BRIAN KREUTZKAMP

Steve Virgen

If you ask Brian Kreutzkamp, he will tell you he’s living the good

life. And, if you ask him how he got there, he will tell you through

hard work and some impressive influences.

Kreutzkamp, a former Newport Harbor High boys water polo coach,

has worked with two Olympic coaches, and, at the young age of 30, he

is planning to take full advantage of his role as protege.

“My ultimate goal is to someday be a [NCAA] Division I head

coach,” said Kreutzkamp, who worked with Bill Barnett at Newport and

is now the assistant to John Vargas at Stanford. “But, for now, I am

learning so much at Stanford. I can afford to sit back and do this

for awhile. It has been working out great. The learning continues.

And, I’m learning everyday on how to run a program of this magnitude.

You’re dealing with NCAA rules, budgets and recruiting, and a lot

more pressure to win that’s for sure.”

Kreutzkamp began building an impressive coaching resume after his

playing days at Costa Mesa High. Before graduating in 1991, he helped

lead the Mustangs to a berth in the CIF Southern Section Division 2-A

finals as a senior. He was the varsity captain and earned all-league

recognition.

“Playing water polo and a having a chance to play in the CIF

finals is definitely a highlight in my water polo career,” he said.

“Getting to play at Belmont Plaza in front of a big crowd was special

and it would have been great to win. Jason Lynch (now the Newport

Harbor coach) was the coach at Costa Mesa in his first year.”

After graduating from Costa Mesa, he went on to play at Golden

West College, where he helped the Rustlers win a state championship.

Then, Kreutzkamp began his coaching career. He started small, with

the frosh-soph squad at Cost Mesa and then he became the Mustangs’

varsity coach in 1994.

He directed the Mustangs to a CIF Division II championship and a

league title in 1995. That team featured Robert Grayeli and Sean

Hylton, both Daily Pilot Sports Hall of Famers in their own right.

After guiding Costa Mesa to its CIF title, Kreutzkamp moved on to

Newport Harbor, where he spent the next six years with the Sailors

and Barnett.

“I was 24 when I got to Newport Harbor,” Kreutzkamp said. “The

biggest thing for me was working side by side with Coach Barnett.

That’s where I learned how to run a program, and the way he worked

with the community and administration. It was a pretty incredible

experience for me.”

Kreutzkamp said one of the greatest moments for him was when the

Sailors won the CIF Division I title in 2000.

“We made the semifinals the year before, but couldn’t get to the

final,” he said. “Then, we get into the final in 2000 and we won it

by the largest margin ever [15-9 over Foothill]. The year before, we

lost in four overtimes to El Toro and it was the same kids who came

back and worked hard. It was nice to see them get paid with that

championship.”

Newport’s 2000 CIF championship was the Sailors’ 11th CIF boys

water polo title, but their first since

1984. The Sailors had not been to the CIF finals since 1987 and

Kreutzkamp also took pride in that.

He said he also enjoyed when the Newport Harbor girls water polo

team won the CIF Division I title in 1998, when he was assisting

Barnett.

“They weren’t ranked high, but they just came together,”

Kreutzkamp said. “They didn’t have a CIF Player of the Year. They

were just a great group, so it was pretty amazing to see that.”

After coaching at Newport, Kreutzkamp spent one year at Golden

West, where he directed the men’s team to a state title. Then,

Kreutzkamp called his friend, Vargas, who he coached against when

Vargas was at Corona del Mar.

Kreutzkamp said it was an opportunity of a lifetime and he would

drop everything to be Vargas’ right-hand man. Last year, in their

first year as coaches, the Cardinal won the national championship.

This season, Stanford is seeking its third straight national title,

which would be a school record.

Kreutzkamp, the latest Daily Pilot Sports Hall of Fame honoree,

lives in Cupertino with his wife, Erika.