BERKELEY – John Mann nearly skipped his recruiting visit to Bear Territory.
 
Growing up in Newport Beach and attending Corona Del Mar High School, Mann's comfort zone was on the beach in SoCal. So the idea of trekking north to play for the Golden Bears wasn't always part of his master plan.
 
"Of course I had respect for the program, having won (11) NCAA titles by the time I eventually arrived. And on an academic level, Cal is close to peerless," Mann said. "For me, those were the obvious upsides, but I just wasn't sure that I wanted to make that move."
 
Fortunately for Cal, Mann made the recruiting trip and it wasn't long after that he realized Berkeley was where he wanted to be. The rest of his collegiate journey is history, as he will be one of seven highly accomplished individuals enshrined into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend.
 
A water polo star for the Bears from 2003-06, Mann is as decorated as they get.
 
In 2006, he led Cal to the NCAA Championship as a senior – the program's 12th all-time – and was awarded the Pete Cutino Award as the nation's top collegiate player after scoring 80 goals. The three-time All-American ranks fourth on Cal's all-time scoring list with 218 career goals and went on to be a two-time Olympian (London, 2012; Rio, 2016), and won a pair of gold medals at the Pan American Games for Team USA.
 
Mann is proud of the accolades, but it's the lessons he learned during his time at Cal that he remembers most fondly.
 
"When I think about what this honor means to me, more than anything, I think about my teammates and my coaches," Mann said. "They're who taught me how to be a better leader, which I needed to learn a lot about when I arrived at Cal.
 
"I had the talent, but I didn't have that next level of mental toughness. It was (Cal head coach) Kirk Everist and my teammates who pushed me to be the leader and man I am today."
 
A disappointing end to the 2005 season marked the start of Mann's progression as a leader. The Bears missed the NCAA Tournament, but Mann and company knew they'd return a talented core that would eventually lead the way to a national championship the following fall. A team trip to Europe during the summer of 2006 brought the team closer together and built trust among teammates.
 
"We sacrificed, and as a result, we achieved," Mann recalled. "Any time you have a championship-level team, you have guys who are committed to a common goal. No one was bigger than the team; we policed ourselves and held one another accountable at every practice."
 
Mann credits Everist for being the catalyst of the 2006 title run and  someone who Mann finds plenty in common with at this stage in his adult life. Watching Everist adapt his coaching style to fit any given team, rather than forcing the athletes to adapt to himself, was something that held a lasting impression with Mann.
 
"I often reflect on what Kirk taught me and what he let me figure out on my own," Mann said. "That's what makes him so unique. As your mentor, he knows the answer to the question you're asking, but he's patient enough to make you figure it out yourself.
 
"A lot of coaches will give you a structure and there's no deviating from it, no creativity. We had a bunch of alphas out there at Cal and he just let us learn how to be teammates and eventually champions."
 
Mann's special connection to Cal extended further than just the aquatics pool. Now a financial planner in Southern California, Mann said the high-level expertise in every area at Cal – coaching, professors, advisors, administration and more – created an environment in which he could thrive.
 
"I love Cal with all my heart and I'm proud to be a part of it," Mann said. "There's an energy and a vibe about Cal that can't be replicated; not just with sports, but academically and culturally.
 
"Any time a young athlete sees the advantages of having a degree from Berkeley along with the athletics experience, it's hard to beat. I'm thankful that I recognized what a special place Cal is so early on."
 
For more information on tickets to the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame enshrinement banquet, visit bigcsociety.org.
 
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