Choosing an All-Time Team Is No Easy Task

Picking Orange County’s all-time water polo team is almost as tough playing the game. A glance at the rosters for the last four U.S. Olympic teams shows as much--listed are 10 players from Orange County high schools, three of whom are two-time Olympians and one of whom, Doug Kimbell, played on three Olympic teams.

Kimbell starred at Villa Park from 1975 to 1977 and later was an All-American at Long Beach State. At 6 feet 9, Kimbell eventually developed into one of the best defensive players in the world.

But he didn’t make The Times’ all-time team. Neither did two-time Olympians, Peter and Jeff Campbell of University High and UC Irvine. The consensus among the dozen coaches polled was that those three became outstanding players after leaving high school.

Admittedly, it is difficult to separate a player’s high school, college and international career, but we tried, asking coaches to name the best high school players.

“Oh man,” said Rick Rowland, who coached at Garden Grove from 1957 to 1962 and later at UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine. “This is a tough team to put together.”

After sorting through many memories, we gave it a shot, picking 10 players--seven starters and three substitutes--who would be a credit to any team. The Orange County 10, in alphabetical order:

James Bergeson, Newport Harbor--A right-handed driver, Bergeson was named Southern Section Division 4-A player of the year in 1977 and ‘78, leading the Sailors to consecutive titles. “When Bergeson was playing,” said Corona del Mar Coach John Vargas, “people wouldn’t go to watch the teams, they’d go to watch him. He did some unbelievable stuff.” Four-time Stanford All-American and member of silver-medal winning 1988 Olympic team.

Gary Figueroa, Sunny Hills--As former Sunny Hills coach Jim Sprague tells it, Figueroa was so weak he couldn’t lift the weight bar. In his final high school game, the 5-10, 150-pound Figueroa scored four goals from the two-meter position in a 19-10 victory over Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in the 4-A title game. A three-time All-American at UC Irvine and tremendous shooter, Figueroa played on the 1984 Olympic team.

John Gansel, Foothill--Little got past Gansel, who was the Knights’ goalkeeper in the mid-1970s. “If you talk to old-timers,” El Toro Coach Don Stoll said, “they say he did stuff that no one has done since.” A four-time All-American at Stanford, Gansel was in goal for the U.S. team in the World University Games in 1979, helping bring home the Americans’ first gold medal in international play.

David Imbernino, Corona del Mar--An elusive driver, Imbernino led the Sea Kings to the 1982 4-A title as a senior. He wasn’t as physically talented as some, but made the most of what he had. A four-time All-American at Stanford, he played on the 1986 NCAA championship team that was 36-0.

Jeremy Laster, San Clemente--Laster, a rangy left-hander, led the Tritons to the 1991 4-A title and was named the section and county player of the year. A three-time All-American at Stanford and 1996 U.S. Olympian, he is playing professionally in Greece.

Eric Lindroth, Newport Harbor--Newport Harbor Coach Bill Barnett calls Lindroth the best high school two-meter man he ever coached. A 6-2 lefty, Lindroth was the section player of the year in 1968 after leading the Sailors to a 9-3 victory over Lakewood in the final. He played at UCLA where he was the most valuable player of the 1972 NCAA tournament. He played on the bronze medal-winning 1972 Olympic team when he was 18, and would have played in 1980 if not for the U.S. boycott of the Moscow games.

Chris Oeding, Corona del Mar--Oeding, the 1988 4-A player of the year, led the Sea Kings to consecutive section titles in 1987 and ’88. A three-time NCAA champion at California and a 1996 U.S. Olympian, he is the men’s coach at Orange Coast College.

Kevin Robertson, Newport Harbor--Robertson, a speedy left-handed driver, was a two-time section player of the year, helping the Sailors to the title in 1975 and a runner-up finish to Sunny Hills in 1976. “He basically went from high school to Cal and the national team all at the same time,” Barnett said. He also played on 1984 and ’88 Olympic teams.

Mike Spicer, Sunny Hills--Spicer, whose brother Don was player of the year in 1973 while helping Sunny Hills to the section title, was the 1980 player of the year despite the Lancers’ loss to Newport Harbor in the final. “From an opponent’s point of view,” Barnett said, “Mike Spicer was the hardest to stop of any player Sprague had up there.”

Torrey Webb, Fullerton--Webb, whose brother Russell played on the 1968 and 1972 Olympic teams, was a powerful two-meter man in the early 1960s. He was named player of the year in 1963 after leading the Indians to the section title game. He was a three-time UCLA All-American. “He was 5-11 and about 220 pounds,” Sprague said. “Once he got the ball it was in the goal.”