Sept. 7, 2006

By Trevor Freeman

Special to CSTV.com

26-1. Nineteen straight victories. A third national championship. 

While Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush may have tripped up against Texas, the USC water polo team had no such problems as they reigned supreme in the world of collegiate water polo last fall.  However, 2006 brings about a new campaign for the Trojans, and it is one that will be without the departed Juraj Zatovic, who graduated from USC as their all-time leading scorer with 220 goals.  Zatovic may have been the most complete collegiate player since the turn of the century as he was also a top-notch defender.  The Trojans also lose the wildly underrated Ted Zepfel.  Zepfel was a gamer who seemed to save his best for big situations as evidenced by the combined five goals he had in the NCAA and MPSF title games against Stanford and NCAA Final Four contest against St. Francis. 

Even with these losses though, there is talk of another title run by the men of Troy.  This optimism is bolstered by the return of eight of USC's top ten field players, both goalies and an extremely impressive recruiting class.

Of the returning players, none is more important than Juan Delgadillo.  If Juraj Zatovic was "Crockett," then Delgadillo was "Tubbs".  The first-team All-American scored in all 27 games and ended the season with 55 goals.  Delgadillo is an outstanding, instinctive driver who was named as a team co-MVP with Zatovic.  In fact, many consider him to be the favorite for the Peter J. Cutino Award (given annually to the best collegiate player in the nation).  Accompanying Delgadillo on the outside are senior co-captains Thomas Hale and Pavol Valovic.  Hale is a lefty who notched 29 goals in a season that ended with him being named first-team All-NCAA Tournament, while Valovic scored 14 goals last season and is a guy who does a little bit of everything.   

There is also experience returning in the trenches at two-meter in the form of Tommy Corcoran.  Corcoran is a 6'5", 225-pound immovable object in front of the net.  He scored 25 goals last year, but more importantly, he is adept at getting down to the 2 and setting the offense properly.  The wild card at this position is J.W. Krumpholz.  The freshman will get immediate playing time and is capable of setting a top-notch two-meter.  Look for him to be involved in their rotation at this position. 

Many will point to the goals Juraj Zatovic scored and will say that this is what the Trojans will most sorely miss.  However, the loss of Ted Zepfel at 2-meter defense should not be discounted.  The leaders to replace him are sophomore Arjan Ligtenberg, sophomore Jovan Vranes and juco transfer Gabor Sarusi.  Ligtenberg is the most accomplished of the three players vying for this spot as he spent time on the United States Junior National team this summer.

There will not be a goalie rotation at USC this year as Don Ricci decided to forego his final year of eligibility.  This means NCAA Tournament co-MVP Adam Shilling will be holding down the fort.  Shilling has had a big summer, which culminated in him being named MVP of the 2006 Men's Nationals held in Honolulu, Hawaii.  It is felt by the USC coaching staff that Shilling could be poised to have the kind of year that ends with a Peter J. Cutino award. 

Joining the veterans is a recruiting class that is to college water polo followers what Michigan's "Fab Five" was to college hoops fans.  The aforementioned Krumpholz is the top-rated Trojan recruit and is considered by many to be the best high school player since Tony Azevedo (former Stanford star and current U.S. National team member).  The Santa Ana native has already suited up with the U.S. National team and is known for a tremendous outside shot along with the ability to go "2 to 2."  Joining Krumpholz are four U.S. Junior National team members: Anthony Artukovich, Matt Sagehorn, Nico Sardo and Justin Rappel.  All four of these players are expected to see playing time for the Trojans.  Artukovich has trained with the U.S. National team and is known for being a brilliant passer.  Meanwhile, his Long Beach Wilson high school teammate, Matt Sagehorn, has already drawn comparisons to Juraj Zatovic, which in and of itself is a tremendous compliment.  Nico Sardo is said to be an exceptional goal scorer and Justin Rappel is a lefty who should emerge as a big-time threat in six on five situations. 

Other promising newcomers include 6'6", 260-pound freshman Jordan Thompson, who is thought to be a future contributor at 2-meter offense and lefty juco transfer Drew Vyn.  The wild card of the class is Kyle Sterling.  Sterling was the Washington state MVP in high school and is a member of the U.S. Youth National team.  With the competition in the state of Washington not being on the same level as it is in California, it will be interesting to see how he adapts to playing against top-notch players on a daily basis.

The road to repeating in the Mountain Pacific and for an NCAA Title will be sturdy.  Crosstown rival UCLA returns Logan Powell and Krsto Sbutega along with a host of other contributors and should be formidable.  In addition, John Mann and Cal along with Sandy Hohener and Stanford will also be very tough competition for the Trojans.  However, if USC is successfully able to blend their incoming stars with the experienced talent leftover from last year's NCAA Championship run, a repeat of the magic that happened in Lewisburg, Pa., could be in the cards.