THE POLO PRODIGY
By Sherri Eng, Stanford Magazine, October 2004
TONY AZEVEDO, '04
Hometown: Long Beach, Calif.
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 195
Event: Water polo, driver
Competing in the Olympics runs in Tony Azevedo's family.
Aunt Piedade (1932) and Aunt Maria (1936) both played volleyball in
the Games, while Aunt Lucy (1952) played basketball, and Uncle Carlos
(1972) swam the butterfly. Then there's Azevedo's dad, Ricardo, who
was an assistant coach for the Olympic men's water polo team in '96.
And now it's Tony's turn. Or, rather, the first of many turns. At 18
-- seven years younger than anyone else on the U.S. team -- he is already
being touted as the Michael Jordan of water polo.
Role: Driver, which is
similar to a basketball point guard who shoots or distributes the ball.
Azevedo "may not be the fastest player," says Bruce Wigo,
executive director of USA Water Polo, "but no one beats him, either."
Strategy: Prepares by watching
videotapes of opponents, but relies on instinct when he sees unfamiliar
competitors in the pool.
Stanford career: Probably
will redshirt this fall, says Stanford coach Dante Dettamanti, because
"coming back from the Olympic Games will be a psychological letdown."
But in the 2001 season, Dettamanti expects "big things" from
the young phenom. "We've lost the NCAA championship by one goal
each of the last two years, and I'm sure Tony could have scored at least
one."
Training regimen: Five
days a week, eight hours a day, Azevedo swims, runs, does push-ups,
lifts weights to build strength and works on tactical plays.
Diet: Eats a lot of fruit
and stays away from fast food. Drinks two liters of water a day.
Lucky charm: Pair of TYR
swim trunks that he wears under his rubberized swimsuit during competitions.
