Prep2PlaySports April Schedule Release: Recruiting and Half Court Offense

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Hi everyone,

I want to thank everyone for an amazing first month of Prep2PlaySports. We are very grateful for all the support from the water polo community.

Last month, we had Max Irving, Chase Dodd, Adrian Weinberg, and Brittany VanderGroef lead sessions on film analysis, nutrition, strength and conditioning, and performance habits. We are excited to now release our April schedule.

This month’s theme is recruiting guidance and half court offense.

We will be hosting two live recruiting webinars with current USC players Gavin Conant and Cam Kocur. They will share their recruiting processes, explain how they communicated with coaches, and answer live questions from athletes and families.

We will also have Frederico Juca Carsalade, Chase Dodd, Max Irving, and Adrian Weinberg leading sessions focused on half court offense, decision making, offensive creation, and goalie positioning.

If you cannot make a session live, every session is recorded and stored in our recording library so you can watch it anytime.

April Schedule

April 1 - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PST
Brittany VanderGroef
How to Optimize Sleep for Performance

April 5 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM PST
Gavin Conant
From High School to USC: Gavin’s Recruiting Process

April 8 - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PST
Cam Kocur
From High School to USC: Cam’s Recruiting Process

April 12 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM PST
Frederico Juca Carsalade
Championship IQ: Half Court Offense and the NCAA Title Winning Goal

April 15 - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PST
Chase Dodd
Half Court Offense Masterclass with Chase Dodd

April 19 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM PST
Max Irving
How Elite Players Create Offense in the Half Court

April 22 - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PST
Chase Dodd
Half Court Decisions: Pass, Attack, and Finish

April 26 - 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM PST
Max Irving
What Makes a Great Half Court Offensive Player

April 29 - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PST
Adrian Weinberg
Half Court Defense: Goalie Positioning and Protecting the Cage

Sign up here:
https://prep2playsports.com/

You can also check out a clip from one of our sessions with Max Irving here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMZw0z0lQF0

We are thankful for everyone supporting us and hope to keep adding real value to the water polo community. As always, we would love your feedback as we continue improving.

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Hi everyone,

Last week at Prep2PlaySports, we had two great sessions with high level Division 1 athletes who shared real insight on both recruiting and game strategy.

Cam Kocur from USC walked athletes through his recruiting journey and shared practical advice on how to stand out in the recruiting process. Tico Carsalade from UCLA broke down half-court offense using clips from UCLA’s 2025 NCAA Championship run and showed exactly what makes elite offensive players effective in a zone.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the week:

3 Half Court Offense Lessons from Tico Carsalade

1. Move without the ball against a zone
Tico emphasized that when teams are in a zone, your job does not stop after making a pass. As the defense shifts and focuses on recovering back to center, there is a great opportunity to slide into new water and create better shooting angles. The players who are dangerous in half court are constantly moving and making the defense adjust.

2. Always be a shooting threat
Even if you are not planning to shoot, you need to look like you might. Tico talked about getting high on your legs, showing the ball, and forcing the defense and goalie to respect you as a scorer. Just being a credible threat can move defenders out of position and create opportunities for your teammates.

3. Create action away from the zone
Another major point was that when a zone is loaded on one side, movement has to come from the opposite side. For example, if the defense is sitting in a 4 5 zone, there should be constant driving action from the 1 2 side. Tico also stressed that if the ball is at 5 and inside 2 meters, every drive should finish all the way at the post. Do not stop at 3 meters. Do not stop at 2 meters. Finishing the drive at the post opens up water and creates far more space for the rest of the offense.

Here is a clip from our session with Tico where he talks about why it is so important to always look like a shooter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-1jg3bOI5s&t=1s

You can watch the full replay at Prep2PlaySports.com

Recruiting Advice from Cam Coker

Cam’s session was packed with important recruiting advice, but two themes stood out the most.

1. Academics matter more than athletes realize
Cam made it clear that academics are a huge part of the recruiting process. You can be a very talented player, but if your grades are not where they need to be, many top programs will not be able to recruit you seriously. Strong academics do more than help you get admitted. They show discipline, consistency, and character, which are all traits college coaches value.

2. Market yourself and stay on a coach’s radar
Cam also talked about the importance of consistently reaching out to college coaches. Let them know when you are playing. Send updates. Share film. Keep your name in their inbox. Coaches receive a huge number of emails, so if they do not respond right away, that does not mean they are not interested. Often, the athletes who separate themselves are the ones who stay persistent and continue to follow up professionally.

Cam also spent time discussing the recruiting timeline, including when athletes can begin reaching out, when college coaches can start communicating back, what types of emails athletes should be sending, and how often they should follow up throughout the process.

Overall, it was a great week with a lot of valuable insight for athletes who want to improve both their understanding of the game and their path to the next level.

If you missed either session live, all replays are available on Prep2PlaySports.com. We definitely recommend going back and watching them.

Best,
The Prep2PlaySports Team

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Prep2PlaySports Weekly Recap: Half Court Offense with Max Irving and Chase Dodd

This week at Prep2PlaySports, we had two excellent sessions focused on what it takes to be successful in the half court offense. Both Max Irving and Chase Dodd broke down high level film and explained the small details that create great offensive possessions.

Max Irving’s biggest takeaways:

1. Offense starts on defense
Max explained that great offense often begins with great defense. Good blocks, anticipation, and transition effort create easier chances going the other way. If you want more offensive opportunities, it starts with how well you defend and how quickly you can turn defense into attack.

2. Step into free water
Max stressed how important it is to step into free water and attack with purpose. That small adjustment can turn a six meter shot into a five meter or four meter opportunity, which makes a huge difference at a high level. He also talked about picking the ball up immediately after a foul and getting to your legs quickly to keep the attack moving.

3. Stay active without the ball
Another major point from Max was that players need to stay active even when they are not getting the ball. Finishing drives hard, clearing through with purpose, using eye contact, and making yourself available all help create spacing and pull defenders out of the play. Smart movement without the ball creates offense for the whole team.

Replay: How Elite Players Create Offense in the Half Court - Water Polo Session with Max Irving | Prep2PlaySports

Chase Dodd’s biggest takeaways:

1. Movement breaks defenses
Chase emphasized how important movement is against a splitting defense. 31 drives, 21 drives, and smart movement away from the ball force defenders to collapse, communicate, and make decisions under pressure. Once a defense starts shifting and getting pulled out of position, scoring opportunities open up.

2. Live entries are everything
One of Chase’s biggest points was that live entries make offense much easier. The earlier you can attack and get the ball into center with space, the more likely you are to create an exclusion, penalty, or goal. He also showed how dangerous teams are when they attack early before the defense is fully set.

3. Confidence matters
Chase talked about how hesitation hurts offense. Whether you are deciding to shoot, fake, or pass, you need to be confident in your choice. One quote that stood out was, “I’ve missed way more shots than I’ve actually scored.” His point was that mistakes are part of the game, but if you lose confidence, everything becomes harder.

Replay: Half Court Offense Masterclass with Chase Dodd - Water Polo Session with Chase Dodd | Prep2PlaySports

We also have two more great sessions coming up next week:

Wednesday, Chase Dodd
4:00 to 5:00 PM PST

Sunday, Max Irving
9:30 to 10:30 AM PST

Prep2PlaySports

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Great clip from todays session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC5E_A7FXzQ