Boys’ Water Polo: Sinclair takes over at alma mater

Newport Harbor High had to look less than five miles away, even less than that as the crow flies, to find its next boys’ water polo head coach.

Ross Sinclair never seemed that far away, even as he led the Corona del Mar girls’ program the last two years. He took some good-natured ribbing from some of his Sailors friends.

Call it a homecoming for Sinclair. He now has the opportunity to lead the boys’ program at his alma mater.

Or, as Newport Harbor alumna and U.S. women’s senior national team member Kaleigh Gilchrist tweeted Monday evening, “About time you come back to [the] right side of the bay.”

Sinclair has been hired as the boys’ water polo coach at Newport Harbor, the school announced in a press release Monday. He has resigned as CdM girls’ coach, he confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m super-excited and thrilled, obviously very honored, to take on this position,” Sinclair said. “I’m really looking forward to it. It happened pretty quick over the last couple of weeks. I applied at the 11th hour, the second time around. It was a difficult decision. CdM has been wonderful ... [but] I felt I probably would have kicked myself if I didn’t [apply at Newport Harbor].”

Sinclair’s hiring concludes a months-long search for a head coach. Newport Harbor had concluded its first round of searching for a coach in January, as six potential coaches were interviewed but it yielded no finalists for the position.

The opportunity to lead his alma mater was great for Sinclair, a 2003 Harbor graduate who went on to play at UC Santa Barbara and professionally overseas in Australia, Europe, and South America before he was hired as CdM girls’ coach in May 2013. He took over there for his cousin, Sam Bailey, who left to coach and teach at Beckman.

Sinclair, a 30-year-old Newport Beach resident, went a combined 47-12 in his two seasons in charge of the CdM girls’ program. The Sea Kings won two Pacific Coast League titles and reached the CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals in 2014. They reached the semifinals this year before losing to top-ranked eventual champion Laguna Beach, 12-5.

Sinclair told the CdM girls of his decision in a meeting Monday.

“It was very emotional,” he said. “I love those girls. They’re incredible. They’ve made a huge impact on my coaching development ... It was super-tough. One of the toughest decisions of my life, no doubt. I mean, I’m going to see them around. [Water polo] is a small community.”

Sinclair takes over a Sailors boys’ program coming off a down year, after Robert Lynn resigned less than a month before the season started last August. Principal Sean Boulton declined to say why, saying it was a personnel issue, and Lynn also declined to comment.

Newport Harbor went 10-17 under interim coach Marco Palazzo, finishing tied for second in the Sunset League. It could have been second place outright, but the Sailors lost a league game to Los Alamitos in which five starters were suspended by Palazzo. Newport Harbor did upset Agoura in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs before losing to No. 2-seeded Mater Dei in the quarterfinals.

The Sailors are losing all three of their Newport-Mesa Dream Team selections — Clay Davison, Charlie Padden and goalie Nick Wood — to graduation.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a rebuilding situation, because it’s a such a rich program and tradition,” Sinclair said. “One year doesn’t define a dynasty.”

In the press release, Boulton praised Sinclair for his work as a lifeguard in Newport Beach, as well as his understanding of the connection between high school swimming and water polo.

That’s a connection that Sinclair’s players with the Sailors will also appreciate, said Newport sophomore driver Nic Rimlinger, who will be a returning varsity player in the fall.

“Almost all of our team had him as a Junior Lifeguard instructor when we were younger, so we know him really well,” Rimlinger said. “Obviously he’s a really experienced water polo player. For almost all of our team, he’s a really big role model, just with the impact he has on our community.”

Sinclair is the second high-profile hire for Newport Harbor boys’ aquatics in three months. His friend, five-time Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol, was hired as the boys’ swimming coach in February. Peirsol and assistant coach Pavle Filipovic led the Sailors’ boys to a 3-0 record in the Sunset League coming into Tuesday’s meet at Edison, which Newport lost.

Sinclair and Peirsol (Newport Harbor class of 2002) graduated one year apart.

Now, each is leading the charge for Sailors aquatics.

“I think we’re both super-thrilled,” Sinclair said. “Obviously, having [Brian] Melstrom there [coaching] with the girls, he’s a great guy and a great coach. I think the three of us are going to thrive. It’s going to be fun.”