I wanted to start a thread that is meant to keep a positive tone, and one that could help current high school players and families. I know a ranking of the top 5-10 coaches or schools to player for is not possible, so how about listing coaches or schools you would play for again anytime because the experience with that coach and school was great. a player or parent POV is welcomed. When listing the coach, please name the school too so people don’t need to go look it up. Bonus points if you endorse the coach/team and your kid did not get the playing time they hoped for going in but still endorse the experience. D1, D2, D3, public, private, military institution are all welcomed. perspectives.
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Dan Sharadin, head coach of the club team (formerly varsity) at Villanova University. Such a humble man who would do anything for his players. He’s made tremendous sacrifices for the sport and places much more emphasis on improvement than results. A true role model.
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I would play for Pete Cutino again in a heartbeat
Legend
Great coach and a great guy
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Fordham. It truly is a family atmosphere that extends from the coaches to the players to the alumni. We really do have great kids on our team and that is what made us all so proud of their results last season.
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Thanks to those that shared. Was hoping to hear more as I am certain we have more positive experience for athletes at certain schools. I assume this board is likely dominated by parents of athletes not yet in college, but hoping we have some that have experience at the college level.
Having a kid graduate from Harvard, Ted really makes everyone involved feel like they are part of a family and was a great coach to our kids outside the water too. Have heard great things from parents of kids that went to Princeton, they seem to really like Dusty and the culture that surrounds the program.
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I can give some huge props to Akaika Aki from LMU Women’s program. He has done a phenomenal job taking over the LMU program and focuses on athletes improvements and their own goals. It’s not easy to recruit in a school like LMU being so expensive, but he really puts in the work and cares about the athletes. He hired assistant coach Sarah Kreiser last year and also helped get the women’s home games on ESPN+ since only the men were televised.
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What Dusty has done with Princeton in his five year tenure with Princeton is remarkable. The program knows how to win and has a lot of fun doing it.
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Jon Bonafede at Cal Tech is a great coach. They’ll never be a powerhouse because of the academic standards to get in but every time I’m on that pool deck it genuinely feels like he cares about improving his players and giving them a great experience.
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I am happy for Dusty Litvak. Many years ago, my kid went to several of his camps at Agoura HS and absolutely loved it.
In Central Valley, three names immediately come to mind. Jamey Wright is a USA Water Polo Hall of Famer. He retired from UC Davis but is still coaching high school. A legend.
Dan Leyson is an excellent coach. Tough and a very decent human being.
The same can be said about Natalie Benson (Fresno State).
P.S. UC Davis Water Polo has several camps (day camps in May and overnight camp at the end of July). Should be good ones.
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Dan Leyson at UC Davis is a wonderful coach. Tough but so knowledgeable. All the boys seem very happy there.
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I will give a shout out to a couple of recent CCS coaches who have move on that I have watched up close that I think are really player oriented.
First is up and coming SoCal coach at OLu - Brenda Villa. Her player resume speaks for itself, but I have seen her get the most out of her players in a supportive way and would love to see her continue to mentor young players. Her recent success at OLu shows she has a very high ceiling.
Second is a technical coach that I have been around for a few years in club and high school and who has recently moved on to the women’s program at SJSU. Cristian Tanase is a great x’s and o’s coach and think that he gets the most out of the players he has available. As a recent addition to SJSU women’s team, he will certainly help on special teams and set plays.
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While I don’t have a personal connection to him, I have heard from many that Wolf Wigo at UCSB is a very good guy and many of the positive comments about him are not necessarily associated with some others.
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When I see Ted Minnis and Brenda Villa above, I can’t not post John Tanner of Stanford. This includes Susan Ortwein as you can’t say John Tanner without her with Cardinal Women’s Polo. The influence that JT had/has with Minnis and Villa cannot be understated and when you look outside the water, doing so with a Latina from East LA and an African American from NorCal in a very white sport during their days. I must also include Kyle Utsumi ,an Asian American from Hawaii. What JT and Ortwein have accomplished on the books is legendary and as noted, their most important work with their athletes has been done often serving as mentor, advisor, cheerleader, and at times a parent.
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The Stanford coaching tree extends to Cassie Churnside at Michigan, it’s nice to see these individuals who can be demanding but coach in a way that helps the athletes improve while not destroying them emotionally.
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I didn’t realize Cassie Churnside was coaching anywhere. Knew her back in the day and she was always kind (and great at water polo.)
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+1 on Dan Sharidan. In addition to all he has done on the varsity side for CWPA, hundreds of athletes per year would not have the opportunity to play in college without his stewardship of the CWPA club leagues.
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Chris Vidale - Marist
My kid was a late bloomer and didn’t take college polo seriously until her senior year. Chris gave her a shot. He has a great relationship with his girls and is their biggest advocate, especially the ones that might be more introverted.
Marist is very supportive of the water polo program, and the team travels more than most. Chris has a policy of taking the entire team on travel trips even if he knows they won’t see the water. He believes everyone puts in the same effort and deserves to have the full experience.
Chris is also a strong networker with the parents and is constantly connecting the dots for the benefit of his program. Whether it’s through fundraising or giving career advice on a team zoom, parents are always willing to step up for Chris.
We’ve witnessed players from lesser known high schools, or second team bench players from the top schools in CA, absolutely thrive under Chris and graduate as leaders.
In the end, that’s why we’re all here for our kids.
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Really like this thread. Lots of great coaches out there! It’s probably easy to heap praise on most of the Big 4 coaches, but Adam Wright at UCLA deserves a special shout out for his work with the men’s and women’s programs. Not only does he win championships, but he’s masterful at developing young adults. Surprised Natalie Benson from Fresno St hasn’t popped on this list yet. Sometimes superstar players don’t always translate into the best coaches, but Natalie might be the most dynamic women’s college coach right now. Despite Fresno St not having the same appeal for superstars like USC or Stanford, she has the ability to make good players into great teams. Really a unique talent. Glad to see Wigo at UCSB is getting some credit. Despite battling some campus pool issues, he found a way to keep his team competitive and cohesive. The stigma of a tyrannical Serela on UCSB WWP probably didn’t help his cause on the men’s side either. Coach Witt at CSU Fullerton is starting to garner a very good reputation. He was highly successful and beloved during his near two decade tenure at LMU. Now he’s taken the reigns of the women’s and newly established men’s programs at CSUF. Bet he makes Fullerton into something more than a baseball factory! Speaking of LMU, the previous comments about Aki do not include some important historical context. A couple years ago he was subject to a what’s best described as a mutiny of his own making, and was almost voted off the island. Not sure bringing in his Serela-trained assistant helped the situation. Maybe he got the appropriate pep talk from the AD and changed his ways. And lastly … a big +1 for Vidale at Marist. Can’t find anyone to say something other than he’s a great coach and an even better mentor to young adults.
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Natalie Benson is awesome! So unassuming but holds her players accountable.
Chucky at 805/San Marcos clearly has the kiddos best interests in mind and I would be more than happy to have him coach my kid.
Same goes for Payden at Foothill/Socal - he might get a little hot sometimes, but he’s super positive. We think that in the Water Polo Movie on the Ocho he would be played by Will Arnett.
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