Liam Stott, a senior from Johannesburg, South Africa, is the type of athlete every coach wants to have on their team. He is a leader in and outside the pool for his fellow water polo teammates.
Growing up in Johannesburg with his parents and sister, much of Liam's childhood was spent playing sports. His sister Caitlin is close in age, meaning that they could compete against one another and share a love of sports. Liam loved to be in the water and joined competitive swimming early on. Quickly finding out he did not love going to swim practice and mindlessly swimming laps in the pool, Liam knew swimming was not for him and was hunting for his next sport. This search did not take long when one day, as he walked up the road, a neighbor who coached water polo knew Liam swam needed swimmers and asked him if he was interested in joining.
Immediately falling in love with water polo, Liam's previous swimming skills helped him thrive in this new sport. He enjoyed having a ball game with goals and more of a team environment. Shortly after starting, he explained to his parents he was done with swimming and wanted to play water polo instead; they fully understood and supported him. Not long after, his sister even started playing water polo.
His love for the game continued to develop in high school (which starts in 8th grade in South Africa). Named captain of the Jeppe High School water polo team, he led them to be ranked tenth in the nation and win the Gauteng Top Eight Tournament in 2018. He was named the defender of the tournament at the South Africa Schools Tournament in 2019, yet Liam still wanted to advance his skills and knew the best way to accomplish that would be to play for his province.
He accomplished his goal and represented his province for six years. He was a member of Two National Championship Provincial Teams and was part of the South Africa National Team that won the 2018 EU Nations Cup in Prague, Czech Republic. He was named MVP of the South Africa Junior Nationals in 2019. Having made a name for himself, Liam knew his next goal was to make selections for the national team, to no surprise he did. This was also when Liam got to experience going to the United States for the first time.
“I decided to come to the US after traveling with my team, and the coaches planned a trip to California, and we were hosted by some of the guys’ parents and families. We traveled all over and played water polo, meeting with some of the best coaches. I just loved it so much; I thought, if I am going to study somewhere, why not try to play water polo simultaneously.”
While accomplishing these goals, Liam was also playing his first love, rugby. Liam spent his summers training and competing for his two water polo teams, and once winter hit, he would transition over to rugby. Playing for Golden Lions Rugby Union, Liam was named to the Provincial team and was eventually on the verge of making the national team for rugby. It’s extremely difficult to play two sports at such a high level of competition that he ultimately had to choose between them. After much thought, Liam decided that his love for water polo and his goal to come to the US to play and be involved in the water polo community surpassed his passion for rugby.
“The Brotherhood of Water Polo, because it is such a small community, many people haven't watched it, and if they have, they understand it. We have fewer players and less exposure in the US and South Africa. It creates a small-knit community I fell in love with just as much as the sport.”
“The brotherhood is obviously not nearly as big as football; when we walk on campus, not everyone knows what we do, how we do it, or what happens in practices. We pride ourselves on being a very successful team, but that means people don’t really recognize that as often and don’t understand what we go through. The only people who understand it are the ones you go through it with. “
Starting to make a name for himself and strive for new goals, he began his recruiting process early in the 10th grade. Liam had yet to learn how to accomplish his goal of getting to the US; he knew that his dream to play in the US would not just happen on its own. Liam reached out to athletic recruiters in South Africa who help athletes begin the process of being recruited. Since the ways of applying to schools in South Africa versus the US are so different, the athletics recruiters helped him navigate the next steps, such as signing up for SATs, what essays need to be written, and getting a student visa.
Once he applied, Liam began hearing back from many schools. He recalls his first phone call with current Bucknell water polo coach John McBride.
“I remember having a call with Coach McBride, and he was by far the most welcoming and exciting coach I had spoken to. I could tell his love for the program; at that time, Bucknell dominated in water polo. I knew I wanted to be a part of this program.”
Not long after, Bucknell became a top runner for Liam.
Bucknell also had the major he was looking into, Computer Science and Engineering. This added to his love for the school as he would not have to sacrifice academics to play the sport he loved.
“Bucknell has been the best of every possible situation by allowing me to study what I wanted and play water polo.”
Liam knew he wanted to call Bucknell University home, so he applied for early admission to the school.
Just before Liam took on the big move to Lewisburg, Pa., COVID-19 struck and threw a wrench in his plan. Unfortunately, Liam could not move to campus during his first semester at Bucknell, forced to take online classes from halfway across the world, many of which would be from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. due to the time difference.
“It was a difficult time, and I was a bit afraid; your first couple weeks of freshman year is the time when you meet all the new people, and I really missed that social aspect.”
This also meant he could only meet his new teammates in person in his second semester of freshman year. Fortunately, his team would host weekly Zoom calls where everyone would talk, catch up, and update each other on how things were going where they were. Still being thousands of miles away, Liam stated this allowed him some sense of normalcy and inclusion in the team.
“I felt really welcomed and a part of the team even though I had never met anyone in person yet or on campus, which was fantastic.”
Come spring semester, Liam could finally join the rest of his teammates on campus. It ended up being everything he thought it would be it was and more.
“Being in a new environment/situation but having as many resources as you could possibly need to succeed. McBride was understanding when I couldn’t get a student visa because all the embassies were shut down. When I tested positive for COVID two days before I was supposed to fly out to the United States, he understood, making the transition easier.”
The cultural aspect of living in the US is something you have to get used to and familiar with. Being a part of a team full of foreign players, all having gone through it at one point, adds a level of comfort.
Now an upperclassman, Liam takes on the role of assisting new and underclassmen with this transition the way he was helped. He knows how he felt going through this process and looks to provide the same support he had when he was adjusting.
He is not only able to be there for his teammates but also his sister, who is now a freshman on the Bison women’s water polo team.
“It is difficult not having a family as close to come for parents/family weekend or games, so it is nice having someone I am familiar with and understands my accent and jokes a little more definitely helps make Bucknell feel more like home.”
Colligate water polo differs from your average sport, and there are two halves: the Northeast and California. California is dominated by the Stanfords, Cal Berkleys, USC, and UCLA, the powerhouses that everyone looks to compete with.
Bucknell competes in a separate league called the Colligate Water Polo Association (CWPA). This consists of schools like Navy, George Washington, and Fordham, to name a few, all very competitive schools.
Liam's position as a center defender is always a competition for playing time. The current starting center defender is Hasan Mogultay, a junior from Turkey.
“If anyone was going to play ahead of me, I am glad it is him.”
The two have become close friends despite their competitive natures inside and outside the pool.
“It can be challenging to go from being one of the best in a school, province, or country to joining a team of some of the top athletes from their respective countries and competing against them for playing time.”
Liam's place on the team has taken on a significant leadership role. Not only making sure everyone holds themselves to a good standard but also making sure his fellow teammates are focused in games and on the sidelines.
“I want to be a player of value that is technically sound in the pool and can execute McBride’s system and outside of the pool keeping people accountable, making sure everyone is getting in reps and laps so that we can all be great.”
“This year, I am very excited, this is the team with the best skill set that I have seen in my time here, as well as a team that truly understands how each other plays.” “The challenges will come, but I hope this year we have a team ready to push through the end.”
Outside the pool, Liam is involved on campus as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), where he is involved with community outreach.
“It is rewarding and a privilege to be a part of SAAC.”
He also learned that he had a knack for helping his teammates with their homework, which led him to find work as a teaching assistant for the math, physics, and computer science departments.
He most recently finished an internship with Amazon in New York City over the summer and hopes to return for a full-time position.
“I want to tie my athletic experiences with my future experiences.”
Acknowledging much of what he has learned in and around the pool from water polo can assist him in future endeavors.
When asked what he would say to anyone interested in water polo and college athletics, Liam stated.
“EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED, BUT ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF IT.” “It was the best decision of my whole life to be a part of athletics in general.” “Coming to the US, the opportunities provided to you, the connections you make with people, and the experiences provide you with so many skills that are extremely valuable inside the pool, in class, and out in the real world.”
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