The 2024 season has been promising for the Coronado boys’ water polo team. With two early season wins over Helix and Oceanside, teams the Islanders were expected to beat, Coronado needed a bit of a test.

This past week, the Islanders traveled north to participate in the 2024 Varsity Boys Water Polo Tournament in Santa Barbara. Coronado would play tight with stiff competition in most of their games and would ultimately go just 1-4 in the tournament.

“We played really tight games for the whole tournament, and all of them were truthfully very winnable if we had done just a few things differently,” said Head Coach Jesse Smith. “I think this weekend was critical to figuring out the type of team we are going to be and what direction we are going to be heading in.”

The weekend’s Santa Barbara tournament featured teams from CIF North and CIF South, meaning Coronado faced teams such as Terra Linda from San Rafel and the Vikings from Downey, CA.

While Smith and the Islanders’ goal is always to win games, playing a handful of games in a small window allows the team to grow rapidly while gaining an understanding of their strengths.

“I think this weekend allowed the guys to improve and work together. It was great to get the one win, and in that game, you saw the guys really gel and mesh together. All in all, it was exactly what we needed,” said Smith.

While in Santa Barbara, Smith and his team also emphasized starting fast on both the attack and defensively, which Smith noted last week had been an issue for the Islanders this year.

After this weekend, the issue is still just that: an issue. But it did see some improvements. “In two of our games, we did end up winning the first quarter but ultimately ended up losing the game. It was cool to see the kids put forth that effort at the beginning of that game,” noted Smith. “It is still something that we need to improve upon, but we are certainly taking the right steps to do so.”

For Smith and the boys’ water polo team, perhaps the biggest takeaway has been the intensified focus on defense. Smith, who was a five-time Olympian as a defender for Team USA, has continued to preach how important being a sound and defensive-minded team is.

He also hopes that after the weekend in Santa Barbara, the team will continue to embrace its identity as a defense-first team.

“I think as a team, we know where our strength lies. But to be a championship and top four team, to me, it’s all about creating a culture where our defense is the strength,” noted Smith. “We are not there yet, as we are allowing a lot of goals, but we’re investing a lot of time into it. We sat together after our first day’s matches and watched two hours of films together. I think the kids are buying into the idea, and it will help us in the long run.”