Grayeli’s Ability Is an American Dream for Coaches

Sam Grayeli felt he had something to prove this summer, and he found the perfect forum in which to present his case.

Grayeli had been instrumental in helping Costa Mesa to a Southern Section water polo championship in 1992 but he worried that because the title came in Division III, its importance might be diminished.

Grayeli wanted the kind of recognition that is usually reserved for players at bigger schools, so he jumped at the opportunity to compete for a spot on the U.S. national youth team.

“I felt like making the team would be a big break for me,” Grayeli said.

He got the break--Grayeli was one of the most impressive players at the developmental camp in July and August in Colorado Springs, Colo.--only to run into another roadblock.

Sure, he showed he is one of the best young players in the United States, but couldn’t join the team because he isn’t an American citizen.

Grayeli is an Iranian citizen. His family left their native country in 1980 after the Islamic revolution in 1979. His father, Mansour, was a colonel in the Shah’s imperial guard and had to go underground and escape the country to join his wife, Tara, and two toddler sons, Sam and Robert, in Paris.

Mansour Grayeli was granted political asylum from the United States and the family moved to Houston in 1982 when Sam was 6 years old.

After moving to Riverside in 1988, the family settled in Costa Mesa a year later, when Sam was in eighth grade.

Although Sam remembers little of his early family history and nothing of Iran, he of course knew his citizenship status. He just didn’t realize it would affect his eligibility for the U.S. team.

The year before he had attended a local tryout for the annual youth camp and says at the time he was told his status wouldn’t be a problem. He assumed the same would be true this year.

And there were no snafus in the pool. Grayeli impressed the coaches immediately. At 5 feet 11, 155 pounds, Grayeli is always one of the smaller players in the water, but he makes up for it with quickness and dazzling moves.

“He showed flair with and without the ball,” said Jim Brumm, the head coach of the youth team. “He took charge as a driver. He was very creative.”

Brumm said Grayeli was one of the 10 best players among the 77 in the camp. So several days before the camp ended the players who survived the cut were asked to fill out forms. One of the forms asked about citizenship, and Grayeli brought his situation to the attention of officials.

They told him he had to be a citizen to play in one of the team’s two international tournaments--in Canada in December or in Mexico in May.

The news was a blow.

“It’s something that comes out and hits you from nowhere,” Grayeli said. “It’s not something you expect to happen.”

Now Grayeli is scrambling to gain citizenship. He turned 17 in August, and as a minor, his parents’ status is automatically his own. They have filled out the necessary paperwork for the process, which usually takes about a year to complete. Hoping to speed up things, Grayeli called the local office of U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach).

An immigration specialist on Rohrabacher’s staff said they would forward a letter from the Grayeli’s to the district office of Immigration and Naturalization Service asking to expedite the application process.

Grayeli plans to send the letter this week, but he realizes there are no guarantees.

Meanwhile, he’s concentrating on preparing for his final high school season and aims to bring more respect to the program.

The Mustangs are top-ranked in the preseason Division III poll, but that is nothing new. What is is that they are ranked sixth in Orange County, ahead of such traditional powers as Capistrano Valley and Sunny Hills.

Whether Costa Mesa maintains that position, drops or moves up depends greatly on Grayeli. Last year, he led the Mustangs with 127 goals but was something of a liability on defense, Costa Mesa Coach Jason Lynch said.

After his exposure to top players during the summer, he said his defensive skills are improved. It also helps that opponents won’t be able to push him around as easily because he has added about 20 pounds to his frame since this time last year.

In the past, Grayeli has been known to take matters into his own hands when the rest of the team is lagging. Teammates dubbed this tendency “The Sam Grayeli Show.”

Grayeli says he has learned to rein in the showtime; he believes in the team concept. He also knows he will likely be a prime target for opposing defenders.

“If they happen to do that, we are going to have to set up other people on the team,” he said.