By snoadmin
If the Green Giant vegetable company was looking to replace the “Jolly Green Giant” character on the front label of its cans and packages, Dan Matulis might be the guy.
Matulis isn’t green, but he can certainly be considered a giant. Standing just two inches shorter than Shaquille O’Neal at 6 feet 11 inches tall, Matulis, who wears size-16 shoes, is the tallest athlete at Long Beach State.
If you’re thinking he’s a basketball player, think again. Matulis plays center position for the men’s water polo team, which ended its season on Sunday with a fifth-place finish at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) tournament. Matulis led the team with 69 goals and earned second-team MPSF honors this season.
Matulis started playing basketball when he was eight years old, but knee problems eventually forced him to make the jump to water polo. The transition wasn’t a difficult one considering he was part of a swimming team since he was young.
“I just loved playing water polo,” Matulis said. “I knew it was the direction I wanted to go.”
Matulis’ decision to switch sports was quickly confirmed as a good one. He was a standout at Milford High School in Ohio, as he earned all-state honors in 2007 and 2008. He led the Eagles to a state championship in 2008 and set single-season school records in goals and assists the same year. Matulis’ statistics and accolades eventually got him to LBSU on a full scholarship to play water polo.
Matulis’ height may have paved his way to The Beach, but it also comes with its disadvantages.
“I usually don’t have much leg room when I have to take a plane, and it can be pretty tight in my car when I have to drive,” Matulis said, “but nobody’s going to make the world bigger for me. I just need to get used to it.”
Matulis has also had to adjust to a few weaknesses created by being tall. Fortunately for him, he knows what they are and how to limit their influence on his ability in the pool.
“I’m one of the slowest guys in my team,” he said, “so anytime there’s a turnover, I can’t get back into position like some of the smaller guys who tend to be a little quicker.”
Head coach Gavin Arroyo said having Matulis as his center filled an important role in the LBSU lineup.
“He has a strong presence, and he’s very dominant in his position,” Arroyo said. “It’s difficult to get the ball away from him. He’s also a very likeable guy and a big piece of what we’re doing.”
Arroyo also said that Matulis is a real gentleman, and that trait sometimes carries over into the pool.
“He’s a great person and just such a nice guy, even too nice at times,” he said. “I sometimes have to get him to be a little meaner when we’re competing.”
Matulis’ likeability and skills in the pool quickly earned him the respect of his teammates. According to senior attacker Barry Snyder, his height has made him a dominant force and someone the 49ers are happy to have on their side.
“Size does matter, and he’s definitely bigger than everyone out there,” Snyder said. “He has the ability to move people around and out-strengthen them, which becomes mentally intimidating for opponents.”
Snyder, who is also Matulis’ roommate, also said that the Ohio native’s respectful mannerisms are on full display out of competition.
“He’s a pretty quiet guy outside the pool,” he said, “but I find it funny how he has a tendency to yell at the refs. That can be pretty funny.”
Matulis’ long-term dream is to go to the 2016 Olympics as a part of the United States men’s water polo team. But for now, he is enjoying the satisfaction of guiding LBSU to its first MPSF tournament since 2008 and leading it to its best overall finish since 1981.
LBSU will return nearly all of its starters and key players 2013. With Matulis at the helm, The Beach will have a great chance to build upon this year’s success.
After that, the 49ers’ own “Jolly Green Giant” can turn his attention to swimming his way to Rio De Janeiro in 2016.
