Last year was supposed to be Albert Garcia’s best
season.
Last year was supposed to be his last hurrah, leading the UCLA
men’s water polo team to another national championship as a
senior.
But Garcia wasn’t in the pool last year. He wasn’t
on the bench, or even on the team roster.
Instead, the Bruin attacker was watching his former teammates
from the stands because he had been kicked off the team for
disciplinary reasons.
“I really wished I was a part of the team,” said
Garcia, who has since returned to the team and become one of the
Bruins’ best players this season. “I knew what the team
needed, and I knew I could have made a big impact.”
Garcia’s departure from the squad was never an issue of
effort during practice ““ it was what he did out of the pool
that would prevent him from improving and reaching his potential as
a player.
“I was partying a lot, plain and simple,” Garcia
said.
“When I came to practice, I gave it all I had, but I would
only play to 60 to 70 percent of my potential.”
While neither Garcia nor men’s water polo coach Adam
Krikorian would elaborate on the specifics of the situation, Garcia
said he was kicked off as a result for “partying too
much.”
“I’ve matured a lot,” he said. “I used
to be a wild guy.”
Despite not being allowed to associate with the team during
practices or games last season, Garcia still went as a spectator to
all of the home games, and would often show up to many of the
Bruins’ local road games as well.
After the 2003 season, Garcia met with Krikorian about the
prospect of returning to the team.
Krikorian says he got a feel for what Garcia wanted to do and
consulted with the older players on the team about bringing Garcia
back.
“They all wanted him to come back,” Krikorian said.
“He was doing all of the right things.”
“It was never an issue about us not wanting him on the
team,” senior attacker Ted Peck said. “His suspension
wasn’t based on people not liking him. He needed to get his
life straightened out.”
After getting the approval of his players, Krikorian let Garcia
back on the team for a trial period, a time during which he was
closely watched during workouts in the offseason.
But Garcia’s contributions to this season’s No. 1
ranked squad and its 14-game winning streak would not have happened
had he slipped up even once during that period.
“It was a semi-tryout for him,” Krikorian said.
“If he messed up once, he’d be gone.”
Garcia didn’t mess up. And now he’s having the best
season of his collegiate career.
Garcia has scored 18 goals this season and leads the team with
17 assists. On defense, he has routinely been matched up against
opponents’ best offensive players.
“He loves this game and has helped us with his
talent,” Krikorian said.
Garcia has also emerged as one of the vocal leaders on the
team.
He has shown so much emotion in games and in practice that he
has even incurred resentment from opponents and their fans.
“I get really emotional,” Garcia said.
“I’m always fired up. I talk a lot of trash. But I have
the teammates to back it up.”
“Albert’s the kind of guy everyone loves to be
around,” Krikorian said. “That will hold true for the
rest of his life.”
Garcia is the only member of this year’s squad who was at
UCLA in 2000 ““ the last time the Bruins won an NCAA
Championship. And he believes this year’s team is also
capable of winning it all.
“We have lacked confidence at times in the past,” he
said. “We were almost scared to win. That has gone away this
year.”
And Garcia has been a big reason that confidence is there.
“The team I envisioned for my last year here
wouldn’t have been complete if Albert wasn’t on
it,” Peck said.