Background[]
Started Water Polo at Notre Dame College (in Ohio)
Insights[]
Recruiting Letter from January 2010[]
Coach
My name is Brad Silver, the Head Water Polo Coach for Men and Women at Notre Dame College. NDC is a small private catholic institution in South Euclid, Ohio and has decided to provide an NCAA Division II water polo team for both men and women beginning next fall. As an NCAA Division II school, men’s water polo provides 4.5 scholarships and 8 for the women’s team.
I am not a stranger to the sport of water polo. I began playing in 1979 under Stan Sprague; a former USA Water Polo Olympic Goalie. In 1984, I was selected to the United States Junior National Team coached by Rich Corso and Ricardo Acevedo; both of which went on to coach our USA Olympic Team. With the USA Junior National Team I have played in Copenhagen, Hungary, West Germany (back then) and Puerto Rico. I was selected a High School All-American twice and went on to play at the University of Southern California on an athletic scholarship. During my red-shirt year in 1990, I played with the Harvard Water Polo Club under Rich Corso for the Indoor National Club Championships earning the gold medal. After college, I played in the Maccabiah Games (Jewish Olympics) earning a Silver medal in 1993 and a Gold Medal in 2001.
In addition to my playing experience I coached high school boys and girls for 14 years. I taught the sport to students who had yet to be introduced to water polo as well as students who went on to NCAA Division I schools on athletic scholarships. Beyond high school, one year I helped select players for the USA Junior National Team and coached at the Police Olympics.
The new water polo teams at Notre Dame College allow me to boost the incredible sport of water polo in this area of the country. With water polo being a new sport at NDC, I am looking for student-athletes with the desire to grow intellectually and athletically.
Notre Dame College will have the only active NCAA water polo teams in the state of Ohio. Our teams have a two year trial period under NCAA, DII which allows us to play both fellow NCAA teams as well as club programs. Notre Dame College makes available financial aid options, academic tutoring, and helps students plan post-graduate career development.
My plan is to provide your players with the next step of athletics and education. Please ask your seniors if they are interested playing water polo on an NCAA Division II team at Notre Dame College. If they are, please send an email providing me with their names, parent(s) names, email addresses, and phone numbers. Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.
Sincerely,
Brad Silver
Head Coach - Men's & Women's Water Polo Notre Dame College 4545 College Road South Euclid, OH 44121
bsilver@ndc.edu 216/262.3191