LONG BEACH STATE NOTEBOOK / JASON REID : Parsons Experiences Pain of Just Watching and Joy of Playing

He thought watching and cheering would help, but that made it harder. Being there and not playing wasn’t his style. Staying away seemed to make sense, but turning his back on the team made him miserable too.

Kip Parsons knew the games took place even if he wasn’t there, and he couldn’t handle that either.

So, out of options and feeling cornered, Parsons, a Long Beach State water polo player, did what he could. He waited and worked, hoped and prayed.

A little more than a year later, Parsons feels rewarded. He has recovered from an injury to his right shoulder that forced him to miss last season. He is mentally stronger from the experience and at the top of his game. The road could have been easier, but Parsons survived the trip.

“Not playing was real tough,” said Parsons, 22. “But since I’ve been back, I’ve felt good. Getting back into the water, this whole year, it’s been great.”

The rejuvenated Parsons leads the 49ers into the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation water polo tournament beginning Friday at Newport Harbor High. Sixth-seeded Long Beach plays ninth-seeded Pacific at 8 a.m.

With Parsons in the lineup, the 49ers have the edge.

“I think he’s going to step up his game,” Coach Ken Lindgren said. “He’s very capable of doing that. I’m counting on that.”

Lindgren’s expectations are warranted. A standout at Villa Park High, Parsons is the 49ers’ dominant player. He leads the team with 46 goals. Jeff Rose is second with 28.

Parsons (6 feet 4, 220 pounds) plays the two-meter position, similar to the center position in basketball. He is the focus of the 49ers’ offense, and their opponents’ defense.

Parsons routinely is double-teamed and harassed. So far, it hasn’t slowed him much.

“It’s a little frustrating with all the teams keying on me,” he said. “They drop back against me all the time, and that makes it difficult for our outside guys to get me the ball.

“But they’ve been doing a much better job lately. We’re really starting to come together.”

Parsons’ presence is the difference, according to Lindgren.

“He can be as good as he wants to be,” Lindgren said. “His future is unlimited, he’s that type of player.”

Which is why losing him was so tough.

As a junior, Parsons led Long Beach with 55 goals. He was selected second-team all-MPSF.

He began experiencing pain in his shoulder at the end of that season, but wasn’t overly concerned. He thought it was just the normal aches and pains from playing water polo for most of his life.

X-rays before the start of last season revealed otherwise. He suffered from strained ligaments in his shoulder, which shouldn’t have kept him out of the lineup for long.

But during surgery, doctors discovered that Parsons’ shoulder had not grown correctly. A screw was inserted to fix the problem and Parsons’ senior season ended before his first game. He became a medical redshirt.

Then came the big pain of watching. So Parsons channeled his energy into his rehabilitation. It was either that or stay in a funk.

“I worked really hard,” he said. “I put all my efforts into it. I worked two hours a day, five days a week, on exercises to improve my range and motion.

“I lifted a lot of weights. As soon as I could get back in the pool, I worked out three times a week.”

His season away also helped the 49ers in a sense, Parsons believes.

“The year that I missed helped other people step up,” Parsons said. “With me back and everyone else better, we’re a much better team.”

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Hitting their stride: Lindgren feels good about the 49ers entering the MPSF tournament. True, they aren’t the most talented group. But they don’t quit.

“We’ve worked hard up to this point,” Lindgren said. “We were hoping to peak about this time, and I think we’re doing some good things.”

Long Beach is 9-14, 3-5 in the MPSF. Parsons said the record doesn’t indicate how competitive the 49ers are.

“We’ve had some tough times over the last few seasons, but we improved a lot this year,” he said. “I think we have a chance.”

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Don’t panic . . . yet: The men’s basketball team was disappointed--and should have been--by its 91-57 road loss to Arizona in the first round of the Preseason NIT on Nov. 15. The 49ers were outclassed and outworked by the Wildcats.

But their fans shouldn’t be upset because the 49ers lost. No. 19 Arizona made Long Beach look like what it is, a middle-of-the-road team.

The Wildcats have a record of 119-6 (.952) at the McKale Center since 1987-88. They are 49-1 (.980) in nonconference games. Coach Lute Olson is one of the game’s best and will tell you so.

The 49ers were done the second they agreed to play.

But Long Beach should have been more competitive, not only for its aspirations but for the Big West Conference too. Coach Seth Greenberg and his colleagues said the Big West needs to distinguish itself against national powers.

Greenberg won’t get a better shot during the regular season.

“These are the type of games where we can get our respect, but we just didn’t do what we should have,” guard James Cotton said. “We didn’t work together, but we’ll just take this and learn from it. Nothing’s over yet.”