Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Brandon McLain - Sailors’ ‘great

wall’

Tony Altobelli

Talk about peaking at just the right time.

With goalie duties on the Newport Harbor High boys water polo team

shared between two players throughout most of the season, Coach Brian

Kreutzkamp went to Brandon McLain down the stretch and the Sailors never

looked back.

“He had the hot hand, so we went with him,” Kreutzkamp said. “We

started him with the understanding that if he got cold, we could always

switch and go with Shawn Johnson. He just stayed hot and we stayed with

him.”

McLain was at his hottest during the CIF Southern Section Division I

championship game against Foothill, where he posted eight saves and

allowed the Sailors to build a big first-half lead en route to a 15-9

win. It was the first CIF title for the Sailors since 1984, or just after

McLain’s second birthday.

“I was really ready for that game,” McLain said. “My mind was ready

and my legs and body felt good. Heck, two days before the finals, I was

ready to play. I couldn’t wait. I still can’t believe it’s all over and

we won.”

It was McLain’s first-half performance that made the difference in the

contest, according to Kreutzkamp.

“Looking at the films, it was even more amazing than when I saw him

play live,” he said. “We had four defensive breakdowns in the first half

and he saved us on all of them. It was 10-5 at the half and it could have

easily been 10-9.”

McLain not only was a major cog on defense, his play helped spark the

offense, like they needed any more help.

“With Brandon playing the way he was, the offense took more chances

and attacked earlier, knowing McLain would bail them out if something

happened,” Kreutzkamp said. “He was really playing out of his mind out

there.”

McLain, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, attributes that potent

offense to making his life between the goal posts much easier.

“We took an early lead and that allowed me to relax,” McLain said.

“Our defense did a great job of keeping the shots on the outside and to

the left. I didn’t get too jumpy back there and I just waited for the

shots to come to me.”

According to McLain, it was the two weeks prior to the playoffs that

enabled the senior to rise to the occasion.

“That was important because that allowed me to play in all the crucial

games down the stretch,” McLain said. “That gave me a lot of confidence.”

On a team with a reputation for fast-break, transition-style offense,

Kreutzkamp saw one flaw that held McLain out of a regular starting spot.

“The only thing holding Brandon back early, was his passing on our

counterattacks,” Kreutzkamp said. “But, by the end of the season, that

was not even an issue. He’s a real good athlete and a quick learner.”

On a team with 10 seniors out of 13 players, McLain knew this was the

year to add another chapter to the legacy of Newport Harbor water polo.

“After four long years of hard work,” McLain said. “there was no way I

was leaving here without a (CIF championship) ring. The guys knew we had

the talent to be successful and we busted our butts to get the job done.”