Michael Bury
Steve Virgen
It is safe to assume that Michael Bury is a factor in every game.
Opposing coaches who prepare to play Newport Harbor High, know
they must be ready for perhaps the best two-meter man in CIF Southern
Section Division I boys water polo. Bury (pronounced berry) is not
just a well-known player, he is a well-scouted player.
When Newport Harbor is playing, the spotlight is on Bury and the
pressure is on. He feels it, he knows of it, but he doesn’t focus on
it. He’s too busy pursuing his breakout, signature game, which he has
not had this season, his coach, Jason Lynch said.
Bury has scored 47 goals through 17 games, nearly three goals a
game, but there could be in more in store.
“Most people know that he’s the primary person to stop,” Lynch
said. “The frustration is that he gets the ball and he’s not mixing
up his shots enough. He’s very receptive. He wants to do better and
he has the potential to do better. I think he should be at five
[goals] a game. He’s that dominant of a player.”
Bury’s presence is imposing, while his absence usually results in
an advantage for opponents.
When Newport Harbor lost to Foothill, 11-10, in overtime at Corona
del Mar High, two weeks ago, the Knights’ scorekeeper was ecstatic
when Bury picked up his third ejection. With 1:43 left in the first
overtime, Bury was assessed his third ejection on a change of
possession.
Foothill’s scorekeeper, who was sitting on the ground, jumped to
her feet, grabbed the red flag and emphatically waved it while she
jumped up and down. The game’s official scorekeeper is supposed to
signal when a player is majored, but the representative from Foothill
wanted the Knights to know right away: Bury was out.
Without Bury, the Sailors scored one goal, but were hard-pressed
to rally past Foothill in a game that most likely determined the Sea
View League title.
“That game was a pretty big letdown,” Bury said. “That was pretty
crushing. But we’ve gotten back on our horse and we’re getting better
so, that way, we can play better the next time we play them.”
The loss to Foothill eventually motivated Bury and the Sailors.
Bury, who is in his senior year, has had incentive to perform at a
high level. Now, he seems to have turned it up a notch. Still, the
Newport boys water polo team believes Bury’s best is yet to come.
“I still think he can be performing better than he is,” Lynch
said. “I don’t want to say he’s struggling because I still think he’s
one of the best, if not the best, two-meter man in Division I. I’m
waiting for him to have his big breakout game.”
Bury, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, started to head for
that type of performance last week, when he scored 12 goals in two
games, leading the Sailors to a nonleague victory over Laguna Beach
and a Sea View League win over Aliso Niguel.
“You can’t ever question that he’s not trying to do the best he
can,” Lynch said. “At times, he gets tired. He’s going hard out
there. He has been doing this for three years, and he has definitely
been progressing as a two-meter man.”
Lynch said Bury is definitely an NCAA Division I prospect. Bury
will wait until after the season to take recruiting trips and decide
where to continue his career.
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