Jack Grover Returns as Men's Water Polo Assistant Coach
SOCIAL MEDIA: MWP on Twitter | MWP on Facebook | MWP on Instagram
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's water polo team has hired Bruin standout Jack Grover to the post of assistant coach, head coach Adam Wright announced today. Grover, who replaces Bret Lathrope, served as UCLA's assistant coach for the 2018 season. He has also served as a coach with the Bruin Stars and Stripes Water Polo Club from February-August of 2018 and also served as an instructor at UCLA Sports Camps in 2017, teaching fundamentals of water polo to youth from 7-17 years of age.
Grover, an attacker (Pasadena, Calif./Loyola HS) for the Bruins from 2013-17, won three NCAA titles (2014, 2015 and 2017) and received honorable mention All-America recognition in 2017. He also was named second-team All-MPSF and earned MPSF All-Academic accolades for the second time in his career in 2017.
During his four seasons as a Bruin, he helped lead his teams to arguably the best and most dominant seasons in UCLA men's water polo history. His senior class left UCLA with the second-best record by percentage at 91.3% with an overall record of 105-10. The 105 career wins are the third-most in UCLA history -- nine behind the 2015 class (114 career wins) and seven behind the 2016 class (112 career victories). He ended his career with 51 goals in 107 games while making 38 starts.
"I have known Jack (Grover) for over 12 years, as I had the chance to coach him originally in age group water polo then later during his career at UCLA," coach Wright said. "His development over those years has been an honor to watch, not only as an athlete but more importantly as a person. Jack's investment in UCLA Men's Water Polo was a critical component for our program's development and success, first as a student-athlete and later as a coach. While he had incredible success in the pool, it was his commitment to moving our culture forward no matter what role he played that stands out the most. Jack returns to our staff after spending a year playing professionally in Spain. His experiences last year no doubt will serve our program better. What excites myself and Jason (Falitz) the most with Jack coming back is his ability to connect with our student-athletes, as he fully understands the life of a Bruin student-athlete. He understands the expectations, what it takes to succeed, and will serve as an excellent mentor to today's student-athletes.
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) has postponed its men's water polo season through the 2020 calendar year, based on the decisions to postpone all fall sports by the Pac-12 Conference as well as Austin College and Penn State Behrend. No official date has been set for the return of the 2020-21 season.