THE TILLMAN BROTHERS : No One in the Empire League Can Decide Which One Is More Valuable

When the Empire League water polo coaches sat down last week to pick the season’s most valuable player, they found themselves treading water without a way out of their dilemma.

There was El Dorado senior Craig Tillman, a speed player who has helped his team to a 7-0 league record. And there was his brother Mike, a junior whose style is based on more on strength, but who has made no less a contribution to the Golden Hawks.

Unable to decide, the coaches gave the ball to the man who had seen the Tillmans compete more than anyone--El Dorado Coach Tom Milich. He made the choice, sort of.

“The other coaches left it up to me,” Milich said. “If I had to pick one I would, but I really did not want to. So I said, ‘Give it to them both.’ ”

Even if the coaches could not divide the brothers, their style of play does. Craig (66 goals) uses his swimming ability to outmaneuver the opponents; Mike (69) uses his strength to move them out of the way.

“Craig can play as physical as anybody,” Milich said. “But when he doesn’t need to, it’s better for him. He can rely more on his speed.”

Mike complements Craig’s speed with his punishing style of play.

“He will physically dominate pretty much anybody he plays against,” Milich said. “I just don’t think there are many players in the county that can stay with him.”

The brothers led the Golden Hawks to the Empire League title and a 26-5 record. Winning the Empire League is common practice for the Golden Hawks, who were unbeaten in league play for the fourth year in a row.

“Because of our record, it would make a season for a lot of (Empire League) teams if they beat us.” Craig said. “Often teams come out fired up and we get ahead early and they get frustrated and they start to take cheap shots at us.”

At El Dorado, the playoffs are used to measure the success of a season. The Golden Hawks are one game away from winning the CIF Southern Section 3-A title. Last Friday, El Dorado defeated San Clemente, 7-4, to advance to the championship game against El Toro.

The scenario was much the same last season, though Hacienda Heights Wilson upset El Dorado, 9-8, in the final.

“We choked in the final last year,” Craig said. “Having 1,000 people in the stands and being under the lights just got to us.”

Craig hasn’t decided to which college he’ll take is immeasurable talents, but he and California have a common interest in each other.

During Craig’s four years at El Dorado, he has been a starter on four Empire League championship teams, but not a Southern Section champion. Mike has played on three league championship teams.

“Everything that could happen to us in the past has,” Mike said. “Ever since we beat Newport Harbor (7-5 on Nov. 1), things have been going right for us.”

Both have been involved in the Swim Team of Placentia and have been swimming and playing water polo since age 6, giving them an edge over players who try to learn the game in high school. Both started on the varsity as freshmen and had earned all-league honors by their sophomore seasons.

Swimming has become an area of almost total commitment, not only for brothers but mother Lynne as well. The Tillman family starts its day at about 5:30 a.m. when Lynne and the boys arise and eat breakfast before loading into the station wagon for the short drive to a 6 a.m. workout.

Three days a week, the players lift weights before they swim. But every moring the Tillmans do between 300 and 500 situps. Milich has this as a vital part of their training to ready them for the vicious underwater action in the pool.

After school, there’s afternoon practice. Because neither pool at El Dorado is big enough for a water polo practice, the team travels to Esperanza after the Aztecs have finished practice. So mom is back in action, this time to ferry the brothers across Placentia to Esperanza.

Mom appears again near of the end of the three-hour practice to collect the boys for the journey home. When done five days a week it makes for some pretty long days.

Not a bad routine to for the three-month water polo season, but it does not work that way around El Dorado. There is only a short break until swim season starts and all the fun begins again.

“Coach thinks we should do it all the time,” Mike said. “Even during the summer. It makes it easier when school starts.”

Mike has been following his brother from junior swim programs right to high school. As much as Mike would like to be known as a complete player, it is his strength that makes him such a dominant player.

“When he first started,” Milich said, “he was such a quiet kid, he was just so low keyed. Now, he is a very intense player who, if he makes up his mind to do something, will get it done.”

The Tillmans are as important to the swim team as they are to the water polo program. Craig specializes in the 50-, 100- and 400-yard freestyles. He was third in the 3-A championships last season. Mike also swims the 100 free as well as the 200-yard breast stroke and 200 individual medley.

The El Dorado swim team, also coached by Milich, won the 3-A championship last season. All the training and time spent is not really a sacrifice to either of the Tillmans.

“I’ve grown up reading about swimmers and the time they dedicate to the sport,” Craig said. “What I’m trying to do is use my swimming as a way to get into college.”

As a junior, Mike is not looking to the future as much as his brother. He would just like to win the championship this season and then see what the future brings.