Deceiving on surface

UC Irvine men’s water polo coach Marc Hunt believes that preseaon polls aren’t usually worth the paper they’re printed on. But after losing two first-team All-Americans to graduation and electing to redshirt what he termed his best remaining player due to a knee injury, even Hunt understood the basis for an absence of love for his 2008 Anteaters among rival coaches.

Those coaches collectively ranked UCI, the No. 3-ranked team in the final 2007 national poll after reaching its first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament title game, eighth in the nine-team MPSF before this year’s season began.

“Eight months ago, I was very worried about this season,” Hunt said before his team, now 1-4, began play. “But, seeing where we are at [entering September] and seeing how we performed over the summer as a club team, I’m confident.”

That confidence may have been shaken by the aforementioned 1-4 start, but, as was the case last season, Hunt believes his ’Eaters could save their best water polo for last.

After struggling through October with injuries affecting then-seniors Tim Hutten, and Colin Mello, the aforementioned 2007 first-team All-Americans, a healthy UCI squad upset top-seeded Cal in the MPSF semifinals, before falling to USC, 10-6, in the conference tournament title match.

Hutten, the national and MPSF player of the year, who spent the summer helping Team USA win a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics, and Mello, leave a huge void. Additionally, Hunt said Cole Bielskis, who might have been the top returner, will redshirt while recovering from off-season microfracture surgery.

Sophomore driver Brandon Johnson, who scored 31 goals as a redshirt freshman last season, tops among the returners, is back, as is 6-foot-5 junior speedster Jamie Frank. Both represent the only substantial experience on the roster.

Still, Hunt said he has a few surprises up his sleeve. Those wild cards include Serbian import Mihailo Jevtovic, who is still waiting to be granted eligibility by the NCAA Clearinghouse, as well as 6-6, 250-pound senior center Jesse Hatch, a project whose time, Hunt said, has come.

“When we get [Jevtovic], and he should be cleared, it will be a big help,” Hunt said.

Few are bigger than Hatch, whom Hunt said did not play water polo at Helix High in San Diego, where he competed in football in the fall and swimming in the spring.

“He’s an impressive kid,” Hunt said of Hatch. “He was probably one of the more dominant centers we saw during the summer. He played sparingly last year, because we were deep at the center position. But we’re going to be riding him quite a bit this season.”

Adding talent and some collegiate experience are Golden West College transfers Kyle and Tom Kruip, identical twin brothers with similarly impressive skill sets, Hunt said.

“Kyle was a first-team JC All-American last year and, watching them, I can’t figure out why Tom wasn’t an All-American, too,” Hunt said. “They’re both going to be impact players.”

Sophomore Matt Johnson, Brandon’s identical twin brother, has shared time in goal with junior Eric Evered, thus far for UCI, ranked No. 7, which opens MPSF play Saturday at home against USC.

Brandon Johnson leads the team with nine goals thus far, while Frank is second with five.

Thomas Kruip has four goals through five games, as do junior Greg Enloe and sophomore Griffin Lerman. Hatch has three goals.

Enloe and Lerman are also transitioning to the two-meter position manned last season by Hutten (75 goals) and Mello (47), Hunt said.

“We have some horses, but we have a lot to be proved,” said Hunt, the 2007 MPSF Co-Coach of the Year.