MEN'S WATER POLO: BUSH HAS EQUAL IN POOL RECORD-SETTING ZATOVIC LEADS USC INTO SEMIFINALS.Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. is home to one of the nation's premier sources of offense. He is a record-setting player who has his top-ranked team on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of another national championship. He is a front-runner for his sport's national Player of the Year award Several sports leagues honor their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. The awards with the "player of the year" phrasing include these. . And his name isn't Reggie Bush Reginald "Reggie" Bush, birth name: Reginald Alfred Bush II (born March 2, 1985 in San Diego, California), nicknamed 'The Human Highlight Reel' and 'The President', alluding to President Bush, is an American football player who plays for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. . Dubbed dub 1 tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs 1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood. 2. To honor with a new title or description. 3. by some on the USC men's water polo water polo, swimming game encompassing features of soccer, football, basketball, and hockey. The object of the game is to maneuver, by head, feet, or hand, a leather-covered ball 27 to 28 in. team as the ``Reggie Bush of water polo,'' senior Juraj Zatovic is the heart of a Trojans' team that is every bit as dominating as the football team for which Bush stars. Zatovic, a Slovakian Olympian as a teen, has USC riding a program-record 17-game winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" entering this weekend's NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships in Lewisburg, Pa. The 2-meter defender is the Trojans' all-time leading scorer and was selected Mountain Pacific Sports Federation The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is a college athletic conference whose member teams are located in the western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I. Player of the Year. No. 1 USC, which won the 2003 NCAA title with Zatovic, faces St. Francis, N.Y., in the semifinals today. The winner faces Loyola Marymount or Stanford on Sunday. ``The Olympics is always special,'' said Zatovic, who played for the 2000 Slovakian Olympic team that finished 12th. ``But winning a championship for 'SC is a great accomplishment, too. I definitely put this, winning the championship, in a higher place. Winning as a team, I take it as a great accomplishment.'' This year's Trojans, whose lone loss was by one goal in a nonconference game against Pepperdine, are being compared to the all-time best in college water polo. They have a variety of scoring options, including junior driver Juan Delgadillo, a Harvard-Westlake of Studio City product who scored six goals in a game last week, the most by a Trojan since 2001. Zatovic's value has been evident since an All-American freshman season in which he led the team in scoring. Last season, he was one of three finalists for the Cutino award, presented to the nation's top player. Zatovic averages 2.8 goals a game, tied for first in the nation. He has scored in every game this season and has 67 goals. His career total is 219, 29 more than the previous career record, held by U.S. Olympian Robert Lynn. Zatovic does his best to ensure opponents don't join in on the scoring, anchoring the nation's top defense, which has held opponents to an average 5.4 goals a game. ``He does so much for us even if he doesn't score,'' said Trojans coach Jovan Vavic. Vavic says Zatovic probably is the best of the many elite players to have played at USC. Teammates wouldn't argue. ``If you need a goal, he's there,'' said senior Ted Zepfel, another Harvard-Westlake product. ``He's stepped up his role as a leader and being a presence in the water this year. He wills us to win some games. ... You know if it's a tied game, fourth quarter, like a minute left, you know he won't let you lose.'' Zatovic, 23, hopes to play professionally in Europe after graduation Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the associated ceremony. The date of event is often called degree day. The event itself is also called commencement, convocation or invocation. . His desire to play while getting a college education prompted him to contact Vavic, who saw Zatovic while scouting scouting: see Boy Scouts; Girl Scouts. scouting Activities of various national and worldwide organizations for youth aimed at developing character, citizenship, and individual skills. Scouting began when Robert S. another player in Europe and immediately knew which player he wanted. ``My four years here, I couldn't ask for anything more,'' Zatovic said. ``Just another championship this weekend.'' Heather Gripp, (818) 713-3607 heather.gripp(at)dailynews.com NCAA WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIP Today's semifinals USC (24-1) vs. St. Francis, N.Y. (20-8), 12:30 p.m. Loyola Marymount (18-15) vs. Stanford (19-6), 2 p.m. Sunday Third Place, 1:30 p.m. Championship, 3 p.m. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: USC senior Juraj Zatovic is the school's all-time leading scorer and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's Player of the Year. John Lazar/Staff Photographer Box: NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP (see text) |
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