Brandon Brooks (water polo)

Brandon Brooks (born April 29, 1981), who played water polo as a goalie for UCLA and the 2004 and 2008 United States National teams, was the head coach of the women's water polo team at UCLA until 2017. The women's team won the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship,[1][2] and one of his players, Courtney Mathewson, captured the Peter J. Cutino Award as the player-of-the year in 2008.[3]

Brandon Brooks
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamUCLA Women's water polo
ConferenceMPSF
Record18-3, (1-1 Conference)
Biographical details
BornApril 29, 1981 (1981-04-29) (age 39)
Rock Island, Illinois, U.S.
Playing career
2001–2005UCLA
Position(s)Goalkeeper (water polo)
Center (basketball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2004, 2006-08UCLA Men's water polo (Asst.)
2007-09Women's water polo (Asst.)
2009-2017UCLA Women's water polo
Head coaching record
Overall89-22
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
MPSF Women's Championship 2010, 2012 (Head Coach)
NCAA Women's Championship 2007-09 (Asst. Coach)
NCAA Championship 2004 (Asst. Coach)
NCAA Championship 1999, 2000 (Player)
Awards
All-American 1999–2002
All-MPSF 2000–2002
MPSF Coach of the Year 2012
Medal record
Men's water polo
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
2008 Beijing Team competition

On June 3, 2009, Brooks was named the head coach of the UCLA Bruins women's water polo team, having served as its men's and women's water polo team assistant coach.[4] He was also named as an assistant coach to the USA water polo women's senior national team for the 2009 FINA World Championships.

Early years

Brooks is the oldest in his family of three children. He has twin sisters. He was born in Rock Island, Illinois, but was educated in Honolulu, Hawaii, and attended Punahou School. At Punahou, he played both basketball and water polo.

College
Brandon Brooks (second from left) and his UCLA women's water polo team were honored for winning UCLA's 100th NCAA Championship in 2007.

He was the goalkeeper at UCLA for four years and was a four-time All-America selection (1999 hm, 2000, 2001 and 2002). He helped UCLA to NCAA Men's Water Polo Championships in 1999 and 2000, and became the school's all-time leader with 700 saves. He was also a three-time All-MPSF honoree (2000, 2001 and 2002).

Brooks was a walked-on to UCLA basketball team his freshman year. He graduated from UCLA in 2005 with a degree in sociology.

Olympic Games

In the summer 2004 Olympic Games, Brooks, Adam Wright and Brett Ormsby, two former UCLA teammates, completed for Team USA in Athens Greece. He was a member of 2008 Water Polo Team USA.[5] In the gold medal championship match, Brooks had four saves and helped the USA team to win the silver medal, losing to Hungary 14-10. He was a big cheerleader on the bench for the United States team.

Coaching

During his three years as the head women's water polo coach at UCLA, Brooks' team has won two MPSF Tournament championships. In the 2012 tournament title game, the team defeated Stanford 8-7 in overtime, and he was rewarded with the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Coach of the Year honor. [6]

References
  1. NCAA News: UCLA wins fourth straight
  2. UCLA defeats USC, claims NCAA women's water polo title Archived 2011-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Daily News, May 10, 2009.
  3. NCAA News: UCLA's Mathewson Captures Cutino Award
  4. UCLA Names Adam Wright Head Men's Water Polo Coach, Brandon Brooks Head Women's Water Polo Coach Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
  5. USA Men's Senior National Team
  6. 2012 All-MPSF Women's Water Polo Selections, MPSF, May 3, 2012
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