Azevedo Returns From Down Under

Despite speculation that he would not play his senior year with the Long Beach Wilson High boys’ water polo team, Tony Azevedo said this week he looks forward to helping the Bruins defend their Southern Section Division I championship.

Azevedo returned Monday from Australia, where he competed with the U.S. national team in the FINA World Championships.

“It’s a matter of pride,” Azevedo said. “I’m really looking forward to getting together with my team.”

Azevedo, who began workouts Wednesday with Wilson, said he will not compete in games in the relatively weak Moore League but will participate in nonleague, tournament and playoff games. He doesn’t report again to the U.S. team until February, but plans to graduate from high school in January.

“I want to be free to focus on the Olympics,” Azevedo said. “I don’t want to worry about homework and school while I’m training and playing.”

While Wilson Coach Tony Martinho said last month that he wasn’t going to count on Azevedo’s participation in the Southern California tournament today and Saturday in Irvine, Azevedo said there’s a 50-50 chance he’ll compete this weekend.

Azevedo, at 17 the youngest player to be selected to the U.S. team, said he can’t begin to explain how much he learned over the past two months.

“I was a little intimidated when I first started to play,” he said. “I mean, these guys are men. They’re big, fast and rough. So I was a little hesitant at first.”

But that quickly changed after one of his teammates took him aside.

“He said, ‘We can’t use you if you don’t play your game,’ ” Azevedo said. “He told me, ‘Put your fears aside and remember why you were selected.’ ”

TOURNAMENT BEGINS

The Southern California tournament begins today at the Heritage Park Aquatic Complex in Irvine.

Top-ranked Newport Harbor will head the county participants, which include No. 2 San Clemente, No. 3 Foothill, No. 6 Servite, No. 8 Irvine and No. 9 Los Alamitos.

Other competitors, besides defending champion Long Beach Wilson, include Lafayette Acalanes, Davis, San Diego Coronado, San Jose Bellarmine, Fresno Clovis West, North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, Carmichael Jesuit and Orinda Miramonte.

Competition starts at 10 a.m. today and noon on Saturday, with the championship game at 8:40 p.m. Saturday.

If you have an item or idea for the water polo report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail Erik Hamilton at [email protected]