Men's Water Polo
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- pintaric@usc.edu
- Phone:
- 740-8458
Former USC All-American Marko Pintaric is in his 21st season on the USC staff and third year as head coach of the USC men’s and women’s teams.
Pintaric spent the previous three seasons as co-head coach for the USC men after three seasons as an associate head coach. From 2015-19, Pintaric also served as the scouting director for the USC women. Prior to 2015, Pintaric was as assistant coach to both the USC men and women.
In his first year at the helm of the USC program, Pintaric guided the men to a 16th straight NCAA appearance with a trip to the NCAA Semifinals in 2019. In 2020 with the women, Pintaric had the Women of Troy ranked No. 1 in the nation when competition was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As he enters his third year as USC’s head coach, he holds a 23-15 overall record with the USC men and a 34-2 record with the women. In 2021, Pintaric led the USC women to the NCAA Championship and was named MPSF and National Coach of the Year on the women’s side.
In his first season as head coach of the USC men, he guided the Trojans to a 15-6 overall record with a run to the NCAA Semifinals in USC’s 15th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
In all, Pintaric has been on the USC staff for nine men’s NCAA titles and six USC women’s national championships since taking on a coaching role in 2001.
A member of USC’s 1998 national championship team as a player, Pintaric was a two-year starter for the Trojans in 1997 and 1998. He recorded 44 goals during the Trojans’ 1998 national championship season and earned National Player of the Year and first team All-America honors. He also earned second team All-America honors in 1997. Pintaric was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team both years. He transferred to USC from the University of Zagreb in Croatia, where he was a member of the Croatian Junior National Team (1989-94).
Prior to coaching at USC, Pintaric served as the varsity coach at Loyola High in Los Angeles during the 1999-2000 school year. He has played club for Shores, Los Angeles Water Polo and New York Athletic Club, where he also was a member of the 2001 summer national championship team and four consecutive winter national championship teams (1999-2002).
In November 2012, Pintaric joined interim head coach Jovan Vavic on the coaching staff for the U.S. Men’s National Team, helping lead Team USA to World Championship qualification with success at the 2013 UANA World Aquatic Championship Qualification Tournament in Canada.
Pintaric graduated from USC in 2000 with a degree in communication and earned his master’s in 2003 in communication management. He and his wife, Beatrice, have two sons, Francesco and Filip.
