NARBEH AMIRIAN
Glendale's Man of Steal breaks the school's all-time steals record (177 steals)

November 5, 2002
MAN OF STEAL
Glendale's Narbeh Amirian is 11 steals away
from the single-season school record
By Hamlet Nalbandyan, News-Press
SOUTHEAST GLENDALE -- It's not something he's necessarily proud of, but Narbeh Amirian doesn't regret quitting the Glendale High boys' water polo team during the summer, even if it might have cost him everything.
It was a team thing, he says, and it's something he had to do.
"We're real close with each other," says the senior of his teammates. "We do everything as a team, and I had to follow. I couldn't show my face to them if I didn't."
For those not aware of the soap opera that occurred during the summer for the Nitros, the scenario went something like this: A couple seniors walked out of practice one day, apparently not happy with the treatment from assistant coach Alfred Tamazyan.
As a sign of team unity, nearly all of the other seniors and a few juniors decided to walk as well, with Amirian being one of them.
As a result, the Nitros had to play the entire summer with basically their junior varsity team, and Coach Pat Lancaster wasn't sure if the regular varsity players would return -- or if he'd allow them to return -- in time for the regular season.
"My family didn't even know I did it," said Amirian, 17. "It wasn't until two to three weeks later that they found out, and it was hard telling them. My sister [Narineh] wasn't happy at all, and she said it was a big mistake.
"To me, it was a misunderstanding with the players, and we just needed a break from it all."
Of course, that "break" nearly cost Glendale its season, and Amirian a place in the Nitro record books.
But everything is back to normal now -- or as normal as things can be considering the path Lancaster's group has taken.
The Nitros are in a position to win just their second Pacific League title in program history -- Glendale won three Foothill League titles in 1964, 1977 and 1979 and shared the Pacific League title with Crescenta Valley in 1998 -- and Amirian is on the brink of knocking off one of the area's greats from the school record books.
The 6-foot-3 do-it-all man has 154 steals on the season, just 11 shy of the school record held by Kevin Witt, who has gone on to become a two-time NCAA All-American at Loyola Marymount University.
He'll have at the minimum two matches to set the mark, starting at 4 p.m. today when Glendale (12-14, 4-1 in league) faces Pasadena in the league tournament at Arcadia High.
The Nitros, by way of winning a coin flip on Thursday, are the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and will likely await the winner of Arcadia and CV -- two teams who shared the regular-season crown with Glendale -- in the league final.
"We just want to win the league title," said Amirian, who also leads the team with 49 goals. "Ever since my freshman year, all we've been talking about is winning league our senior year.
"A lot of people have doubted us, but this is our chance to show them. We have to make it happen."
The doubt has been there for good reason.
Since winning the league's junior varsity title in 2000 -- Amirian made the jump to varsity midway through the season -- many of the players on that year's team haven't done what Lancaster had hoped they'd do in preparation for this year.
Almost none of the players participated on the school's swim team, nor did they play club water polo during the offseason.
After the early going this year, it seemed like Lancaster's worries had come true. Glendale was outmatched against nearly all the upper-echelon teams it played and at times struggled against average teams.
But it's funny how one big win can change everything.
After beating CV, 6-4, on Oct. 23, suddenly the Nitros are in position to win a league title and host a CIF Southern Section playoff match.
And all the doubt and criticism that once followed this year's group has suddenly disappeared.
"It seems like things are going our way recently," Lancaster said. "We go up to CV, and as it turns out, their best player [Shane Besedick] is injured, and we're able to win that game.
"And then we somehow win the coin flip and are the No. 1 seed in the league tournament. We've been pretty lucky, but I'll take it."
Of course, it's not just luck that has put the Nitros in this position. A lot of that credit has to go to Amirian.
Like the rest of his teammates, he's not much of a scorer, but boy, can he play defense.
"He's like a catburglar," Lancaster said. "Your stuff will be gone and you won't even know it.
"I'm as guilty as anyone of overusing the word 'great,' but Narbeh is a great player. I think any coach would want him on his team.
"It must be really distressing to play against him, because he's such a relentless defensive player and he's so good at what he does. I've seen coaches throw their clip boards on the ground and scream at their players for making a supposed bad pass, but it wasn't a bad pass. Narbeh just finds ways to get to the ball."
Seven times this season, Amirian has had 10-or-more steals in a match, including a school-record 15 against Palos Verdes on Sept. 23.
In that match, he also scored six goals. Lancaster says that was the point in the season that Amirian realized his role, and began playing to his potential. The Nitros can only hope for similar play this week, where everything will be on the line.
Not only will Amirian and his teammates be battling for a league title, something they've had their sights on since they began playing four years ago, but they'll have a chance to silence their critics for good.