The Campolindo Boys Water Polo team has hired a new head coach, and he is already well-versed in Campolindo culture.
Brodie Jasper was announced as the new boys Water Polo coach on February 2nd. Jasper, who graduated from Campo in the class of 1997, was once the star of the team he will now come back to coach.
Getting an alumni to coach their team is a strategy that has worked for the boys Water Polo team before. The last time the team won a North Coast Section (NCS) Open Division Championship was in 2019. Their coach at the time was Miles Price, a Campo alumni. Since then, the Cougars have had 2 coaches in 2 years, and are hoping that Jasper will be the long term solution for them.
Before returning to his alma mater, Jasper coached at Berkeley High School for 2 seasons. The Yellowjackets had an incredible record of 31-1 during Jasper’s stint.
Jasper has more experience than just coaching high school water polo. He has coached with the USA Water Polo Olympic Development Program. This program has made him quite familiar with some of Campo’s current players. Next fall won’t be the 1st time freshman Cade O’Hare has played under Coach Jasper. “I love playing with him… He knows everything about water polo. He is a great coach and he was an insane player,” said O’Hare.
Speaking of Jasper’s “insane” playing career, after high school, he went on to play at UC Berkeley and was a member of the Junior National team in 1998 and 1999.
The way he first got into coaching, however, was by attending a Campo alumni game about 13 years ago. He was there and heard that “the head coach at the time was going overseas to play professionally” and made the decision to “[step] in to help coach that season as an assistant,” Jasper explained.
Since he made that decision, he has gone on to have nothing but success as a coach. He noted that he has only gotten to be a better coach as the years have gone by. He learned “quite a bit of the technical and tactical aspects of the game, as well as how to give the best direction to be able to help the athletes I’ve coached be successful.” Jasper is inheriting a Campolindo team that finished last season ranked 25th in the nation, so he has all the tools to take this team back to an NCS Open Division Championship.
His players are excited to have him as their coach. Junior Dylan King described Jasper’s coaching style as “authoritative, but caring.” He also added that “he’ll help us beat teams that we haven’t beat before.”
Everything is lining up for next season to be one of the best in recent memory for this team. Coach Jasper himself said he is “really looking forward to the upcoming fall season,” and so are his players. Pay attention to boys’ Water Polo next fall. It’s going to be a season for the ages.
