The UCLA men’s water polo team would love it if senior
center defender Dan Yeilding truly turns out to be the team’s
Robert Horry, if that means that they can expect last-second
heroics from him en route to winning an NCAA championship.
A self-described huge Lakers fan, Yeilding, or “DJ”
as he is known to the team, does the dirty, lesser-noticed
activities for the Bruins. “I am the Robert Horry. I like to
pattern my game after his,” Yeilding said.
Just like Horry, Yeilding is not the type of player other teams
gear to stop, nor is he the type whose stats cry out for attention.
But on a team that has yet to find itself and tends to leave the
coaches wondering which Bruin team will show up on a given day,
Yeilding has been one of the few steady rocks on the team.
“His growth has been incredible,” said head coach
Adam Krikorian. “As the season has progressed, he has become
the most consistent player and a team leader.”
Fellow senior goalkeeper Brandon Brooks said, “He’s
come a long way from his first year here. He has turned himself
into one of the most consistent players, and you can tell
he’s made a real commitment to the team.”
That Yeilding would turn himself into one of the Bruins’
positive role models was not entirely evident from the day he
stepped into the UCLA program. As a recruited walk-on, the path to
senior-year starter did not go as smoothly as he or the coach would
have liked.
“When DJ came in, it was tough for him because we were
extremely talented,” said Krikorian.
“He was young and it was tough for him to break into the
scene. At times we butted heads because we’re both very
competitive. He was very frustrated with it and at times he
didn’t handle it like I thought he should have,” he
said.
When every player on a team (like UCLA) has received local and
national accolades out of high school, it takes time and patience
to break into the rotation. A player must climb the team hierarchy
and accept lesser roles that are foreign to him.
“I’ve had every role there is to have on this
team,” said Yeilding. “From setting up practices, to
traveling but getting no minutes, to playing off the bench, to
finally starting. It makes me appreciate every minute in the water.
I want to be a positive influence on the other players on the team
that don’t get to play and let them know that I went through
the same thing.”
Yeilding does all the under-the-radar jobs necessary for a
winning squad. He ranks second on the team with 13 ejections drawn,
and shares the team lead with four field saves, both of which are
categories that have more importance for a center defender than
goals scored.
“Field saves are dirty work. (It’s) getting up and
throwing your body in front of the ball like a hockey player
does,” said Krikorian. “He hasn’t scored that
much, but setting people up and earning ejections shows sacrifice
to win and to the team. I know what I’ll get out of him,
which is a weakness of this team. Hopefully other guys notice
him.”
“There have been a bunch of times this year where I
thought the other team had beaten me and he swam out of nowhere to
save me,” said Brooks.
So while the path to Yeilding’s starting role has been
rough, the fact that his contribution to the team has finally
developed into what he envisioned four years ago is a testament to
his persistence and unwillingness to give in to the situation.
“DJ has taken a lot of adversity in this program,”
said fellow senior defender and Yeilding’s first-year
roommate, Matt Flesher. “We started with six guys in our
class and now it’s just me and him. Now everyday you can tell
he is happy to be here and that it’s the biggest thing in his
life.”
Yeilding acknowledges that this will almost certainly be his
last year of organized water polo, ending a part of his life that
has been prominent since childhood. However, his younger brother,
freshman driver Rob, will keep the Yeilding tradition going strong
for UCLA after Dan departs.
Though the number of games left in Yeilding’s career
dwindles by the weekend, he does not long for more recognition or
accolades before his final game.
“This year I focused on water polo and made it my number
one priority. I just really want to enjoy my last time playing and
approach every game like it’s the last one,” Fielding
said.
Hopefully for UCLA, the Bruins’ Mr. Consistency’s
last game in the pool will end like Horry’s season ends
almost every year, with clutch play and a championship.