Ryder Dodd to JSerra

[JFranpolo]

All-County Attacker Ryder Dodd (sophomore) will be transferring to JSerra through my sources.

[caliwaterpolo]

Wow. That’s big.

[hmmm]

Amazing, if true.

Why does this feel like Kevin Durant going to the Golden State Warriors a few years back? Can't win where you're at? Second place not good enough? Find a loaded team and join up.

I mean, who wants to get second or third place again with guys you've played with your whole life, when you can bail and join a new team and challenge for first? Won't that feel sweet to say - "I've battled side by with these guys for almost 6 months now and they feel like brothers to me. Well, maybe not brothers, but cousins or maybe second cousins or maybe just like guys I sort of know." You know what would make a great slogan for a JSerra team T-shirt? "A Band of Brothers Plus One Guy Who Just Transferred In Mid-Semester To Chase A Ring." A little wordy for a T-shrit, but with the right font size, I think it works.

This certainly isn't going to help quiet those Ormsby/JSerra recruiting rumors...

I wonder if CIF has seen any of the letters JSerra boosters send to talented water polo families.

[Rbpolo0414]

Amazing, if true.

Why does this feel like Kevin Durant going to the Golden State Warriors a few years back? Can't win where you're at? Second place not good enough? Find a loaded team and join up.

I mean, who wants to get second or third place again with guys you've played with your whole life, when you can bail and join a new team and challenge for first? Won't that feel sweet to say - "I've battled side by with these guys for almost 6 months now and they feel like brothers to me. Well, maybe not brothers, but cousins or maybe second cousins or maybe just like guys I sort of know." You know what would make a great slogan for a JSerra team T-shirt? "A Band of Brothers Plus One Guy Who Just Transferred In Mid-Semester To Chase A Ring." A little wordy for a T-shrit, but with the right font size, I think it works.

This certainly isn't going to help quiet those Ormsby/JSerra recruiting rumors...

I wonder if CIF has seen any of the letters JSerra boosters send to talented water polo families.

What a terrible post. Don’t just assume it’s to win a ring.

[hmmm]

You’re right. Probably just a standard transfer. Nothing to do with water polo. Got it. Let’s go with that…

[McKlintock]

Amazing, if true.

Why does this feel like Kevin Durant going to the Golden State Warriors a few years back? Can't win where you're at? Second place not good enough? Find a loaded team and join up.

I mean, who wants to get second or third place again with guys you've played with your whole life, when you can bail and join a new team and challenge for first? Won't that feel sweet to say - "I've battled side by with these guys for almost 6 months now and they feel like brothers to me. Well, maybe not brothers, but cousins or maybe second cousins or maybe just like guys I sort of know." You know what would make a great slogan for a JSerra team T-shirt? "A Band of Brothers Plus One Guy Who Just Transferred In Mid-Semester To Chase A Ring." A little wordy for a T-shrit, but with the right font size, I think it works.

This certainly isn't going to help quiet those Ormsby/JSerra recruiting rumors...

I wonder if CIF has seen any of the letters JSerra boosters send to talented water polo families.

While joining a winning team is a nice benefit, I don't think this has anything to do with title chasing. I think this is almost entirely about getting to play for Ormsby. This kid is one of the best freshmen/sophs I have seen play and getting a chance to develop further under Ormsby should increase his chances to play on the snt one day. Unfortunately, this certainly isn't going to help quiet those rumors about Sasa's coaching ability, but this kid has larger goals than a cif championship.

[counter]

Amazing, if true.

Why does this feel like Kevin Durant going to the Golden State Warriors a few years back? Can't win where you're at? Second place not good enough? Find a loaded team and join up.

I mean, who wants to get second or third place again with guys you've played with your whole life, when you can bail and join a new team and challenge for first? Won't that feel sweet to say - "I've battled side by with these guys for almost 6 months now and they feel like brothers to me. Well, maybe not brothers, but cousins or maybe second cousins or maybe just like guys I sort of know." You know what would make a great slogan for a JSerra team T-shirt? "A Band of Brothers Plus One Guy Who Just Transferred In Mid-Semester To Chase A Ring." A little wordy for a T-shrit, but with the right font size, I think it works.

This certainly isn't going to help quiet those Ormsby/JSerra recruiting rumors...

I wonder if CIF has seen any of the letters JSerra boosters send to talented water polo families.

Hmmm, this is what you said about Sasa Branisavljevic about a month ago:

“'We got scared of the crowd,' Branisavljevic said. 'That’s really what it is. I wish we were better equipped for something like that. We tried various things, like visualizing what it’s going to be like. But when you have however many people chanting in the stands, it’s a crazy atmosphere for high school students. Even for myself, I was blown away by the level of support they had.'

"https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pil ... -cif-title

"What a pathetic quote by a supposed 'leader' of young men. The crowd was the reason you lost by five goals? Really, Sasa? Not one word of praise for the Newport players that just put on a fantastic demonstration of team play, spirit and chemistry?

"Was the crowd the reason you sent your team out running the exact same plays that you ran in your Semi-final game? Come on, Sasa! Did you not think Newport would be prepared for that? Is the crowd the reason you were 0-7 on power plays, while Newport was 6-8? Is the crowd the reason your team turned the ball over so many times? Is the crowd the reason Newport went on a 5-0 run in the second quarter and you had no adjustments? Or was letting your guys start going one on one every chance they got your big adjustment? And when that strategy failed spectacularly, was it also because of the crowd? Not because good team play beats selfish individual play virtually every time? When your players started turning and sniping at one another, was that also the fault of the crowd? Like your teams are not infamous for doing that every time the chips are down? No, much easier to blame it on a bunch of shirtless kids in the stands with anchors painted on their chests.

"And honestly, Coach, I would love to know more about this 'visualization' work you say you did with your team. I can imagine it now - 'Okay, Oilers, visualize a hostile crowd and visualize us playing team defense… No, scrap that. Team defense is boring. Visualize yourself with the ball – you see an open teammate, but making that extra pass would mean someone else might be the star. So, visualize yourself not making the pass. Visualize yourself keeping the ball. It feels so good in your hand, doesn’t it? This is where it belongs – with you. And, no matter how many defenders are on you, visualize yourself shooting. Every time. Every guy on this team, visualize yourself as the star. Just like when you were in 14u and we beat the Viper Pigeons by 30 goals at the Holiday Cup. This is going to work out great!' Except it didn’t. But I’m sure that was all because of the crowd.

"Everybody loves a supportive crowd, but who knew one cheering section could be worth so many goals? And now that Coach Sasa has announced his program’s Achilles heel to the entire water polo community, I wonder why any future opponents would even bother preparing, watching game film, writing up scouting reports, or devising defenses? None of that stuff matters. Just pack the stands with cheering fans and Huntington will fold. Is that really what you’re saying, Coach? The fact is, you got outplayed. Just admit it and move on to the rest of your weekend. Honesty can be healing. And showing some class is always a good look.

"But if crowd envy is really such a thing for you, Coach, and for many insecure men it is, here’s a thought - maybe there is something about the culture and spirit of Newport’s squad that brought the whole school and much of the community out to cheer for them. And maybe there’s something about a team built on the back of a super club full of super talented, but temperamental front runners that just isn’t very appealing to fans.

"Mental strength, character and team spirit are qualities that come from the top down. Try visualizing that next time."

After that diatribe, you heavily criticize a high school sophomore for deciding he wants to play for Brett Ormsby, generally recognized to be one of the best coaches in the country?

[hmmm]

Actually, Counter, I heavily criticized both Sasa AND the me-first, club-hopping, school-transferring, “my kid’s a star” culture” that Sasa/Vanguard/HB has nurtured and benefited from over the last several years. Well, with the defection of Dodd, it seems that approach has finally turned around and bitten back.

Let me start by saying, from my vantage point in the snack shack these many years, I’ve seen a lot of great players pass through the high school ranks and Ryder Dodd truly is a special talent. Physically gifted, with a very high water polo IQ and an exceptional motor. This isn’t a knock on him.

And it’s not a knock on Ormsby’s coaching abilities. His past achievements and reputation speak for themselves.

What I AM knocking is the trend today in youth sports (not just in water polo) of trading up, chasing titles, always looking for the next-best-thing, with little regard for team loyalty or suffering through some adversity in order to build something bigger and better. It’s not one particular player or coach that I am against. It’s the culture of moving on to whoever is “hot” that I have a problem with. Obviously, that train pulled out of the station a long time ago and it’s only going to get worse, but I don’t think it’s one that we should just accept with a shrug and a casual – “Hey, that’s the way the world works now, so be it.”

And I am definitely knocking the tactics of JSerra boosters sending letters to multiple ODP players urging them to attend JSerra and discussing opportunities for financial assistance. It’s the worst kept secret in high school water polo.

While joining a winning team is a nice benefit, I don't think this has anything to do with title chasing. I think this is almost entirely about getting to play for Ormsby. This kid is one of the best freshmen/sophs I have seen play and getting a chance to develop further under Ormsby should increase his chances to play on the snt one day. Unfortunately, this certainly isn't going to help quiet those rumors about Sasa's coaching ability, but this kid has larger goals than a cif championship.

I’m sure the recruiting pitch sounded very similar. The thing is Ormsby has been at JSerra since 2018, while Vanguard/HB was still the hot place to be. What happened? What was the final straw that broke the camel’s back? Why is the place that was the school to "transfer to" now the school to "transfer from"?

[McKlintock]

Actually, Counter, I heavily criticized both Sasa AND the me-first, club-hopping, school-transferring, “my kid’s a star” culture” that Sasa/Vanguard/HB has nurtured and benefited from over the last several years. Well, with the defection of Dodd, it seems that approach has finally turned around and bitten back.

Let me start by saying, from my vantage point in the snack shack these many years, I’ve seen a lot of great players pass through the high school ranks and Ryder Dodd truly is a special talent. Physically gifted, with a very high water polo IQ and an exceptional motor. This isn’t a knock on him.

And it’s not a knock on Ormsby’s coaching abilities. His past achievements and reputation speak for themselves.

What I AM knocking is the trend today in youth sports (not just in water polo) of trading up, chasing titles, always looking for the next-best-thing, with little regard for team loyalty or suffering through some adversity in order to build something bigger and better. It’s not one particular player or coach that I am against. It’s the culture of moving on to whoever is “hot” that I have a problem with. Obviously, that train pulled out of the station a long time ago and it’s only going to get worse, but I don’t think it’s one that we should just accept with a shrug and a casual – “Hey, that’s the way the world works now, so be it.”

And I am definitely knocking the tactics of JSerra boosters sending letters to multiple ODP players urging them to attend JSerra and discussing opportunities for financial assistance. It’s the worst kept secret in high school water polo.

While joining a winning team is a nice benefit, I don't think this has anything to do with title chasing. I think this is almost entirely about getting to play for Ormsby. This kid is one of the best freshmen/sophs I have seen play and getting a chance to develop further under Ormsby should increase his chances to play on the snt one day. Unfortunately, this certainly isn't going to help quiet those rumors about Sasa's coaching ability, but this kid has larger goals than a cif championship.

I’m sure the recruiting pitch sounded very similar. The thing is Ormsby has been at JSerra since 2018, while Vanguard/HB was still the hot place to be. What happened? What was the final straw that broke the camel’s back? Why is the place that was the school to "transfer to" now the school to "transfer from"?

I'm sure the opportunity to play a year with his brother was a big consideration for going to HBHS initially. I wouldn't be surprised if the family was disappointing with HBHS and the coaching last year. But honestly, I don't really care what the "final straw" was. My opinion is that he likely made a change to help improve his game, especially considering he has a full two and a half years left to play for this coach between club and high school. For an adult to criticize a 15 year-old kid and characterize his move as chasing a championship is a pretty ignorant take.

[2plyBathingSuit]

"sour grapes"...used to refer to an attitude in which someone adopts a negative attitude to something because they cannot have it themselves.

[Rbpolo0414]

There is definitely more to this than winning CIF. It is a long drive from HB to JSerra. Would be much easier to just drive to Mater Dei, where he would have a great chance of winning. The wanting to be coached by Ormsby theory is the most likely reason here but….there has to be something going on in that HB program that sealed the deal here. I think there should be some serious self reflection going on right now at HBHS. Devastating loss for Sasa.

[JackBurton]

There is definitely more to this than winning CIF. It is a long drive from HB to JSerra. Would be much easier to just drive to Mater Dei, where he would have a great chance of winning. The wanting to be coached by Ormsby theory is the most likely reason here but….there has to be something going on in that HB program that sealed the deal here. I think there should be some serious self reflection going on right now at HBHS. Devastating loss for Sasa.

It's not a long drive if they moved down there.

[arbolado]

The wanting to be coached by Ormsby theory is the most likely reason here but….there has to be something going on in that HB program that sealed the deal here. I think there should be some serious self reflection going on right now at HBHS. Devastating loss for Sasa.

This! It’s all about wanting to be coached by Ormsby. It’s all sour grapes to complain about recruiting. That whole team is home grown. Who have they really recruited? Almost all those kids are local to the area. They went from Trinity League doormat to second place in four years. Guys are gravitating there because they want to be challenged, they want to see what they are capable of. Those guys are learning to compete and extend themselves and the ones that want to play D1 know that’s what they need to do. Ormsby and Clute are creating a culture and it’s only going to get better and Winning an open CIF title will just be the icing on the cake.

[pietro michele]

I’m generally not a fan of transferring, be it club or high school or college, but first time always gets a pass from me. As long as it is all done above board, I have to assume it is with good intentions and is for the best for the individual. A second team hop and things start to look bad and coaches get leery of counting on/trusting such a player in their long term plans. Third and beyond we are almost always dealing with dysfunctional athlete or family. Hope everything goes well for the young man, and that he thrives in his new spot.

[badboy]

You’re right. Probably just a standard transfer. Nothing to do with water polo. Got it. Let’s go with that…

LOL, so true.

Transfer rules in HS are a joke. Should be a mandatory missed year.