Girls’ Water Polo: Ricks resigns at CdM
Kevin Ricks had high standards when he arrived as girls’ water polo coach at Corona del Mar High two years ago. He challenged his players to meet lofty goals. But Ricks told his players on Monday he himself could not meet those standards and he had step down because of personal reasons.
The school made the announcement Thursday that Ricks had resigned. The news caught many by surprise, including junior goalie Erin Tharp who heard Ricks speak during a short meeting before swim practice on Monday.
“He gave us a valid reason, and he thought we would be better off having someone else more involved,” said Tharp, who mentioned that Ricks stepped down because of personal family medical reasons. “I just hope we will move past this. It’s a little bump in the road. We are just looking forward to the club season and just want to keep getting better.”
Ricks and CdM Athletic Director Don Grable did not return phone messages on Thursday night.
Ricks reached high standards in his two years with the Sea Kings. He guided CdM to two CIF Southern Section Division I quarterfinal appearances, both ending in a loss to Santa Barbara San Marcos. The Sea Kings also won two Pacific Coast League titles and went 20-9 each year under Ricks.
“Kevin truly cares about each of the girls in our program and we thank him for his service and commitment these past two years,” Grable said in the announcement. “We have not yet established the time line to begin our search for our new head coach.”
Ricks became the CdM girls’ water polo coach after Ross Sinclair left to coach the boys’ water polo team at his alma mater, Newport Harbor.
Ricks previously coached both girls’ (11 seasons) and boys’ (eight seasons) water polo at Santa Margarita. During that time, his teams won a CIF championship and eight league titles, and he was named CIF Southern Section Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2013, his final season with the girls. He said he left coaching at Santa Margarita to spend more time with his family, including two children.
“He’s a very good person and a very good coach,” Tharp said of Ricks.
Tharp said assistants Pat Reynolds and Kelly Rulon have been leading the CdM club workouts.
“I’m excited to see what the future holds for our team,” Tharp said.
Twitter: @SteveVirgen
