Three goals against Cal Baptist, two against Johns Hopkins, Princeton and Bucknell, another three against Harvard: This is the track record of water polo's Gordon Hood '11. And the best part is, he's a defender.
Head Coach Felix Mercado and Assistant Coach John McBride recruited Hood, a utility player in high school, into the Brown program last year from Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, Calif., to train under Gerrit Adams '08 for the position of two-meter defender.
Last season Hood came out strong, earning playing time in all 31 games of the season and scoring 32 goals for the team, making him the team's fifth leading scorer as a freshman, behind Adams, Hank Weintraub '09, Grant LeBeau '09, and Mike Gartner '09. Hood also stood strong on assists, helping his teammates to another 28 goals throughout the season, giving him the third best assist-record on the team.
"We recruited him to be an impact player immediately and he's been one," McBride said. "He's a true team-minded player and will field any role we ask him to play."
And while Hood has taken on the role of the two-meter defender for the team, he is also the Bears' second in line for the offensive two-meter position. Not to mention his position at the top of the Bears' scoring card.
"Gordon is probably the most underrated player on the team," said LeBeau, the team's captain this season. "He is by far the most consistent player we have and he can play any position."
And much of Hood's success seems to stem from his attitude. In addition to being classified by both teammates and coaches as a "team player," Hood is probably the only athlete in history to express satisfaction with morning practices.
"We've been training a lot harder and I like that because we're going to be better off because of it," said Hood.
This work ethic has paid off. This year Hood has continued to prove his skills in the pool, helping the Bears to victories against No. 12 Santa Clara and No. 13 St. Francis and a record of 3-0 in league play.
"I definitely had some big shoes to fill with Gerrit leaving the team," Hood said. "But I'm working with the best (Gartner) every day in practice."
On September 29, Hood was named CWPA Northern Division Player of the Week for his combined statistics of six goals, two steals, an ejection drawn, and an assist in Brown's two victories over MIT, 15-7, and St. Francis, 9-8. The win over St. Francis marked the first time the Terriers have been defeated in Northern Division regular season play since Oct. 19, 2002.
Since earning this title, Hood has helped Bruno take down Harvard 10-8 in overtime, contributing three goals to the game, one of which tied things up at a key moment in the end of the fourth quarter.
"He's a quiet kid who's never intimidated, who just lets his play speak for itself," McBride said. "I would guess that he will be one of the top players on the East Coast by the time he's a senior, and he should be an all-American."
Hood and his fellow teammates will continue their season Friday in New York, where they will take on Fordham.
