IU coach guiding squad to top of polls

In only his seventh year at the helm of the Hoosier water polo program, IU coach Barry King has taken leaps and bounds with each passing year as he continues to move his teams to the top of the national rankings. This season King has managed to lead his young squad to No. 10 in the polls along with an impressive 16-7 record. \nKing, a Madera, Calif. native, began his illustrious coaching career in the high school ranks in the late '80s, coaching both men and women's water polo along with freshman basketball and varsity swimming teams. \nAfter wrapping up a bachelor of arts in athletics counseling (1988) and master of arts in exercise physiology (1993) from Fresno State, he then managed to land a spot as head of the Hoosiers club water polo team in 1995 before it became a varsity sport in 1998.\n"I couldn't imagine a better place to get the opportunity that I did," King said. "Indiana is a super University to be associated with. I couldn't imagine a better place to get the opportunity that I did."\nSince becoming a varsity sport at IU, the women's water polo program has flourished, winning an average of 22 games in its first six seasons. In his first season as head coach at IU, King led his squad to a remarkable 26 wins, a school record that still stands. \nWith a solid group of recruits each season, King has lead his team to 148 total victories as well as taking his team to four national championship tournaments, the 2003 Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Conference Championship and an unforgettable trip to the 2003 NCAA Final Four.\nAmong his many superb recruits, senior Kristy Streefkerk has seen the program flourish and rise to become among the nation's best. She said she has the utmost respect for King's contribution to the Hoosiers' success. \n"It's been a great experience, and he's been a great person to work with," Streefkerk said. "I feel like I've learned a lot from him and grown as a player."\nJunior Krista Peterson is another top recruit King has been able to bring to IU. Having played for King for the last three years, she too has seen the Hoosier women's water polo program grow and improve. Peterson attributes IU's success directly to King's desire to become the best. \n"I think he's really progressed as a coach," Peterson said. "He's really gotten to know his players better as well as pushing us to where he knows our potential is." \nPeterson is one of two All-Americans King has coached. The second, Kristin Stanford, a 2003 IU graduate, was a standout player for King (2000-2003) as she helped lead the Hoosiers to their first NCAA Final Four. Stanford holds the all-time career goals scored record with 246. Peterson is second all-time with 166.\nKing said he has been happy with his overall experience at IU and can't see himself anywhere else. His wife, Mindy, and two sons, Creighton and Aidan, reside in Bloomington, a town he believes has been ideal to live in.\n"The community of Bloomington is the greatest place to raise a family," King said. "I couldn't imagine having the combination of the two (coaching and raising his family) anywhere else."\n-- Contact staff writer Matt Ostrega at mostrega@indiana.edu.