Steve Virgen If Genai Kerr’s choice to...

Steve Virgen

If Genai Kerr’s choice to coach water polo at Sage Hill High is

any indication as to what type of person he is, assuredly Kerr loves

a challenge. His passion for the biggest test is a huge reason Kerr,

a UC Irvine alumna, is the starting goalie for the U.S. National

water polo team.

This weekend, Kerr will be the leader of the defense for the

Newport Harbor Water Polo Foundation ‘A’ team in the Senior

Nationals, a 16-team tournament at Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor

High Schools. With the Newport Harbor WPF, Kerr will have the

opportunity to showcase his skills and the experience acquired from a

recent trip to Europe with Team U.S.A.

“It’s been so intense and now I feel prepared to play at a high

level in the Senior Nationals,” Kerr said. “(The U.S. team) just got

back from Russia, Croatia and Hungary. When we got back, we beat

Hungary in Moraga. And, now I’ve just been practicing and getting

ready for Senior Nationals.”

Kerr said Newport’s rich tradition of playing as a team will make

a difference in the Senior Nationals.

“We have a strong tradition and we’re very local,” Kerr said of

the Newport club team coached by UCI legendary head man Ted Newland.

“New York (Athletic Club) has foreigners. Newport is UCI alumni, and

we have stuck together almost like a family. We want to win this

tournament and carry on our tradition.”

Kerr, who will play in the 2004 Olympics in Greece, has been

learning from Newland’s style and Newland’s penchant for being a

trendsetter. Newland is one of the reasons Kerr took on the coaching

job at Sage Hill, instead of going to a school with an established

program. Kerr wanted to be the coach in the Lightning’s inaugural

season two years ago. And, obviously, he also wants to transform the

small school into a winning program.

Kerr chose to coach at Sage Hill instead of being an assistant at

his alma mater, Coronado High. Kerr’s former coach, Randy Burgess,

offered him the chance to be a part of a powerhouse, but Kerr wanted

to build.

After two seasons of developing talent and just seeking people who

will play, Kerr expects the Lightning’s boys and girls water polo

teams to improve largely in the upcoming school year.

“Some of the girls had never played water polo before,” Kerr said.

“Now, I’m just trying to compete with the larger public schools.

They’re all getting better. I feel, even if they haven’t played or if

they’re still learning, as long as they’re dedicated to the game and

they can come together and play for the same style, we’re going to be

successful.”

In addition to learning from Newland and Burgess, Kerr has also

been gaining insight from U.S. Coach Ratko Rudic, who guided

Yugoslavia to Olympic gold in 1984 and 1988 and then another gold

medal as the head coach of Italy in 1992.

“I’ve been very fortunate to play for top coaches in the sport,”

Kerr said. “Now I just want to originate my own style from what I’ve

learned. I was offered to coach with (Burgess) in Coronado, but I

wanted to build a team from scratch. I wanted to say that I developed

it by myself.”

Kerr has two sisters. Iliasha, 22, will attend UCI this fall and

will also help her elder brother with the coaching at Sage Hill.

Iliasha transferred to UCI from Loyola Marymount, where doctors

discovered she had a heart murmur and she stopped playing water polo.

Kerr’s youngest sister, Tahlia, 18, recently graduated from

Coronado and will play as a goalie for UCLA.