Robert Lynn & Guy Baker Named Men's Junior National Team Co-Head Coaches
1/14/2011 12:00:00 AM
Huntington Beach, Calif. – January 14, 2011 –Robert Lynn, a 2000 Olympian and Assistant Coach with the 2008 Silver Medal winning Men’s Olympic Team and Guy Baker, three-time medal winning coach of the USA Women’s Olympic Team, have been named Co-Head Coaches of the Men’s Junior National Team. Baker, who currently serves as USA Water Polo’s Director of Olympic Development, and Lynn, who remains as Assistant Coach for the Men’s Senior National Team as well as Head Coach of the Harvard Westlake Boy’s and Girl’s water polo teams, will continue in their current positions in addition to this new assignment.
“I am excited that Robert and Guy have agreed to work together as co-coaches on the Junior National Team this summer. This puts two of the best water polo minds in the USA together on the same team and gives our Junior team great leadership heading into the World Championships this August,” said Terry Schroeder, USA Men’s Senior National Team Head Coach
“I am both excited and proud to be coaching the USA Junior team. I am very passionate about the process of building our young athletes and I am looking forward to working with Guy and other colleagues in preparing the future of USA water polo. Guy and I are taking this task very seriously and we share the same philosophies. We will set very high standards for ourselves and expect the same from our athletes. I am eager to start and embrace the many challenges that await,” said Lynn.
Lynn was named assistant coach of the Men’s National Team in December 2007. Prior to that he was head coach of USA Water Polo’s Youth National Team in 2006 and 2007. Lynn was also head swimming coach at Long Beach (CA) Wilson High School in 2006. He guided the water polo teams at Marina High School in 2005 and 2006. A longtime member of the Men’s National Team program, he played from 1989 to 2001 and was a member of the 2000 Olympic Team that competed in Sydney, Australia. In that time he played professionally in countries such as Croatia, Italy, Greece, and France. His playing career spanned more than a decade running from 1991 to 2003. Lynn played collegiately as USC where he held a scoring record for more than 20 years.
For Baker it is a return to coaching after stepping down as Head Coach of the Women’s Senior National Team following the 2008 Olympic Games. Since the 2000 Olympic Games through the 2008 Olympic Games, under Guy’s guidance, as the Head Coach or Director, USA Women’s Water Polo won fourteen FINA championship medals, three Olympic Game medals, three World Championships, three Junior World Championships, four World League Super Finals and one World Cup. The results are unprecedented; fourteen medals in eighteen events, thirteen gold medal game finals and seven gold medals. Prior to his National Team tenure Baker was a long time men’s coach leading the UCLA men’s program to four NCAA Championships. Baker was also an Assistant Coach on the Men’s Senior National Team that won Gold at the 1997 FINA Cup and served as the goalkeeper and video coach on the Men’s Olympic Team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
“I am looking forward to this unique opportunity to coach together with Robert. Robert and I are dedicated water polo coaches. It has been enjoyable and enlightening talking water polo with Robert through the years and now we have the chance to share our knowledge with the athletes in the pipeline. Robert and I have worked closely and candidly in collaboration with Terry to take an idea and make it happen. We are placing a strong coaching commitment to the Men’s Junior National Team with an emphasis on consistent and quality training. We have a lot of work to do in a very short time period,” said Baker.
About USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc. is the national governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic program as well as 20 different championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and Masters Championships. With nearly 40,000 members, USAWP is also the sanctioning authority for more than 600 tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport nationwide. It fosters grassroots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches and officials.
Mens' National Team