Indiana University Athletics
Talking Water Polo with Head Coach Barry King
2/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 8, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - IU head coach Barry King has been able to build an elite water polo program in just eight years of existence. The leadership of King has sent the Hoosiers on four trips to the national championships with an appearance in the 2003 NCAA Final Four.
King brings his Indiana squad off a 2005 season where they finished No.10 in the nation with a 24-10 and 7-0 record in the CWPA. The overall record marks the fourth straight season and seventh out of the program's eight years that IU has collected 20 wins or more.
Indiana came into 2006 schedule at No. 11 in the National Collegiate Women's Top 20 Preseason Poll. The Hoosiers bring in nine new faces for the upcoming campaign to accompany 11 returning players. The group of veterans is led by senior Janis Pardy and junior Kristin Zernicke. Pardy recorded 30 goals in 2005, while Zernicke led the team with 45 steals.
IU head coach Barry King recently sat down with iuhoosiers.com and addressed questions about the success of the program and where it is headed in the future.
What do you credit for the success of the program so early in its existence?
"The vast majority of the credit goes to the women who formed the club team in the spring of 1994," King said. "They made the decision and convinced the people who joined, that the club should be concerned with being competitive. We have done nothing but get better over the nine years of varsity competition."
How can you as a coach, help try to get the team back to the national championships?
"This year's team is still finding its identity," King said. "We were a very talented team last year and much of that individual talent graduated. I honestly believe that this is a better team than last year. We may not be as individually talented as previous, but we are a much more cohesive unit. That makes for a lot of potential growth. My contribution to the group this year is to remind them continuously how good they can be."
What can your team take away from the first tournament of the season at Michigan?
"Last weekend was disappointing for the record because we lost two overtime games that we led in the fourth quarter," King said. "However, it was extremely valuable in that we saw a glimpse of how good we can be and what kind of effort it will take to get there. The weekend was valuable in that we got a lot of new people in the mix. It was a true joy to watch Courtney Livak compete for the first time in two and half years. She played hard and finally got to contribute after two shoulder injuries. I was very proud of the effort she gave. I know the team was inspired by her also."
Where do you think your team stands among the elite teams in the nation?
"Right now, we are definitely in the back half of the top 20," King said. "However, we are not anywhere near our potential, and I think that we will make a real run at the top eight by the end of the year."
Who do you look at to step up and have an outstanding season?
"We need solid efforts from a number of players," King said. "Janis Pardy has started what I think will be very special season for her. For us to be successful, we need to have a very balanced attack. The whole senior class: Bridget McKeon, Clare Meadows, Courtney Livak, Katie Parrish, as well as Pardy, will need to step up and take a piece of the load this year."
What will it take to consider this season a successful one?
"We ultimately measure our season on wins and losses," King said. "We need to be in the position to win the CWPA conference title and make the NCAA tournament. That will make this a successful season. As long as we are playing to our potential at the end of the year, then it will be hard to call the season unsuccessful."
What are your expectations or goals for this program in the future?
"We will continuously strive to bring student-athletes to Indiana University that the student body, faculty and alumni are proud to call Hoosiers," King said. "When we attract those kind of players then good things will continue to happen for the program. When you add in the fact that we are consistently one of the best academically performing teams in the country, then we can attract those types of athletes. Ultimately, our expectation is to field a fierce and competitive team that Hoosier fans look at with pride."
No. 11 Hoosiers continue their 2006 campaign on Feb. 11-12 at the UCSD Triton Invitational. IU will be in Group D along with No. 9 San Diego State, No. 20 Santa Clara and Redlands. The Hoosiers open with Redlands at 2:20 p.m. at Canyon View East Pool on the campus of UC-San Diego before San Diego State and Santa Clara play at 3:30 p.m. The winners of those matches will meet at 8:10 p.m., while the other two squads will battle at 7 p.m. The teams will then be put into another group depending on their placement in Group D. Indiana will play two games on Sunday, Feb. 12, with its opponents to be decided by competition on the opening day of the invitational.
