MALIBU, Calif. – Returning to Pepperdine after a successful professional water polo and coaching career, former Wave All-American and team captain Spencer Hamby ('13) was added to head coach Merrill Moses' staff on Monday.
"We are very excited to add Spencer Hamby to our coaching staff as an assistant coach," Head coach Merrill Moses said. "He is a Pepperdine alum who knows what it means to be a Wave and represent Pepperdine and our water polo program. He was one of the best centers to ever play for Pepperdine and has also played professionally in Europe and for Team USA. He was also a coach for the Olympic Development Program and was considered one of the best coaches for his zone."
"He will bring a wealth of knowledge to our program with his experience as a player and a coach and will help our program succeed in reaching our goals of winning conference championships and competing for NCAA Championships," Moses added.
Hamby returns to Pepperdine after enjoying a seven-year professional career in Germany from 2013-20, including a two-year stint where he helped the Berlin-based club Wasserfreunde Spandau '04 win two Bundesliga Championships. After his professional career overseas, Hamby moved back to the United States and served as the head water polo coach for the Garland Independent School District, located in Dallas, Texas, in 2023. There, he was also the coach of the Southwest Zone Olympic Development Program Cadet Team and was named the top coach for the Cadet division at the USA Water Polo Olympic Developmental Championships in 2024.
As a player, Hamby was a two-time ACWPC All-American while playing with current assistant coach Mike Tragitt and under Moses from 2009-12. Hamby was an immediate contributor for the Waves, scoring over 20 goals each in his final three seasons while serving as a team captain as a junior and as a senior. During his time in college, Hamby also earned spots on Team USA in 2009 and 2011 at the Junior World Championships. All told, Hamby scored 73 goals — including five games with a hat trick or better — and added 26 steals during his collegiate career.
"I'm excited to work with the Pepperdine coaching staff and to be back at my alma mater," Hamby said. "I am looking forward to bringing my experience and positive energy to the team as well as helping our student-athletes thrive in the classroom and the pool. Along with our excellent coaching staff on deck, I'm confident we can be competitive and win WCC championships."
Pepperdine is coming off a 25-6 season that included the team's highest national ranking since 2008 (#3), a share of the West Coast Conference regular season title and saw three Waves earn ACWPC All-American status.
