KOCUR MAKES THE RIGHT CHOICE; WAVES' WATER POLO STAR NOW LOOKING FOR A TITLE.

Byline: Rizza Yap Daily News Staff Writer

Jack Kocur knows an athlete must pick his battles.

Before he became a leading water polo player for No. 1-ranked Pepperdine, the Simi Valley native made several decisions - some trivial, some critical - that helped shape his collegiate career.

Like opting to play water polo at age 10 instead of swimming competitively. (Swimming workouts were boring.) Or giving up baseball during his junior year at Royal High School in order to concentrate on water sports.

``I figured if I wanted to go to college (on scholarship), I needed to swim and play water polo,'' he said.

And going back to the diamond his senior year to play the game he first learned to love.

``I already signed with Pepperdine, already had a scholarship, so why not give it another try?'' said Kocur, who ended the year with a .449 batting average and a team-best 25 RBI.

Earlier this year, Kocur faced another crossroad.

In January, he joined the U.S. national team, selected by head coach John Vargas from a pool of top collegiate and club water polo players. He trained with the team until April, then he stopped showing up at practice.

Vargas, who also coaches at Corona del Mar High School, said he hadn't heard from Kocur since. He said he talked to the Pepperdine coaches and left messages at the Kocur household, but the messages went unanswered.

Kocur, who considers Vargas the best water polo coach with whom he has ever worked, said competing responsibilities led to his leaving the national team.

``It had a lot to do with school, and I had no money,'' Kocur said. ``You don't get money playing water polo and I had to work. Plus I was really concentrating on (the) Pepperdine (team).''

And the lack of correspondence between he and Vargas?

``At that level, it's so demanding that you feel like if you miss a couple of practices, you might as well quit because you're pretty much out,'' Kocur said. ``Your knees kind of shake when you go up to the coach and give your excuse.''

Vargas said he suspected as much. And though the summer's episode was frustrating, he's got an eye out for the 1995 All-American honorable mention pick.

``He is one of the top players in the nation - not just college. I'm talking about water polo in any age group,'' Vargas said. ``I just hope he has a great college career, and when he's done with it, start with the national team again. The door is always open. The door tends to close, though, after you make a little mistake. But it's still open.''

That's welcome news for Kocur, who plans to continue playing after he graduates from Pepperdine in December. Along with teammate Alan Herrmann, Kocur redshirted his senior year but is now in active pursuit of the NCAA crown.

After winning the prestigious Southern California Water Polo Tournament, their national ranking vaulted from No. 4 to No. 1, a first since 1984. The Waves' overall record of 9-0 also is the best start for Pepperdine coach Terry Schroeder since he took over the program 12 years ago.

Kocur, the all-time leading scorer at Royal High with 372 goals, is key to the team's success.

``Jack has the potential to be an Olympian,'' Schroeder said. ``He has a tremendous amount of confidence in himself, confidence he didn't have the first couple of years. When he shoots the ball, he thinks it's going to go in every time.''

So far this season, Kocur leads Pepperdine with 22 points, including two two-point goals. In their most recent match played against No. 4 Irvine last weekend, the senior driver registered two goals along with teammates Jeremy Pope and Alex Rodriguez. Kocur entered this season with a career total of 99 goals and a school-record 21 two-point goals.

Despite his athletic accomplishments, however, Kocur said he will best remember Pepperdine for the life lessons he learned while in school.

``The main thing you get out of college is what you want to do, and who you are,'' he said. ``The All-American, All-League, all-this isn't really all it's cracked up to be,'' he said. ``You can be All-American but never have a ring, never have a relationship with players or the coach. This year will be the most memorable year in my water polo career. I want the team to play well together, win it all, have fun and be happy. It might sound corny, but it's so hard to do. But that's my simple goal in life - be happy.''

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PHOTO Former Royal High School standout Jack Kocur is one of Pepperdine's leading water polo players.

Shaun Dyer / Special to the Daily News