Guy Baker

 


Lamorinda Water Polo Club, Executive Director, High School Boys’ and Girls’ Director and 18U Boy’s and Girl’s Head Coach


In May 2016, Lamorinda Water Polo Club hired Guy as a consultant for the Girls’ Programs and the Head Coach of the 12u Girls’ Program. Before LAMO, Guy’s resume included leading the USA Women’s Senior National team to three Olympic medals and two World Championship gold medals, leading the UCLA Men’s Program to four NCAA championships and was the first Head Coach of the UCLA Women’s Program culminating in three consecutive collegiate championships. Guy was inducted into the UCLA Athletics and USA Water Polo Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2018 respectively. 

In May 2016, Lamorinda had a total of thirty eight girls in the program with only three competitive teams, one 12u, 14u and 16u team. Following the 2016 Summer season, Guy became Lamorinda’s Executive Director. The immediate focus was building a girls’ program, increasing the overall number of athletes and implementing an administrative and coaching organizational structure and systems. 

Highlights during Guy’s tenure as Executive Director include adding a 10u and 18u girls’ programs in 2017, adding LAMO Brentwood in 2018, growing LAMO to be the largest club in the country in 2019, running robust programs during CoVid including LAMO Home Polo during the lockdown, fielding the most teams at the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Junior Olympics, all A teams finishing in the Platinum Division top 12 at the 2023 Junior Olympics.

During Guy’s tenure as Executive Director, the LAMO Girls’ Program has become one of the best girls programs in the country. Since 2021 LAMO Girls Program has won a total of 16 major championship medals; Junior Olympics (5), US Club Championships (3), Futures SuperFinal (5), Cal Cup State Finals (2) and Champions Cup (1). In addition, over the past 3 years, all fifteen 18u athletes who played during their senior year were committed to play at NCAA Division 1 water polo universities including Arizona State, Harvard, LMU, Michigan, Princeton, Santa Clara, San Diego State, Stanford, UC Davis UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, USC and Villanova.    

Now, in the 2023-24 year, Guy is expanding his attention to the High School Boys’ Program. Guy will be leading the High School Boys’ Program including the Head Coach of the 18u Boys’ Program.

LAMO Coaching

2016-18 Head Coach 12u Girls
2017-19 Assistant Coach 18u Girls
2017-18 Assistant Coach 14u Boys
2018-19 Head Coach 14u Girls
2020-Present Head Coach 18u Girls
Summer 2021 Head Coach 12u Boys
Summer 2023 Assistant Coach 16u Boys
Present Head Coach 18u Boys 

Recent LAMO Coaching Highlights

2022 18u Girls Junior Olympics 3rd
2023 18u Girls Cal Cup State Finals 1st
2023 18u Girls US Club Championships 1st
2023 18u Girls Junior Olympics 3rd

USA Water Polo Highlights

Guy was named the Head Coach of USA’s Women’s Senior National Team in March 1998. Guy led Team USA to the first Olympic Games for women’s water polo at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games to the silver medal. Guy was the Head Coach from 1998-2008 Olympic Games. During his tenure, Team USA won 3 Olympic medals, 2 World Championship gold medals, 2 Pan American Games gold medals, 4 World League SuperFinal gold medals and 1 World Cup medal.  

2001-2008

In January 2001, Guy became the first full-time Head Coach of the Women’s Senior National Team and Technical Director of USA Water Polo’s women’s pipeline. At the end of 2008, Team USA’s women’s pipeline had won 3 Junior (20u) World Championship medals including gold medals in 2001 and 2005, expanded the pipeline to include Youth (18u) and Cadet (16u) National Teams and implemented a national training and identification program that exists to this day.

2008-2012

Following the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games, Guy was named the Director of Olympic Development tasked with overseeing the men’s and women’s national team pipelines, the Olympic Development Program, national coach development and liaison with the United States Olympic Committee.

Additional highlights

Inducted to USA Water Polo’s Hall of Fame-2018
Senior Men’s National Team Assistant Coach-1997-98 (1997 World Cup Athens gold medal)
Olympic Men’s Team Assistant Coach-1992 Olympic Games Barcelona  

Collegiate Coaching Highlights - UCLA: 1991-2000

Guy led both the men's and women's water polo teams to seven national championships. The men's team won the NCAA championship in 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000. In 1994, Guy was named the first Head Coach of the UCLA Women’s Program. 1995 was the inaugural season. Guy coached the women’s team to national collegiate titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998 leading the team 95-3 record for the three seasons. Both of his teams (men’s and women’s) won a national title in the same school year twice (1995–96 and 1996–97), a first for a coach. Guy had seven UCLA student-athletes become Olympians, four men and three women. 

Additional Highlights

Inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame-2014.
First year led UCLA to the NCAA Men’s Championship game -1991

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Bill Brown