Marina’s boys water polo team is an underdog in the Sunset League, but the Vikings feature a father-son duo to watch.
First-year coach Tony Karaman arrived in March after one season as an assistant at Fountain Valley. His impressive resume includes a stint as director of the Croatian national team and coaching at the world-renowned Jug-Dubrovnik club in Croatia.
Karaman’s hire also has brought his son, Luka, to Marina as a strong-armed senior. Luka (6-4, 180), who has played for Jug, observed the sit-out period for transfers but made a strong debut last week.
He netted a combined 16 goals in victories against Estancia and Pacifica and added two in a 19-6 loss against No. 5 Huntington Beach in the teams’ Sunset League opener.
Luka had been living with his mother in Croatia but spent recent summers competing for the Orange County club. One of his goals is to play collegiate water polo in the United States.
Marina has four other seniors from Croatian, but they’re not eligible, Karaman said.
SEA KINGS PROGRESSING
Corona del Mar finished fourth at the S & R Sport tournament Saturday, giving the Sea Kings two fourth-place finishes in their two tournaments. They lost in the semifinals to Mater Dei and Harvard-Westlake of Studio City.
“We’re improving,” Corona del Mar coach Barry O’Dea said. “We’ve had two good runs (in tournaments). … They’re not scared of anybody any more, which is a good thing.”
BIG WEDNESDAY
There are a few big matches Wednesday. Harvard-Westlake (13-0), riding a 50-match winning streak, plays at Mater Dei at 6 p.m., while Huntington Beach takes on host Newport Harbor in the Sunset League at 5 p.m.
