THE PREPS : Sprague Leaves Sunny Hills Water Polo for USC

Jim Sprague is leaving behind quite a legacy at Sunny Hills High School in order to become an assistant water polo coach at USC.

As the Sunny Hills water polo coach for 23 seasons, Sprague’s teams won four Southern Section championships and 21 league championships, including the last 19 in a row.

Sprague, 53, will join Coach John Williams’ staff at USC.

“Probably more than anything, it’s an opportunity,” said Sprague, who has been a volunteer assistant to Williams for three seasons.

Coaching at USC is an ideal situation for Sprague, a lifelong Trojan sports fan who earned his master’s degree in education from USC in 1962.

“I definitely have some feelings about leaving (Sunny Hills),” he said. “Next year, if we win the league championship, it’ll be 20 years in a row. But the biggest thing is that the opportunity came up now.”

Tom Milich, El Dorado water polo coach, said “replacing him will be like replacing John Wooden at UCLA.”

A replacement has yet to be named.

Sprague said he will retain his position as a math teacher at Sunny Hills.