Q&A; WITH JEFF POWERS:

Jeff Powers offered it up as politely as his handshake Thursday afternoon at UC Irvine.

Still shiny and new, the silver medal Powers and three former UCI products won in the Beijing Olympic Games as members of the United States men’s water polo team felt, when the latest of a string of interviewers held it, as substantial as the accomplishment itself.

Powers, 28, a three-time first-team All-American at UCI from 2000 to 2002 and the Anteaters’ leading scorer in 1999 and 2000, was back at his alma mater to bask in his newfound and, some might say, surprising Olympic glory.

Toward the end of a day’s worth of interviews and congratulatory wishes from UCI athletes coaches and administrators, including Athletic Director Mike Izzi, who stopped to shake hands, ogle the medal and share some laughs with both Powers and UCI product and fellow Team USA member Rick Merlo, Powers was asked if all this attention was starting to get a little old.

“Not a chance,” he said. “This is something that doesn’t happen too often, so you have to enjoy it.”

Here is the interview that followed:

Question: Were you among those surprised that Team USA won the silver medal?

Answer: No, I wasn’t. The team went in there with the belief that we could win. We knew not many people believed in us, but we believed in each other. So, we weren’t very surprised at the position we were in. I think that kind of helped us that we weren’t in awe and I think we played better because of it.

Q: What does the medal mean to you?

A: It means a lot. It means that all those years of hard work weren’t for nothing. It means a lot for water polo in America. Not many people have a silver medal, so it’s a great thing that I can say I accomplished.

Q: What does it mean for water polo in this country?

A: I think it means a lot. We haven’t medaled for more than 20 years. From what I’ve heard, we had some pretty good exposure on NBC, so hopefully, us just being able to perform on a huge stage will make our pipeline a lot bigger to help the sport grow. I hope we inspired some kids to come out and play and maybe be future Olympians.

Q: Do you think the sport needed a shot in the arm?

A: Yeah, I think it kind of did. And with the men and women both getting silver medals, it kind of established the U.S. as one of the dominant programs in the world right now.

Q: What kind of feedback have you received since returning from Beijing?

A: Oh, everyone has been so excited and so supportive, it has been great. I have to bring this [medal] everywhere I go, or people get mad at me. Everyone is fired up. My mother-in-law wrote ‘silver medalist in Beijing Olympics’ right on my car and people on the freeway have been honking their horns and throwing their fists up. It has been great.

Q: How special is it to have had four UCI products on the team, including Ryan Bailey, Tim Hutten and the aforementioned Merlo?

A: It’s pretty special. All three of those guys are pretty good friends of mine, so to be able to share something with guys I’ve known for a long time and guys who came from the same program and know the sacrifices we’ve made, is pretty awesome.

Q: How crucial do you consider your time at UCI to your development as a player?

A: It’s what made me the player I am today. Coming out of high school, I really wasn’t that good. And then [then-coach and now coach emeritus Ted] Newland really transformed me into the player I am today. So, definitely, UCI has had a big part in my career.

Q: What are your future plans in the sport?

A: I’m going back and playing professionally in Italy. After that, my wife and I have talked about it and we’re going to take it year-by-year.

Q: Outside of your team’s success, what was your favorite thing about the Olympic experience?

A: I guess it was hanging out with all the athletes. I met a lot of really cool people there. I got to hang out with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Michael Phelps, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. They’re all super-cool people. And the best part about it was that even though those guys are bigger names than us, we were the same as them in that moment, because we were all just Olympians at the pinnacle of their sport. So, we were equals and not awe-struck fans.

Q: Where will your silver medal be in 20 years, buried in some drawer?

A: No way! I’m going to get this thing framed and mounted. We got playing cards of every player, so I’ll probably put those cards all around it inside a frame. This is something to be proud of and it doesn’t happen very often. It’s not something you throw in a drawer and forget about.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].