Every once in a while, a player comes around who changes the
complex of a game. In baseball, this label has been bestowed upon
Barry Bonds. UCLA coach Adam Krikorian has bestowed it on
Stanford’s Tony Azevedo in water polo ““ with one
notable exception.
“With Barry, though, you can just put him on first
base,” Krikorian said. “There’s no way to walk
Azevedo.”
When the top-ranked Bruins face the No. 2 Cardinal this Saturday
at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center, they will also be facing the
player who has been listed as the unofficial seventh best athlete
in the world.
“He’s one of the best, if not the best, water polo
players,” Krikorian said. “I’m sincerely looking
forward to the next few years when he’s not playing
anymore.”
The Bruins plan on rotating a couple players to match up
specifically against Azevedo, yet every player in the pool will
likely play some part in defending him.
“The key thing against Tony is to play good team
defense,” goalie Joe Axelrad said. “In the past, any
success we’ve had against Stanford has been because of good
team defense.”
In preparation for the matchup against Azevedo, Axelrad has
called upon his fellow teammate Brett Ormsby. Ormsby and Azevedo,
who were both members of the U.S. Olympic water polo team, possess
similar offensive qualities, and Axelrad is hoping that the extra
practice against Ormsby will prepare him for Saturday’s
game.
“I’m really lucky that I have Brett to practice
with,” Axelrad said. “He’s as good a scorer as
Tony, so it helps to go up against him in practice.”
Despite Azevedo being the most dominant player in the game,
Krikorian feels that his team matches up well against him and
should be able to keep him mostly in check.
“Our seniors have seen him play a lot, so they know what
he can do out there,” Krikorian said. “If you
don’t know him, what he can do out there and how he plays can
really catch you by surprise. He’s not just a scorer;
he’s a very good passer and has very good vision. He’s
the kind of guy who makes those around him better.”
Both Axelrad and Krikorian said that while they would prefer not
to be facing a scorer like Azevedo, they relish the challenge.
“Tony’s just a great player,” Axelrad said.
“It is a fantastic opportunity to go up against someone like
him. He really tests you as a goalie.”
Krikorian acknowledged that there is no real way to completely
stop a player like Azevedo.
But he did say that if the Bruins win, it wouldn’t really
matter how Azevedo does individually.
“He’s going to get goals no matter what,”
Krikorian said. “Our goal is to just keep him from dominating
the game.”