UCI quintet on Team USA

Steve Virgen

UC Irvine men’s water polo will be well represented in the 2004

Olympics, as former Anteater standouts Ryan Bailey, Jeff Powers, Omar

Amr, Dan Klatt and Genai Kerr are part of the 13-player U.S. team

roster that was announced Wednesday at the Charter All-Digital

Aquatic Centre in Long Beach.

“I think it’s really great,” said Ted Newland, 76, UCI’s legendary

coach who is entering his 39th season. “This is the most guys I have

ever had on the U.S. Olympic team all time. They’re all my boys and

they all look after me. They are fun to be around.”

The U.S. Olympic team, which is coached by Ratko Rudic, also

includes goalie Brandon Brooks, as well as Tony Azevedo, Layne

Beaubien, Brett Ormsby, Chris Segesman, Jesse Smith, Wolf Wigo and

Adam Wright. Peter Hudnut will be an alternate.

Water polo in the Olympics begins Aug. 15. Team USA, ranked No. 6,

is in Group A of the Olympic tournament, which also includes

top-ranked Hungary, No. 3 Serbia and Montenegro (formerly

Yugoslavia), No. 9 Croatia, No. 10 Russia and unranked Kazahstan.

The UC Irvine quintet played on the U.S. men’s water polo team,

which defeated 2000 Olympic gold champion Hungary, 11-9, at Corona

del Mar High July 5. Bailey, a two-meter man or center for the

Americans, scored a game-high five goals to lead the U.S. men’s water

polo team to the victory over Hungary.

Bailey has been referred to as the Shaquille O’Neal for the U.S.

squad, said Newland. Bailey is a 6-foot-6, 250-pound big man who also

played on the 2000 U.S. Olympic team that finished sixth in Sydney.

Bailey, who finished up at UCI in 2000, was a two-time

All-American for the Anteaters.

Powers, who is 6-7, 230 pounds, scored the game-clinching goal in

the July 5 victory over the Hungarians. He’s a versatile threat for

the Americans, able to shoot from the outside as well as score

inside. He was a two-time All-American at UCI, where he finished up

in 2003.

Amr (6-0, 205 pounds) just missed the cut for making the U.S.

men’s water polo team in 2000, but he has improved over the past four

years. He’ll be a driver for Team USA, along with the dangerous

Azevedo and Wigo, the team captain.

Amr, class of 1997 at UCI, was also a two-time All-American. He is

a student at Harvard Medical school.

Klatt, at 6-5, has fast become one of the best defenders for the

Americans. He was a two-time All-American for UCI, where he graduated

in 2001. He is the head coach of the UCI women’s water polo team.

Kerr, 6-8, 210, is one of two goalies for Team USA. He was a 1998

All-American at UCI. A former coach of the boys and girls water polo

teams at Sage Hill School, he is now the director of student services

for the Lightning.

The U.S. men’s water polo team will play Friday at 8:45 p.m.

against fourth-ranked Greece, in the FINA World League Super Final in

Long Beach.