Newport coach tapped for Olympics

Bryce Alderton

Newport Harbor High School girls’ water polo coach Bill Barnett is

close to becoming the United States women’s water polo team’s second

head coach after accepting the job offer Wednesday, USA Water Polo

announced.

Barnett’s appointment is pending final contractual negotiations,

including salary, that are already underway.

Barnett, the U.S. men’s national team coach from 1985 to 1992,

will succeed Guy Baker, who took the U.S. men’s post in January.

Barnett, 62, led the U.S. men to a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul

Olympics and was one of four finalists for the women’s team position.

He passed a two-stage interview and screening process, including a

recommendation from the Women’s International Olympic Committee.

Barnett hopes to have contract negotiations finalized in “a week

or two.”

The position is full-time, meaning Barnett would relinquish his

duties as a math teacher and coach at Newport Harbor.

“Either I have to take a leave of absence or retire early,” said

Barnett, who plans to speak with his retirement advisor about the

financial ramifications of his decision.

Barnett said he pursued the position on recommendations of several

people, even though he said he is “perfectly happy” coaching at

Newport Harbor.

Barnett has led Newport Harbor teams to 12 CIF titles -- 10 on the

boys’ side -- since beginning his head coaching career at the school

in 1966. In that time he earned Coach of the Year honors six times,

four with the boys and two with the girls. He recently led the

Newport Harbor girls to the CIF Southern Section Division I title

game for the second straight season. The girls’ team won CIF

championships in 1999 and 2004.

Olympians Kevin Robertson, James Bergeson and Eric Lindroth, along

with more than 100 high school All-Americans have played for Barnett

during his tenure.

The chance, though, to coach at the Olympic level again, seemed

too hard to pass up.

“I would like to finish my career coaching the national team, but

if something were to happen, I would have no problem staying at

Newport,” Barnett said.

Barnett, chairman of the Men’s International Olympic Committee

from 1996 to 2004, was the last coach to skipper the U.S. men to the

medal stand). He then steered the team to medal play at the 1992

Barcelona Games, but settled for fourth after losing the bronze to

Russia.

He also led the U.S. men to a World Cup gold medal in 1991 and a

Pan American Games gold in 1987.

“The committee concurred that Bill Barnett was the correct fit to

continue the success of our women’s program through the next four

years,” said Brent Bohlender, chair of the U.S. Women’s International

Olympic Committee, which approved Barnett’s selection. “His

experience at the international level is as extensive and successful

as any coach we have ever had in the United States. We all look

forward to the future with Bill and his qualified staff to lead us to

the gold in China.”

Barnett’s dedication to water polo has extended beyond the pool

deck. He wrote coaching manuals to help unify the system of play

throughout all levels. He also instituted zone junior and youth teams

and national zone tournaments from which the national junior and

national youth teams would be selected.

The other three candidates included Doug Peabody, head coach of

both the San Diego Shores water polo club and the U.S. men’s junior

team; Heather Moody, a two-time Olympian selected as an assistant;

and Richard Corso, Olympic head coach and assistant in 1996 and 2004,

respectively.

Bernice Orwig, a 2000 Olympic goalkeeper, was also named an

assistant to Barnett.

The women’s first workout is scheduled for May 27 through May 30

at the USA Water Polo national training center in Los Alamitos, where

the team is stationed.