BATTLE-TESTED: Princeton University water polo head coach Luis Nicolao instructs his men’s squad during a game earlier this season. Former Naval Academy water polo star Nicolao, who served a tour of duty in the Gulf War, recently achieved another milestone in his 19-season tenure guiding both the Tiger men’s and women’s programs as he hit the 400-win mark on the men’s side. He has compiled a 442-149 record in women’s play and is currently at 401-162 for the men. The men’s squad, currently 21-5, will be looking to earn a fifth NCAA berth under Nicolao as it competes in the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) tournament in Cambridge, Mass. from November 17-19 where it is seeded first. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Luis Nicolao’s office on the deck of DeNunzio Pool at Princeton University exudes a coziness, with framed family portraits of his wife and two daughters sitting on shelves surrounded by an extensive collection of sports bobbleheads and other knick-knacks.

Frequently flashing an impish grin, the stocky Nicolao projects the jolliness that has made him the permanent Santa Claus for the athletic department’s annual holiday party.

But underneath that affable exterior beats the heart of a warrior who graduated as one of the greatest water polo players in the history of the Naval Academy and then served a tour of duty as an officer on an amphibious ship on the Gulf War before taking the helm of the Princeton men’s and women’s water polo programs in 1998.

Over the last 19 seasons, Nicolao has transformed Princeton into a water polo powerhouse, guiding the women’s team to three NCAA berths (2012, 2013, 2015) and the men to four NCAA tournament appearances (2004, 2009, 2011, 2015). He has compiled a 442-149 record in women’s play and just eclipsed the 400-win mark on the men’s side and is currently at 401-162.

In reflecting on what he has built at Princeton, Nicolao, 47, credits lessons he learned while serving in the Navy.

“I think it is all about leadership, it is all about working with people and trying to come to a common goal,” said Nicolao.

“At the end of the day, you may disagree on things but when you are out there, you have to work together because if you don’t, somebody could die. Here you may lose a game. The last few years, I have made those analogies, saying guys look what is happening in the world and we are upset about a game. Let’s enjoy the process.”

The process of becoming a water polo star was circuitous as Nicolao got into competitive swimming as a grade schooler in San Jose, Calif. area following in the footsteps of his parents: as mom, Lee Davis, was a world-record holder in the distance freestyle while his father, Luis, was a world-record holder in the 100-butterfly. Nicolao himself set a national record for 12-year-olds in the 100 freestyle.

Heading to Bellarmine College Prep for high school, Nicolao supplemented his swimming with water polo and fell in love with his new sport.

“It was a change of pace, it was something different from the monotony of swimming; I liked all of that, handling balls in the water,” said Nicolao, helping Bellarmine win its local championship each year.

“What I didn’t do well was the transition to polo earlier. I still hung on to the swimming in my sophomore and junior summers, even though it wasn’t going as well as I had hoped.”

After declining an offer to go to nearby Cal-Berkeley, Nicolao came east to attend the Naval Academy but things didn’t go well at the outset.

“I struggled dearly in my plebe year at Navy; I probably wanted to leave every day,” said Nicolao.

“I was crying, I was miserable. I was a west coast kid, I was laid back. I wasn’t in a military family, and then once school year started, the academics killed me with all of this engineering, calculus, and chemistry.”

In the water, though, Nicolao thrived, emerging as a three-time All-America and All-East selection for the Midshipmen and graduating in 1992 as the all-time leading scorer in Academy history.

“It really, really clicked for me; I think it was playing year round,” said Nicolao, crediting Navy coach Mike Schofield with having a major influence on him.

“My combination of speed and size helped me in the water. I had a lot of team success at Navy. I went on and played for the national team, which was a great experience. It was good stuff.”

After his career with the U.S. men’s national program was derailed by a shoulder injury, Nicolao faced some serious stuff as he reported to the USS Ogden LPD-5 to serve in the Gulf War.

“For a surface warfare officer, it is very different,” said Nicolao. “We had over 1,000 marines on the ship; we are putting those guys ashore. We are out in the water so I never felt in danger. You feel really bad for the guys you are putting ashore because they are firing rounds, they are engaging. It is a very different world. We lost aircrafts, we lost helicopters, we lost guys and we did burials at sea.”

In Nicolao’s view, entering the world of the Navy was a transformative experience.

“Nothing rewarding in life comes easy and the Academy changed me for the better,” said Nicolao.

“I look back on it and am thrilled because I wouldn’t be here today without that decision. Without it, I don’t know what kind of path I would have taken.”

Upon returning from overseas, Nicolao planned to sign up for another tour of duty but took another path instead, accepting an offer as an assistant coach under Schofield at his alma mater, deciding to stay home with his wife Kellie, who was expecting the couple’s first daughter, Madison, at the time.

After coaching two years at Navy, Nicolao was contacted by Princeton and ended up getting hired as the head coach of both the Tiger men’s and women’s water polo programs in 1998.

“I really took this job with a two-year window,” said Nicolao. “I was thinking just doing it to get my MBA and maybe I can get Princeton to pay for it. The next thing you know my daughter Morgan is born and two turns into four and four turns into eight and so on.”

Learning to fine-tune his coaching approach in guiding both men and women has been a major challenge of his job.

“It is a big difference; with the men you have to deal with the male ego,” said Nicolao with his customary chuckle.

“The men are much more confident in their abilities. You have to be tougher on the guys because sometimes they try to do it all themselves. The women are so hard on themselves; if they miss two or three shots, they don’t shoot any more. It they have a bad game, you see it in their face.”

Princeton senior men’s star Jordan Colina cites his confidence in Nicolao’s leadership as playing a key role in his decision to come to Princeton from his native San Diego.

“Luis was extremely influential in my decision because I was really looking for a program where I knew the coaches were going to be personable, nice, and knowledgeable,” said Colina. “Luis is a perfect combination of that.”

That combination helped Colina work through his transition to Princeton and college water polo.

“He was there to answer any questions about school and how to balance work with practice,” added Colina.

“He will listen if you are struggling with school and if you need to miss practice for school. He is just really all about helping you adjust.”

In Colina’s view, having Nicolao on the deck gives the Tigers an advantage as they compete in the Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) tournament in Cambridge, Mass. from November 17-19 where they are seeded first, boasting a 21-5 record.

“With him having been there so many times, that helps us out and calms us down,” said Colina.

“We feel more prepared than we would have been with a newer coach. He knows how to handle the situation so we are feeling pretty good going into it. He knows how to get us into a brotherhood like we are a family. That plays off his Navy background.”

While Nicolao would love to add another title to his resume, he knows that while his team has talent, it is facing an uphill battle.

“Any successful coach has one thing in common — athletes; I have been very blessed to coach some really gifted athletes,” said Nicolao, whose star women’s goalie Ashleigh Johnson ’17 helped the U.S. national team win a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

“My biggest success or achievement is trying to balance Princeton’s academics with athletics. I have to be flexible, sometimes less is better. We have to go out and beat Navy, Michigan, and Indiana; these are schools that are doing the grind. Michigan is a full-out, all-in 20 hours a week. We are not doing that; it is a whole different mindset. When these kids beat a Michigan, I am amazed.”

It is not so amazing, though, with the battle-tested Nicolao at the helm.