Hard work in Beach pool pays off for Jewell 

By Jeff Dusing
Daily Forty-Niner

To those who see him standing next to his teammates, Justin Jewell does not look like much of a threat.

To those who know him, the 49er is one of the best players on Long Beach State's No. 3-ranked water polo team.

"He is obviously a player that has worked hard to get were he is," Head Coach Rick Azevedo said. "He has built himself into a good player that competes at a national level."

Growing up in Ojai, Jewell had to drive about 45 minutes from his home to Santa Barbara in order to keep up with his game.

"I went to a real small high school so I had to travel three nights a week to play club [water polo],"  Jewell said.

Jewell met Chris Segesman during high school. Segesman became Jewell's friend, roommate and teammate.

"He graduated a year earlier than me," Jewell said of Segesman. "We had a pact that wherever he ended up, I would go, so we could play water polo together."

Since he arrived at Long Beach State, Jewell has consistently improved his level of play, according to Azevedo.  Jewell is now one of the highest scorers on the team, with 29 goals.

"He is the best coach I've ever had," Jewell said of Azevedo. "When I came in my freshman year he told me to forget everything I knew [regarding shooting]."

According to Jewell, Azevedo worked with him to develop his passing and shooting game to the level it is now. This has earned him recognition by his coach, his teammates and opposing teams.

"He's a power player," said Segesman, who spoke highly of Jewell's value to the team.

Opponents have started to watch and guard him closer to avoid the threat of his outside shooting, Azevedo said.

Away from the pool, Jewel is working to obtain a degree in kinesiology.  He said he hopes to graduate in two years and become a high school physical education teacher and water polo coach.

Jewell is working on his coaching skills by instructing a team of mothers at Shore Aquatics.  The women are mothers of young water polo players who want to learn more about the game. 

Despite his teaching and coaching aspirations, Jewell's primary goal is to play water polo at the next level.  He said he would like to play for a league in Europe or even in the 2004 Olympics.

"I got some experience playing on the national B team this summer," Jewell said.  "I hope to become a more dominant player at that level."

Sports Information

High scoring junior Justin Jewell has 29 goals for LBSU.