Four local players will be representing the Loyola Marymount
University men’s water polo team in the NCAA Championships this
weekend at Stanford.
San Benito High is represented by the Barr brothers Kris and
Nick, while Live Oak is represented by Justin Coleman and Scott
Marshall.
Four local players will be representing the Loyola Marymount University men’s water polo team in the NCAA Championships this weekend at Stanford.
San Benito High is represented by the Barr brothers Kris and Nick, while Live Oak is represented by Justin Coleman and Scott Marshall.
Third seeded LMU will face second seeded Stanford on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Lions, who won the Western Water Polo Association title, are coming in ranked seventh. The winner plays the winner of Navy and USC.
“We have had a great two weeks of practice,” said seventh-year coach John Loughran. “We have nothing to lose. We are playing the two-time national championship. It will be a lot of fun. I think we are prepared.”
Kris has 30 goals in his 69 attempts offensively in his 29 games this season for the Lions. He is second on the team with 23 assists and first with 49 steals.
“He’s been a great defender,” Loughran said. “He is one of the best 2-meter defenders in the country at this point. In the water, he is our leader on defense. He works extremely well with our goalie.”
Kris had his best collegiate game in the 6-5 win over UC San Diego in the conference championship, Loughran said. During that game, Kris had three goals and helped shut down the team defensively. Kris was out sick in last year’s conference championship and was not able to play.
“He has been a great player for us over the last four years and has consistently gotten better,” Loughran said. “He has really done the things he needed to do for us to be successful.”
Kris will be making his second appearance in the final four.
“Last time the whole team had jitters,” Kris said. “Now we are not really as nervous because we were there before. I’ve just tried to go out and have fun this year and not worry about anything. I’ve tried not to let outside things bother me like the officials. Sometime I tend to get a little hot headed because I get so into the game.”
This is not the first year Kris has played with Marshall and Coleman. They used to play together on a club team.
“It is just like old times,” Kris said. “I already had gotten to know them real well. I played with them for quite awhile, but the competition is a lot different at the college level.”
Kris hopes to play oversees in the offseason and plans to play in the Premiere League.
Nick, a freshman who decided to redshirt this season for the Lions, was a little upset that he couldn’t play at least one season with his older brother.
“It was a big disappointment for him when he phoned to tell me,” said his dad Larry, who played water polo at UC Davis. “But I am glad he redshirted as a freshman. He should have a good chance next year.”
“He’s going to be a great player,” Loughran said. “He works hard in practice and has an excellent attitude. I see him filling a big roll for us in the years to come.”
Marshall, a sophomore who transferred from West Valley, has been out with a knee injury during the last month and will need surgery during the offseason.
He had three goals in his 22 games before the injury.
“Since he has been here, he has really gotten a lot stronger,” Loughran said. “He has done very well adjusting from the community college game to the four-year college game. He will be a huge part of our future.”
Coleman, a former first team Nor-Cal player, has spent most of his time as a senior being the backup. Last year, he was behind fellow Acorn Kevin Paulsen.
This year, he is behind freshman Ian Elliot, who Loughran regards as one of the top three goalies in the country.
“Justin has been a real contributor and has helped our team in practice,” Loughran said. “He has a great attitude. Even though a goalie is not starting, he can still bring a lot if intangibles to practice like Justin brings.”
In his five and a quarter games this year, Coleman has 43 saves and has allowed 29 goals.
In other water polo action, former Balers Greg Henneman and Danny Valenzuela won the state championship for West Valley Junior college.
