Column: Harvard-Westlake drinking water polo crew is so deep it will use hockey-like shifts

The splashing in the pool at Studio Town Harvard-Westlake Superior provides a very small trace at what is having place all through h2o polo techniques beneath its new mentor, 28-year-outdated Jack Grover, who has so substantially expertise to get the job done with that he’ll be employing ice hockey-like line improvements every 3 or four minutes.

“What’s particular about this team is we perform at these kinds of a superior amount but there’s not one particular human being carrying out almost everything,” he mentioned. “We really do not rely on one particular participant, which is rather distinctive at the significant school amount.”

When Brian Flacks still left to become head coach at Stanford, Harvard-Westlake hired the leading assistant at UCLA, Grover, who is a previous Loyola Significant star. Considering that he was presently recruiting many of the Harvard-Westlake gamers, he realized what he was inheriting.

“I experienced viewed them participate in a variety of periods to the level in the course of the interview process I was sitting down up at night time and imagining, ‘What if I get this placement, how am I heading to use this player?’ ” he said.

Now he’ll check out to build a young crew that designed it to the Southern Segment Open up Division semifinals final year prior to losing to Huntington Beach front 11-9. The Wolverines are off to a 2- commence and encounter defending Open Division winner Newport Harbor on the street Sept. 10.

The Wolverines have 8 players on their roster who are customers of United states youth or cadet nationwide groups. Their No. 1 goalie, 6-foot-6 Baxter Chelsom, was on the United states of america youth workforce that gained a championship in Budapest, but he receives consistent competition from No. 2 goalie 6-6 James Peace and No. 3 goalie Jaaziah McZeal, who began for the 16U Junior Olympics championship team.

It goes on and on. Ben Orelmans, a standout junior, performs for the Dutch youth national crew. Standout sophomore Otto Stothart is a citizen of Spain and Australia. Senior Jack Burghardt is on the youth national group and sophomore Connor Kim is on the cadet national team. There’s 1 freshman to view in Aidan Romain. Taj Draper, when the ideal player at Encino Crespi, has also joined the workforce.

Starting off center Jeff Koretz is regarded for creating scoring options for teammates, which is part of Harvard-Westlake‘s results. Acquiring so several superior gamers to play collectively is important for the reason that the Wolverines have many scoring threats.

There are teams close to the Southland that will give the Wolverines plenty of issues. San Juan Capistrano JSerra has picked up just one of the greatest players in Ryder Dodd from Huntington Seaside. Defending winner Newport Harbor returns UCLA commit Ben Liechty, a 6-4 senior who will be a four-yr starter and is the 3rd brother starring in drinking water polo.

It has been an intriguing time in drinking water polo with several coaching variations equally in college or university and superior college.

Harvard-Westlake initial-yr water polo coach Jack Grover.

(Craig Weston)

“This period of time of time has been ridiculous,” Grover explained. “There have been much more coaching positions open up in the last 5 months than I have at any time seen.”

There are couple sports the place significant college coaches can go quickly to the faculty ranks, but h2o polo is a single of them. Flacks was coaching national teams prior to leaving for Stanford. Before arriving at Harvard-Westlake, Grover was instructed all through the interview process the Wolverines teach like a college or university program.

“These children decide on up things seriously quick and what they might lack in age, they make up with the aptitude getting equipped to comprehend instruction,” he claimed.

The gamers recognize how the changeover of coaches shifting easily from distinctive ranges is portion of the sport’s history.

“The h2o polo neighborhood is extremely near knit,” Chelsom mentioned. “A ton of the coaches know every other and a good deal of the players know the coaches. When a coach’s talent is regarded, it’s acknowledged across all concentrations of h2o polo.”

Harvard-Westlake players have not forgotten their reduction in the semifinals.

“It was a quite painful experience,” Chelsom reported. “This entire 12 months has been how do we make certain we don’t experience the identical.”