SCOTT TAYLOR

Steve Virgen

Believe it or not, Scott Taylor’s success in water polo did not begin

in a pool.

It began on a soccer field.

Taylor grew up playing soccer and he was a goalkeeper during his

freshman year at Costa Mesa High. That’s when former coach Bob Shupp

saw Taylor’s skills and asked the young boy if he wanted to try it in

the water.

The results have been remarkable for Taylor.

“I loved playing water polo,” said Taylor, now the coach of the

men’s water polo team at Golden West College. “I had a passion to

play water polo and to be the best I could and it just led into

coaching. My passion for playing has turned into my passion for

coaching.”

As a goalie for the Mustangs, Taylor led Mesa to back-to-back CIF

Southern Section Division II championships in 1986 and ’87. He also

earned All-CIF Southern Section honors in his three varsity seasons.

His competitive spirit and passion for the game became more intense

with each year.

“When I first started playing water polo, it was fun, and it still

is,” Taylor said. “I enjoyed being in the water. Winning the two CIF

championships as well as the friendships developed, were some of the

highlights I had.”

After Costa Mesa, Taylor continued his success at Golden West,

where he remained a goalie and was the anchor for the Rustlers’

defense, as Golden West won two straight state championships in 1989

and ‘ 90. He was named the Southern California Player of the Year in

1990.

“It’s just a great program,” Taylor said of tradition-rich Golden

West. “The team chemistry and just the overall group of guys I was

training with made the difference in winning.”

Taylor went on to UC Santa Barbara after finishing up at Golden

West. He played there in 1991 and ‘92, and, when he was done, moved

back to Orange County. He was then asked if he wanted to coach a

frosh/soph team at Marina High and that’s where he started coaching

in the fall of 1993.

“That was a great experience,” he said.

Taylor enjoyed coaching and became more involved with it when he

worked as an assistant to Brian Kreutzkamp at Costa Mesa from

1994-96. The Mustangs won the CIF Division II title in 1995. In 1997,

Taylor became head coach and guided the Mustangs to the CIF Division

II title game.

Taylor continued his success at Santa Margarita High. While there,

he also was an assistant coach at Golden West, working under Ken

Hamdorf.

At Santa Margarita, he led the Eagles to the CIF Division IV

championship, then to the Division I title game the next two seasons.

Now, Taylor is at Golden West. He guided the Rustlers to a 33-2

record and a state title in 2002. Dating back to last season,

Taylor’s team has compiled a 46-game winning streak. In addition,

Taylor is the aquatics director at Golden West and is a full-time

professor.

“I love it at Golden West,” Taylor said. “I’m pleased. It was a

great experience as a player. For me to go back to the program I

enjoyed playing at is just great. I love going to work and I love the

coaching part. I really enjoy all of it.”

Taylor, 32, who lives in San Clemente with wife, Rhonda, is the

latest honoree of the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of Fame.