The final roster of men’s water polo players who will represent the United States at the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics was announced Tuesday, and the majority of the players have ties to Southern California.
Nine of the 13 players selected are from Southern California, including three who attended UCLA or USC.
Ben Hallock, a Westlake Village native who captains the boys’ team, said the 2024 squad brings more experience because 10 of his team members competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (which was postponed due to COVID-19).
“There’s a little bit of a calm vibe around the team,” said Hallock, a Harvard-Westlake High School graduate. “It’ll still be exciting, but it won’t be the first time.”
Los Angeles native and University of California, Berkeley graduate Johnny Hooper said he was excited to have “a lot of Olympians from Southern California” on the U.S. team.
“Water polo is a big sport here so there’s a lot of good competition, so I’ve played with a lot of guys throughout my career,” Hooper said, adding that he’s known his team captain since he was 8. “We’ve had a lot of wins together and it would be awesome to do that on this stage next.”
Max Irving, a Long Beach native and graduate of UCLA and Wilson High School in Long Beach, said it was an “honor” to return to a second consecutive Olympic Games with Team USA.
“Staying humble and recognizing the opportunities and blessings I have been given keeps me motivated and wants to achieve at the highest level possible,” said Irving, who now plays professional water polo in Italy.
Senior men’s national team head coach Dejan Udovicic is hoping his new team can bring home a gold medal to Southern California after his previous team finished sixth in Tokyo.
“This is one of the most talented teams I’ve had in my coaching career,” Udovicic said.
