Building an East Coast Powerhouse- By Zac Monsees

Zac is the writer of the popular water polo blog Pool Reflections. Subscribe to his Substack to get access to all of his blogs. You can read Zac's original blog post here.

The announcement that Brian Bacharach was taking over duties as Fordham’s head coach occurred on May 6, 2020, and you can read more about his history and the decision here: Brian Bacharach Named Head Water Polo Coach

What he has accomplished in just over 4 short years is nothing short of incredible.

It is the first program outside of California to EVER be ranked #1 in the country on either the men's or women's Top 20/25 Polls in the history of the sport.

I’ve had both the honor and the privilege competing with and against Brian for the majority of my life. He is a super tricky defensive assignment because of his high IQ, ability to find angles, and even when you think you have him locked up, he delivers a perfectly placed lob shot that deflates a defense.

As teammates at Cal, he was our team captain, and brought high accountability and a “do your job” mentality to that leadership position. He led our team in scoring in a tight defensive match-up against USC in the championship, which culminated in a miraculous shot by Jeff Tyrell from 9 meters to seal the game. Here is a grainy highlight if you haven’t seen it: Water Polo Hail Mary

Brian and I are both blessed that we can still compete as teammates and competitors occasionally as (washed up) masters players at the storied Olympic Club and New York Athletic Club programs. One of the many great things about our sport is that you can play into advanced age.

As a coach, well, the results speak for themselves. Fordham has run up the rankings in the four short years he has been at the helm.

Alright, enough trips down memory lane.

Fordham's water polo team has achieved historic success this past season under your stewardship, culminating in an overtime loss in the NCAA semi-finals against perennial powerhouse USC. With a final season record of 32-1, you have presided over one of the most impressive runs by an East Coast collegiate program in modern water polo history.

Below are some questions to round out this current team's season and the program's plans, goals, and aspirations going forward:

1. How did you go about identifying and recruiting the key players that led to this historic season?

Honestly, it takes a lot of hard work. I receive several hundred emails with interested athletes per year. I am sure other coaches are in the same situation. I do my best to watch as much film as I can. There are certain types of kids that fit into different profiles that our admissions department is looking for. I try not to waste kids time if I do not think they are going to be the right fit.

From there, I am always trying to put as much talent on our roster as I possibly can. I am not going to recruit a lefty just because I do not have a lefty on my roster. If I have a more talented center or right handed driver, I am going to choose that kid over a less talented lefty. I try to build a system around the talent I have on my roster. I have watched and been around water polo for 32 years. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that there are many ways to win water polo games. I am agnostic toward the system that works "best". However, there is a best system for the talent on my roster in any given year. I never want to limit my recruiting pool because I already have a certain position covered more than another or "that kid does not fit my system". I think the system needs to be created around the athletes, not some prescribed way of playing determined by me.

2. What specific training or strategic changes did you implement to elevate the team to its current level?

We have made a concerted effort to limit downtime in practice. As we transition from one drill to another, we try to get into the next thing within seconds, not even minutes. It has increased the intensity level of our practices exponentially. The guys have learned to always be focused on what is next and not other distractions that could enter a practice.

3. How do you balance developing stateside talent with recruiting international players?

Again, I am agnostic toward who you are and where you are from. If you are talented and can add to our roster, I want you at Fordham. This has created a roster of kids from all over the country and all over the world. It has become part of our not-so-secret sauce. We are a microcosm of the larger city we live in. NYC is a city of transplants and so is our roster.

I will also add that our admissions department loves that we bring in international and out of state students to the school. They struggle to attract talented international and non-tri-state students, despite a mandate to have a diverse class every year. We are a big help to them in that department.

4. What role did the team's academic success play in building this championship-caliber program?

It is absolutely huge. Private schools have many avenues for financial aid. Academic scholarships are a big part of the financial aid process at every private university. I do not believe we would have as many great players on our roster if our team and university did not have such a big focus on academics.

5. How do you plan to maintain the team's momentum and success in future seasons?

I plan to keep recruiting as many talented athletes to Fordham as I can get to come. Talent helps solve a lot of problems. I can give athletes tips here and there, but I cannot teach them how to throw the ball hard and accurately.

After that, I believe we have an incredible alumni base that is passionate about seeing us succeed. We have a beautiful campus in one of the most exciting cities in the world. And finally, we have a program and philosophy that supports one another. I think those are all the proper foundation for building from here.

6. Are there challenges you foresee in maintaining Fordham's competitiveness at the national level?

I am excited about the talent we have coming in for Fall 2025. Will we be in the semifinals again? Every team in the country is striving for that. I have no idea if we will be able to get back there anytime soon. I do not plan to change anything about who our core principles as a program are. If we stick to those ideals of developing great water polo players, great students, and great young men that are prepared to go on and do amazing things in society, I believe we will continue to compete with many of the great college programs in this country.

7. How has your experience as a former All-American player at Cal-Berkeley influenced your coaching philosophy at Fordham?

Kirk (Everist) used to talk to us a lot about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. I love that concept. Winning is not easy. It forces athletes and everyone involved from administrators, coaches, and alums to step out of their comfort zone and dream for something bigger and better. I believe a lot of what garnered the national attention we received this year was our team's comfort level with bucking the traditional trends. We accomplished some things that have never been done by an East Coast team and what many thought was not even possible. It certainly has made a lot of people uncomfortable and challenged conventional wisdom. The hard part will be to keep it going, another concept we learned during our time at Cal.

8. Can you discuss your approach to developing team chemistry, especially with a mix of domestic and international players?

Honestly, a lot of it has happened naturally. The beauty of having kids from everywhere but NY is that everyone is from somewhere other than NY. They rely on one another because they have to. If I had to go to the hospital in college at Cal, I probably would have had my parents drive 30 minutes, pick me up, and take me to the hospital. In fact, when I had knee surgery during college, my mom picked me up.

These guys do not have mom and dad within 1,000s of miles. If they have to go to the hospital, their teammate is going to take them. If they have to move, their teammate is helping them. It has helped to create our NYC family, so to speak.

Additionally, it is not like we have 20 CA guys on our roster and 4 "foreigners". Of a 25 man roster, we have 11 different states or countries that people are from. This is down from 13-14 from last year. Everyone is "foreign" to one another in terms of background. I think our diversity is one of our biggest strengths, once we get past accepting each other's different viewpoints. This is one of our biggest challenges and biggest strengths when done right.

9. What are your long-term goals for the Fordham water polo program?

I have been very careful not to put a limit on our potential. I want us consistently competing for conference championships, because that is our automatic bid to the NCAA championships. From there, I just want to continue to push our guys to be the best athlete, student's, and people that they can be. The rest will take care of itself.

With that said, I believe we can continue to compete with the best teams in the country and will continue to try to do so.

10. How do you see Fordham's success impacting the growth of water polo on the East Coast?

It is tough to predict. All I know is that we had 2 of the top 6 programs in the country this past fall. I hope it grows from there.

11. Are there any distinct advantages that come along with being located in New York over your West Coast competitors?

100%. First, it is half the distance from Europe than it is to CA. Second, Fordham has huge connections to Wall Street and companies all over NYC. It offers incredible opportunities from a potential career perspective. Finally, it is just different. It is a different college experience from many of the schools we compete against from a recruiting standpoint. Alums loved going to Fordham. If going to college in NYC is of interest to you and doing something different than the traditional college water polo paths, it is an awesome option.

12. How do you foresee NIL and roster limits affecting NCAA water polo in the coming years?

NIL is just starting to creep into water polo, but the roster limits are real. We had 40 guys on our roster at Cal in the mid-2000s. 24 guys means there is a whole team worth of guys that will not go to Cal anymore. Those athletes will either not play college water polo, or they will need to look elsewhere. I hope it creates some equity amongst the sport and athletes start to look at other destinations for college.

13. How do you see the current state of American Age Group water polo and is there anything coaches can be doing at the age-group and high school levels to prepare their athletes for college?

I think athletes are more prepared than ever for college. There are a lot of really great coaches at the club and high school levels. However, no matter your level of coaching received, the jump is real. You are playing against kids in high school and there are men at the D1 level. It takes time to make that jump and understand that it does not always happen as quickly as you would like.

14. What is your advice for your average high school freshman interested in playing D1 water polo?

Listen to your coaches, even if it is not always what you want to hear. The higher up you move in life, the harder it is to keep advancing. Being able to hear, internalize, and adjust is a learned skill. Start that at a young age.

There you have it. Lean into your strengths. Build an excellent culture. Know your differentiators. Challenge conventional thinking. Build tactics around your talent. Never limit your potential.

Catch you poolside and go be great!