Vargas returns to UCI seas

There will be several story lines Friday, when the UC Irvine men’s

water polo team hosts Stanford, the top-ranked team in the nation.

The most appealing and the most intriguing? That would be the

coaching matchup, John Vargas vs. Ted Newland. The apprentice faces

his mentor.

Vargas, Stanford’s coach who played for Newland at UCI in the

early 1980s, said Friday’s game will assuredly be special and worth

watching.

“It will be a lot of fun,” Vargas said, describing what his return

to UCI will be. “I know Newland’s guys will be well-prepared. I know

it’s going to be a real, tough game. It will be exciting. We will

both enjoy the competition.”

After Vargas finished his career at UCI, he went on to coach at

Corona del Mar High, where Newland also coached and created the

program years earlier. While at CdM, Vargas led the Sea Kings to

seven CIF championships in the 19 years he coached there. He guided

CdM to three straight titles before leaving for Stanford earlier this

year.

Vargas displayed the competitive fire he showed at UCI, where he

was an NCAA All-American in 1982, helping lead the Anteaters to a

national championship and UCI’s only undefeated record (30-0). Vargas

has a passion for winning, and that was passed on to his players.

Sound familiar?

“That’s what Newland expected out of us as players when we played

for him,” Vargas said. “That’s one of the many, many things that I

got from him.”

After college, Vargas moved into Newland’s home and continued to

learn from the legendary coach.

“He opened up his house to me and it was a perfect time in my life

because I needed that,” said Vargas, who coached the 2000 U.S.

Olympic team. “I lived there for a few years. I was beginning my

coaching career at CdM and it was a wonderful time for me to learn.”

If you think Vargas vs. Newland will be a light-hearted game

because of their friendship, think again.

“Our relationship has grown over the years from player to coach,

from me to him being my mentor, to great friends and to the point

where I feel he’s part of my family and I’m part of his family,”

Vargas said. “That makes it difficult to compete against him, but you

block that out. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, so I

better make sure my guys come ready to play.”

* Obviously, Newland is also looking forward to Friday’s game

against the Cardinal. The Anteaters lost 6-3 at Pepperdine, so this

weekend will also be along the lines of statement games for UCI,

which dropped from second to fifth in the latest American Water Polo

Coaches Association poll. UCI will take on USC, which shares the

third-ranked spot with California, Sunday at noon.

“It was a pretty frustrating game,” Newland said of the loss at

Pepperdine. “We shot 26 times and put it in only three times. We

turned the ball over way too many times. Every time you shoot and

miss, it’s just like a turnover because they can sometimes

counterattack. And, you get in a funk. It’s ugly.”

But, Newland has held team meetings this week specifically to

create unity and teamwork. The players have responded with some of

their best practices of the season.

Now the Anteaters look to Friday as a pivotal game for their

season.

“I don’t think this will break our season,” said senior Jeff

Powers, a national team member. “But I think if we win, it will

definitely show that we are capable of winning the national title. It

will give us that extra edge.”

UCI has lost to Stanford twice this season, 10-6 at the USC

Tournament Sept. 15, and 9-6 in the third-place game at the NorCal

Tournament Oct. 7, when Powers was assessed a game exclusion in the

first quarter.

* After UCI’s loss to Stanford in September, Newland said, “I

enjoy coaching against people I don’t like, that makes it easier, so

it’s hard to play against (Vargas). I compete real hard. I don’t

really like to lose. John is exactly the same way. He’s competitive

in everything he does.”

* Another story line in the Cardinal-Anteaters matchup? Jeff

Powers vs. Tony Azevedo. Powers and Azevedo are the best players in

the MPSF, and among the elite in the nation.

Powers, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound two-meter man, is the unquestioned

leader of the Anteaters. He is one of only two seniors on the team.

The other senior being goalie standout Doug Finfrock.

Azevedo, a 6-1, 185-pound sophomore who also played on the

national team, possesses crafty skills that allow him to get open and

when he’s covered he’s still able to display his outstanding shooting

ability.

“Tony is a great player,” Powers said. “But, it’s not going to be

just me who wins the game. It’s going to take a team effort to shut

him down. If it’s going to be anything, it’s going to be Tony vs. the

whole UCI team, and I hope it is, because that will give us the

chance to come out on top.”

Powers might match up with Azevedo in certain situations during

the game, but UCI junior Garrett Gentry will mostly defend the

Cardinal star.

Throughout the season, Gentry, a Corona del Mar High product, has

taken on the assignment of covering the opponent’s most valuable

player. In addition, Powers said UCI’s 6-9, 220-pound sophomore

Dreason Barry takes the pressure off him, and vice versa.