Duje Grubisic is a visionary leader in the world of water polo and aquatics. Born and raised in Croatia, Duje began his professional water polo career at the age of sixteen. His early experiences in one of Europe’s water polo powerhouses provided him with a solid foundation, which he later built upon during his collegiate career at Concordia University in the United States. Earning a full athletic scholarship, Duje was a three-time All-American and also earned Academic All-American honors during his time at Concordia University. His leadership qualities extended beyond the pool, culminating in a scholarship for his master’s degree and a role as a graduate assistant coach for Concordia’s men’s water polo team.

Duje’s coaching career is marked by remarkable success and accolades. As the founder, President, and CEO of Patriot Aquatics and head coach for both the 14U girls team and Beckman High School, he transformed the club from its humble beginnings into a nationally recognized powerhouse, now boasting over 300 athletes. His ability to develop both athletes and coaching staff has resulted in an organization known for both its competitiveness and its supportive, family-like atmosphere.

Throughout his career, Duje has personally achieved numerous prestigious titles, including:

In recognition of his dedication and skill, Duje has received several prestigious awards, including being named the Orange County Athletic Directors Association Coach of Character* in 2020 and OC Register Coach of the Year in 2023. His leadership guided both boys’ and girls’ teams to the semifinals of CIF Division 2, marking a historic achievement for the teams under his care.

Duje's educational background is as impressive as his coaching career. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business with a concentration in Accounting and Finance from Concordia University Irvine, a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Coaching and Athletic Administration, and a Master of Coaching and Exercise Science all from Concordia University Irvine. This robust academic foundation complements his professional experience, allowing him to manage and lead Patriot Aquatics with exceptional business acumen and coaching expertise.

Duje’s athletes have gone on to play for prestigious teams such as Stanford, UCI, USC, Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, UCSD, UC Merced, Concordia, LMU, Pomona Pitzer, Redlands, and Claremont. Under his guidance, his players have also won national championships in various divisions.

With his passion for developing well-rounded athletes, Duje is committed to nurturing talent both in and out of the pool. His approach to coaching emphasizes not only athletic excellence but also personal growth, character, and academic success. His athletes have gone on to compete at the highest levels, earning scholarships and national team placements.

Bojan Hrlec brings extensive experience and success as a coach and athlete. As an Assistant Coach for UC Irvine’s Men’s Water Polo team, he contributed to the team’s historic qualification for the NCAA Championships and their highest national ranking in over a decade. Bojan has also led youth teams, guiding 12U and 14U teams to high placements at Junior Olympics with Patriot WPC, including two runner- up finishes at the Platinum level.

From Irvine, Coach Miles has been playing water polo since the age of 8 years old. Growing up he played for Northwood Water Polo Club. Coach Miles attended Orange Lutheran High School where he won a CIF championship in 2016 and league titles in 2016 and 2019. This included multiple All-CIF team/Trinity league team nods. During his time at Orange Lutheran, Coach Miles also served as team captain for the 2018/2019 seasons. Following a successful high school career, Coach Miles transitioned to playing and studying at UC San Diego. At UCSD, Coach Miles received an all-conference award in 2021and was team captain in 2023.

Nadja Novakovic is an accomplished water polo player and coach, originally from Belgrade, Serbia. She began her water polo journey with Club Tas2000 and quickly rose through the ranks. From 2014 to 2019, she played for Red Star Women’s Water Polo Club, where she became a 6-time National Champion. Nadja also represented the Serbian National Team from 2014 to 2023, competing at the highest levels internationally.

Nadja continued her athletic and academic career in the United States, first at West Valley College (2019-2021) and then at Cal State Long Beach (2021- 2024), where she earned her degree in Psychology, specializing in Sport Psychology.

Coach Jose Cordero is entering his fourth year with the club. Originally from Costa Rica, he began playing water polo at age 12 and attended Irvine High School, where he served as captain during his senior year. In 2024, he earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular cell biology and physiology from Long Beach State and is currently pursuing a career in the medical field.

Coach Jose has been part of the Irvine High School coaching staff for four years, serving as head coach for the last two. He has experience coaching both girls' and boys' teams at various age levels. He is passionate about helping athletes reach their full potential and recognizes the value of water polo both in and out of the pool. Coach Jose enjoys learning new teaching approaches from other coaches and strives to grow his knowledge every day.

Born and raised in Mexico, Roberto Barrera began his water polo journey at the age of eight. His passion for the sport led him to the Mexican Water Polo Senior National Team, where he continues to compete at an elite level. Roberto is the current captain of the University of Redlands Men's Water Polo Team and a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business.

Roberto’s coaching career began in 2019 as the Head Coach for the 14U team at Leones Water Polo Club in Guanajuato, Mexico. Since then, his coaching experience has expanded internationally, and currently, he works as a Goalie Coach for Patriot, where he trains goalkeepers across all boys' and girls' age groups. During his time at Patriot, Roberto has developed Junior Olympics All Americans Goalies, demonstrating his ability to cultivate high-level talent.

Ivan Buich head coach of 18u Patriot boys team. Coach Ivan enters his third season as an assistant coach for USC men’s water polo. He is a 2-time MPSF Champion, NCAA championship finalist and semi finalist.

A native of Mlini, Croatia, Buich has over 15 years of coaching experience and has been playing water polo since he was 7 years old. Coach Ivan has coached at all levels and age groups of water polo in the US. After spending seven seasons at San Juan Hills High School as head coach of the boys’ and girls’ teams, reaching two CIF finals in that span. He also served as an assistant coach on the Santa Margarita Catholic boys’ and girls’ coaching staff, helping the Eagles win the girls CIF title in 2013.  Helping student athletes achieve their goal of studying and continuing playing careers at top colleges. He has had the opportunity to coach many successful college and club players through out his career that have reached professional and national team status. With Orange County Water Polo Club, Buich was a head coach at all levels, spending seven years with the 18-under boys. He has had top 10 finishes in JOs and top 5 finish in 2018. He has had teams place in the top of Futures League for the

Preslav Djippov is in his second season as a Head Men’s and Women’s Coach at Whittier College. He coached and built up the waterpolo program at Westcliff University in Irvine. In 2022 in his second season Djippov won the NAIA Championship title with Westcliff. With Patriot Aquatics as a coach for 18U boys he won the National Junior Olympics Classic division in 2023. He coached the club men’s water polo team at USC, before taking over the women’s water polo program at Columbia University, where his team won the New York State Division Championship in 2017.

At the same time, Djippov was coaching the junior and senior water polo teams at Greenwich Aquatics Club in Greenwich, CT. Coached the ODP Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs 2017. Coached and prepared many national travel team players. Won the Gold division title at the National Junior Olympics 2019 with the 18U boys team in Orange County.

After relocating to the west coast, Djippov accepted coaching positions with the Del Mar Water Polo club in San Diego, as well as Canyon Crest Academy high school, coaching the Girls Varsity team CIF DIV1.

Before coming to the states in 2016, Djippov was the assistant coach of Water Polo Club Cherno More-1948 in Varna, Bulgaria.