{"id":616110,"date":"2025-06-29T04:40:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T11:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=616110"},"modified":"2025-06-29T09:42:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T16:42:18","slug":"the-best-american-mens-water-polo-players-of-the-ncaa-era-part-ii-no-20-to-no-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/the-best-american-mens-water-polo-players-of-the-ncaa-era-part-ii-no-20-to-no-11\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best American Men’s Water Polo Players of the NCAA Era (Part II: No. 20 to No. 11)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Best American Men’s Water Polo Players of the NCAA Era (Part II: No. 20 to No. 11)<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Jeff Moulton<\/p>\n

In Part II of this three-part series, water polo expert Jeff Moulton discusses the individuals he has ranked No. 11 to 20 in his unofficial list of the top-25 American men\u2019s water polo players of the NCAA era. Part I is linked below and also includes an explanation of the criteria used by Moulton to make his selections.<\/p>\n

Part I<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Luca

Luca Cupido of the United States.<\/p><\/div>\n

20. Luca Cupido<\/strong> \u2013 attacker\/center defender, Newport Harbor High School for one year and Cal (1x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, 3x 1st team All-American, 1x Cutino Award winner, 1x ACWPC Player of the Year, 3x Olympian, 1x bronze medalist).<\/p>\n

Cupido has played professionally for Barcelona in Spain and Rari Nantes Camogli and CC Ortigia in Italy.\u00a0 Best known as an attacker, Cupido is also an excellent center defender.\u00a0 Cal coach Kirk Everist in a 2017 interview, \u201cCupido is by far the best two-meter defender in the country when I use him there.\u201d\u00a0 In 2017, U.S. Olympic team coach Dejan Udovicic predicted that Cupido would play in multiple Olympics:\u00a0 “Luca is a true leader on the team.\u00a0 He can play different positions and is one of the most talented players I’ve ever coached.\u00a0 He has that X factor, which is a privilege only held by the highest-level players.\u00a0 Having that X factor gives him a bright future and a long career ahead.\u00a0 I can see him playing at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.”\u00a0\u00a0 Cupido is a dual-citizen of the United States and Italy.\u00a0 If he continues playing, he is likely to play for the United States in the 2028 Olympics.\u00a0 However, he deserves a spot on my list even if he doesn\u2019t play another game.\u00a0 Once Cupido\u2019s playing career is over, he is likely to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

19. Peter Campbell<\/strong> \u2013 center defender, University High School and U.C. Irvine (1x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, 3x 1st team All-American, 1x ACWPC Player of the Year, 2x Olympian, 2x silver medalist, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

I asked Craig Boyer, Campbell\u2019s teammate on the 1988 Olympic team, what he remembers about Campbell.\u00a0 He said:\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I ever saw Peter make a bad decision in the pool. \u00a0He was smart, strong and a great teammate!\u00a0 He played at the highest level on both offense and defense.\u201d\u00a0 Jody Campbell, Peter Campbell\u2019s teammate on the 1984 and 1988 Olympic teams:\u00a0 \u201cPeter came through the Ted Newland \u2018Animal Farm,\u2019 which made him game-smart, loyal and willing to do whatever it takes as a player. \u00a0In an era in which it was critical to be able to play one-on-one defense, including at 2 meters, he was tough, quick and smart.\u201d<\/p>\n

18. Jesse Smith<\/strong> \u2013 center defender, Coronado High School and Pepperdine (3x All-American, 2x 1st team All-American, 5x Olympian (Tony Azevedo is the only other American 5x water polo Olympian), 1x silver medalist, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

Smith played professionally for\u00a0 Ethnikos Piraeus and Olympiacos in Greece, Mladost Zagreg in Croatia, Jadran Herceg Novi in Montenegro, Rari Nantes Savona in Italy, Galatasaray in Turkey, Paulista Sao Paulo in Brazil, and Gezira in Egypt.\u00a0 He is one of only a few athletes to turn down a scholarship offer from Dante Dettamanti at Stanford.\u00a0 Sacred Heart Prep coach Brian Kreutzkamp remembers playing against Smith\u2019s Coronado High School teams when Kreutzkamp was coaching Newport Harbor High School:\u00a0 \u201cJesse Smith was one of the best, if not the best, 2M defenders I\u2019ve coached against at the high school level.\u00a0 He was simply so strong he could move even the biggest and best centers from out of the center of the goal and would destroy any sort of offense we would try to run.\u201d\u00a0 Smith also excelled in college.\u00a0 Terry Schroeder, Smith\u2019s coach at Pepperdine, \u201cJesse is one of the best college water polo players ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

17. Craig Klass<\/strong> \u2013 LH center, Las Lomas High School and Stanford (2x NCAA champion, 3x All-American, 2x 1st team All-American, 1x ACWPC Player of the Year, 2x Olympian, 1x silver medalist, 1x FINA World Cup champion, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

Klass was the best player and the second fastest swimmer (after former world record holder and 2x swimming Olympian Pablo Morales) on Stanford\u2019s undefeated 1986 team.\u00a0 Stanford coach Dante Dettamanti speaking about Klass after Stanford won the 1986 NCAA Championship:\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a real gutsy power player. \u00a0He\u2019s the hardest worker I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

16. James Bergeson<\/strong> \u2013 attacker, Newport Harbor High School and Stanford (2x CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion, 2x CIF Southern Section Division 1 Player of the Year, 2x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, 3x 1st team All-American, 1x Olympian, 1x silver medalist, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

John Vargas, former Corona del Mel High School and Stanford coach, speaking about Bergeson\u2019s time at Newport Harbor High School:\u00a0 \u201cWhen Bergeson was playing, people wouldn\u2019t go to watch the teams, they\u2019d go to watch him.\u00a0 He did some unbelievable things.\u201d\u00a0 One of Bergeson\u2019s Newport Harbor High School teammates told me:\u00a0 \u201cJames was a freshman and I was a senior on the 1975 Newport Harbor HS team, then we were on the USA junior team.\u00a0 On both teams, he was far younger than everyone else and still outstanding.\u00a0 I was constantly amazed by his game.\u201d\u00a0 Jody Campbell, Bergeson\u2019s teammate at Stanford and on the 1988 Olympic team:\u00a0 \u201cIn an era in which movement was the basis of offense, nobody had more intensity and quickness than James.\u201d\u00a0 Greg Boyer, Bergeson\u2019s teammate on the 1988 Olympic team, remembers Bergeson\u2019s shooting skills:\u00a0 \u201cJames had an amazing hesitation in his shooting motion.\u00a0 Many times a goalie would not even get his arms out of the water.\u00a0 On the 6-on-5, James was one of the best No. 1 position players in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

15. Ryan Bailey<\/strong> \u2013 center, Millikan High School and U.C. Irvine (3x All-American, 1x 1st team All-American, 4x Olympian, 1x silver medalist, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

Bailey scored 104 goals in his senior season at U.C. Irvine and led the 2012 United States Olympic team in scoring with 13 goals.\u00a0 Bailey had a distinguished professional career, playing for VK Jug Dubrovnik and VK Jadran Split in Croatia, Dynamo Moscow in Russia, Panionios in Greece, and VK Partizan in Serbia.\u00a0 At one time, Bailey was the highest-paid American professional water polo player.\u00a0 Hall of Fame player Tony Azevedo speaking about Bailey:\u00a0 \u201cRyan was one of the best centers in the world.\u00a0 He was simple.\u00a0 He\u2019s bigger and stronger than you.\u00a0 He\u2019s better than you.\u201d<\/p>\n

14. James Ferguson<\/strong> \u2013 attacker, Awalt High School and UCLA (1x NCAA champion, 2x All-American, 1x Olympian and would have been a 2x Olympian if the United States had qualified for the 1976 Olympics, 1x bronze medalist, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

Ferguson played on UCLA\u2019s varsity team from 1968 to 1970 (in those days, a freshman couldn\u2019t play on the varsity team).\u00a0 UCLA\u2019s 1969 team was undefeated, winning the first NCAA water polo tournament.\u00a0 A member of UCLA\u2019s 1969 coaching staff told me:\u00a0 \u201cThe thing that impressed me most about James was his intensity, so absolutely intense at times that you knew you were in for a battle against him and he was never going to yield.\u00a0 He had what I might describe as a \u2018steely, cold\u2019 disposition as a player.\u00a0 His eyes said it all \u2013 \u2018stay out of my way.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Ferguson was a great shooter.\u00a0 In a 2015 interview with Rich Foster, Ferguson\u2019s UCLA teammate and Hall of Fame player Eric Lindroth said that Ferguson was \u201cincredible\u201d at shooting the ball off the water.\u00a0 Ferguson was named to the all-world team in 1973.<\/p>\n

13. Alex Bowen<\/strong> \u2013 attacker, Santana High School and Stanford (4x 1st team All-American, 3x Olympian, 1x bronze medalist).<\/p>\n

Bowen, one of America\u2019s greatest shooters, scored 253 goals in his four years at Stanford and has scored 31 goals in the Olympics, including 18 goals in the 2021 Olympics.\u00a0 Bowen has had a distinguished professional career, playing for Noisy-le-Sec in France, Partizan in Serbia, Apollon in Greece, Miskolci VLC in Hungary, and Mladost Zagreb in Croatia.\u00a0 A Hall of Fame coach told me, \u201cAlex is a great perimeter shooter \u2013 truly one of the best in the world.\u00a0 What stands out even more is how he continues to evolve.\u201d\u00a0 If Bowen continues playing, he is likely to play for the United States in the 2028 Olympics.\u00a0 However, he deserves a spot on my list even if he doesn\u2019t play another game.\u00a0 Once Bowen\u2019s playing career is over, he will almost certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

12. Gary Figueroa<\/strong> \u2013 attacker, Sunny Hills High School and U.C. Irvine (3x All-American, 3x 1st team All American, 2x Olympian, 1x silver medalist, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

Figueroa came a long way from his early days at Sunny Hills High School when, as his high school coach Jim Sprague remembers, he \u201cwas so small and weak he couldn\u2019t lift a 10-pound bar with 2.5 pounds on each end.\u201d\u00a0 Sprague, a member of the Hall of Fame, also said that Figueroa became \u201cthe greatest player I ever coached.\u201d\u00a0 Figueroa was a great shooter.\u00a0 He holds the single-season scoring record at U.C. Irvine with 110 goals in 1977.\u00a0 Jody Cambell, Figueroa\u2019s teammate on the 1984 Olympic team, told me:\u00a0 \u201cGary was a product of Ted Newland\u2019s \u201cAnimal Farm,\u201d and had a high IQ for the game.\u00a0 He was a prolific scorer.\u00a0 During his era, no one in the world was as quick, creative, and spontaneous as Gary.\u00a0 He had a pocket full of unique shots that would confuse and handcuff goalies.\u00a0 He mastered the \u201chesi\u201d (hesitation) shot.\u201d\u00a0 Figueroa was named to the all-world team in 1980.<\/p>\n

11. Jon Svendsen<\/strong> \u2013 center defender, Miramonte and Cal (3x NCAA champion, 3x All-American, 1x NCAA Player of the Year, 2x Olympian and would have been a 3x Olympian if the United States had qualified for the 1976 Olympics, 1x silver medalist, Hall of Fame, 2x NCAA swimming All-American, Pac-10 champion in the 400-yard freestyle relay).<\/p>\n

Svendsen started as a freshman on Miramonte High School\u2019s first team in 1967, one of only two freshmen to start during Bill Brown\u2019s 38 years as Miramonte\u2019s coach.\u00a0 Svendsen was known for his physical play.\u00a0 As fellow Miramonte and Cal player John Schnugg remembers: \u00a0\u201cJon was a mean son of a bitch who was feared the world over as an asshole to play against.\u00a0 Every team needs one.\u00a0 John Mann, Carlos Steffens, Greg Boyer, and Paul Becskehazy all come to mind, but Jon was in a class by himself.\u00a0 The USA team was at its best with him in the pool.\u00a0 His game was brute force, speed, and length with a great arm.\u00a0 His hands and balance were all world.\u201d\u00a0 A Hall of Fame coach told me:\u00a0 \u201cJon Svendsen belongs in the top 10.\u00a0 Jon\u2019s size, length, and speed made him incredibly versatile during his prime years from 1975-1980.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Part III of this series, Moulton will discuss the individuals he has ranked No. 1 to 10 in his unofficial list of the Top 25 American men\u2019s water polo players of the NCAA era.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Best American Men’s Water Polo Players of the NCAA Era (Part II: No. 20 to No. 11) By Jeff Moulton In Part II of this three-part series, water polo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67367,"featured_media":261679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,6,12],"tags":[251,136360,54416],"class_list":["post-616110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-college","category-water-polo","tag-ncaa","tag-top-25","tag-water-polo"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nBest American Men's Water Polo Players of the NCAA 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