Courtesy of USA Water Polo
If the first game was indicative of the thrills and skills on display, the next two weeks will be a wild ride for the USA Water Polo men’s national team, led by Highlands resident Johnny Hooper.
The 26-year-old is among 15 players competing for his country at the 2024 World Aquatics World Championships in Doha, Qatar and he scored a goal in the Americans’ 16-15 loss to Montenegro in a penalty shootout. Alex Bowen scored six goals for the U.S. and goalie Drew Holland made 10 saves. Team USA returned to action early Wednesday morning against Japan.
USA head coach Dejan Udovicic announced that 13 athletes will be eligible for each match and they will be determined prior to game day.
Team USA is in Group C with Montenegro, Japan and Serbia. Live streaming of every game is available on Peacock (login required). The event is an Olympic qualifier, although Team USA has already earned its spot at the Paris Olympic Games following a gold medal victory at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Hooper was an All-American at Cal, scoring 245 career goals and leading the Bears to the 2016 NCAA Championship. An avid surfer, he went to Harvard-Westlake High and helped the Wolverines win back-to-back CIF-SS Division 1 titles.
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