WATER POLO JUNIOR OLYMPICS:

When Nick Baba played water polo at UC Irvine, the Anteaters were always close but never the best.

Four years in a row, from 1972 to 1975, UCI finished runner-up in the NCAA.

“I have four NCAA silver paper weights,” Baba jokes now.

But these days, Baba feels like he’s in first place, a champ. He’s the director of the S&R; Sport Water Polo Junior Olympics and proved highly instrumental in bringing the huge event to Irvine and other parts of Orange County, including Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.

Baba’s baby begins Saturday and ends Aug. 3. The youth boys’ and girls’ tournament, billed as the largest annual water polo tournament in the world, is like his own child because for over the past three years, he’s been working to win the bid for the JOs.

Being the former event technical director for USA Water Polo for four years certainly helped. But Baba still had to put up his own money, $5,000, to secure the bid two years ago.

He also directed all the planning for the pools in Orange County. At Irvine High, home of the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Complex, a bit of improvisation and creative scheduling helped maintain the community’s need for a pool. The Irvine Novaquatics, one of the top swim clubs in the nation, use the pool at Irvine High, as do a synchronize swim team and a master’s program among others.

The groups compromised and used other pools in the city, said Baba, who is also president of the Irvine Youth Water Polo Corporation.

But there was more work.

Baba had to plan for referees, as well as organize competition at other sites for the tournament. He also had to deal with food buyers wanting to bring their product to the JOs.

“There’s constantly things to do,” said Baba, who’s been in the habit of working 14-hour days over the past year. “Hopefully we’ll be running an event that runs perfectly.”

But perhaps the most challenging duty for Baba and his staff: scheduling the games for the hundreds of teams in each age division.

“We’ll have right around 360 teams over nine days,” Baba said.

At Irvine High, there will be four games going on with a screen dividing each contest in two different pools. Newport Harbor High will be hosting games, but for the sake of community use, Corona del Mar High will not, Baba said.

In addition to the games will be the first JO Expo, taking place Friday for the boys and July 30 for the girls, at the Costa Mesa Hilton Hotel. The event will feature a meet and greet for athletes and college coaches, as well as a bone marrow donor drive and coaching clinic.

At the center of it all will be Baba, who came to love water polo after graduating from University High. He played football, but then found a passion for water polo when he went to UCI, “because they don’t have football there,” he said.

Three decades later, he still loves it so much he doesn’t mind the work.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at steve.virgen@latimes.com. STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at steve.virgen@latimes.com.