will be back with another one!
Taiu: What is your goal for next season?
Kostas: Win another championship! It’s all about winning, because winning never gets old. As soon as the game ended, I told the freshmen John Walters and Nick Bell to get ready for another one. There is a lot of work to be done, and we have to work extra hard (more than we did past years) to win the [seventh] national championship.
Reach Executive Producer Taiu Kunimoto here.
