USC men’s water polo junior driver Robert López Duart comes from a family of aquatic athletes, with a father who played for Spain’s Club Natacio Barcelona and a sister who swam. But for López Duart, water polo wasn’t the first sport he dove into.

“I started when I was 4 playing soccer, because you need to try. I mean, I’m from Spain, so you need to try to play soccer,” López Duart said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “Maybe you’re good, but it was not my case.” 

Realizing that soccer wasn’t the sport for him, López Duart gave water polo a go. Growing up on the pool deck with his father, he’d been surrounded by the sport from the age of 5. And though he stumbled with soccer, he found water polo to be comfortable. At the age of 6, he began practicing three times a day.

López Duart went on to attend Centre d’Alt Rendiment Esportiu, a high-performance school for Spain’s top athletes. With academic and professional facilities comparable to those of a university, López Duart continued to grow, eventually representing his country on Spain’s U20 national team, competing at FINA Youth World Championships, now called the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships, and U19 European Championships.

However, López Duart encountered an early crossroad in his water polo career. He had to choose between staying in Spain or going abroad to compete at an American university.

Fortunately for López Duart, Spain’s national team coach offered him a scenario where he could have the best of both worlds.

“He was like, ‘Now you’re young. You need to develop. But, in three, four years, you can be thinking about the Olympics and everything,’” López Duart said. “It was like, ‘three [or] four years? Perfect.’”

With this in mind, López Duart came to the United States, enrolling at California State University, Long Beach in 2023. During his time at Long Beach, López Duart exploded onto the scene, earning 2023 Big West Freshman of the Year and Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-American second team honors, while notching both the single-season and single-game goal records for the school. 

Reflecting on what it was like having López Duart on the opposite end of the pool, seventh-year Head Coach Marko Pintaric noted the versatility of his play style and how difficult it was to play against him.

“[The game plan] was really to attack him, expose his weaknesses and get him to react,” Pintaric said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “This is exactly what other teams are doing right now, but he’s [gone] a long way from his first year [to] now. He’s a great player who sees the game very, very well.” 

That match on Oct. 27, 2023, was López Duart’s first experience with USC, and it stayed with him ever since, even after donning the cardinal and gold.

“I suffered all game. It was painful,” López Duart said of his first encounter with the Trojans. “Everyone posted me up. I don’t like to guard, so they attacked me a lot, and I got in my head.” 

Even with this experience, when López Duart had the opportunity to come to USC, he seized it.

“Something inside of me [told] me, ‘Go to USC,’” López Duart said. “I don’t know what it was, but I just had the feeling, and I wanted to come here.”

At USC, López Duart managed to top his breakout season with a stellar sophomore campaign. Last year, he was named to the ACWPC All-America First Team, NCAA All-Tournament First Team and All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation First Team, while leading USC with 64 goals. 

“I’m not scared [of] anyone tell[ing] me anything. I don’t like to focus on bad vibes,” López Duart said. “What I do is just enjoy playing, and, if I miss, I have a better chance to score the next one. It took me a long time, but if I have a bad day, forget it and go to the next [and] learn [from] what you did.”

Pintaric said López Duart’s mentality emanates across the deck into his teammates and coaching staff.

“Oh, gosh, God help us. He’s the biggest kid you’re ever going to encounter … He’s very intelligent, academically … and water polo wise,” Pintaric said. “Even when you have a tough day [or a] tough practice, he always brings that smile. He’s that type of teammate. Sometimes he drives us all crazy, but his true character is that he is really a little kid on a pool deck.”

Reflecting on his plans post-USC, López Duart admitted to the uncertainty of his future. With both the prospect of continuing his professional and athletic career in the U.S. and the lure of roots back home, López Duart said neither path holds significant advantages. 

“I’m not sure. I don’t know what to do. It’s between [going] back home and [playing] for a little bit, but at the same time, I may lose the opportunity to play for an American club like Olympic Club, L.A. Athletic Club,” López Duart said. “But I want to set up in Spain. My mom is like, ‘You need to go back, like, straight up go home after this.’”

While the future may be unclear, López Duart and the rest of the Trojans are clear about what they want this season as they search for an 11th national title. As USC heads into the second half of its season, López Duart, who leads the team in goals with 39, will continue to be a central piece of the team.