2023 Men's Water Polo Roster
Jersey Number 22
Makoto Kenney
- Position:
- Attacker
- Height:
- 6-3
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Costa Mesa, Calif.
- High School:
- Newport Harbor HS
Bio
UCLA Career Highlights
• 2-time All-MPSF (Second Team - 2020; Honorable Mention - 2022)
• MPSF Newcomer of the Year (2020)
• 3-time ACWPC All-Academic Honors (Superior - 2020, 2022; Excellent - 2021)
• 2-time MPSF All-Academic Team (2021, 2022)
• 3-time Pac-12 Fall All-Academic Team (2020, 2021, 2022)
• 7-time UCLA Athletic Director's Honor Roll (Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023)
• MPSF/KAP7 Player of the Week (Feb. 1, 2021)
2022
Played in 16 of 27 games … scored 21 goals (fifth on team) on 44 attempts, converting at a 47.7 percent rate … was fifth on the team in total points (40) with 19 assists (fifth on the team) … scored a season-high four goals in a win over No. 7 Long Beach State (Sept. 9) … he scored at least one goal in 11 of the 16 games he played, including seven multiple-goal games, and two games with a hat trick … scored at least one goal in a season-best four straight games (Oct. 10 to Oct. 20) … also registered five steals, eight drawn exclusions, and six field blocks.
2021
Played in 22 of 24 games … scored 14 goals on 39 attempts, converting at a 35.9 percent rate … was ninth on the team in total points (25) with 11 assists (eighth on the team) … scored a season-high three goals two times on the year (in a loss at No. 2 USC on Nov. 6 and in an overtime loss to No. 3 California on Dec. 4) … he scored at least one goal in 10 of the 22 games he played, including two multiple goal games, and two games with a hat trick … scored at least one goal in a season-best three straight games (Sept. 11 to Sept. 17) … also registered nine steals, six drawn exclusions, and four field blocks.
2020
Played in 12 games … named the MPSF Newcomer of the Year (just the second Bruin all-time to earn the distinction, joining Garrett Danner in 2013) … named MPSF/KAP7 Player of the Week (Feb. 1, 2021) when he made his collegiate debut and scored a game-high and season-best five goals on just six shots in leading the No. 2 Bruins to a 15-9 home-opening win over No. 5 Pepperdine (Jan. 30, 2021) … finished fourth on the team in scoring with 20 goals on 46 shots, which ranked sixth in the MPSF (1.7 goals per game) … also finished fifth on the team in total points (26 - six assists) and added eight steals, four exclusions drawn, and two field blocks … scored in 10 of the 12 contests he played … logged goals in a season-high seven consecutive games (his first seven) and registered five multiple-goal contests including three hat tricks.
Team USA
Was a member of the 2018-19 Men’s Youth National Team roster … competed in the 2018 UANA Pan-American Youth Water Polo Championship in Clearwater, Fla. … found the back of the net three times in Team USA’s silver-medal finish in 2018.
High School/Club
Was a four-year varsity letterwinner in water polo at Newport Harbor High School under coach Ross Sinclair… named to All-CIF Southern Section Division I team in 2018 and 2019 … earned All-Orange County first team in 2018 and 2019 … notched three goals, three assists, three exclusions drawn and two field blocks in the 2019 CIF Southern Section Division I semifinal win over Loyola to lead the Sailors to back-to-back championship games … earned the Daily Pilot’s Dream Team Player of the Year honor in 2017 … scored a 360-backhand shot off of a foul in a 2017 league match to send the game to overtime where Newport Harbor eventually won the Sunset League title … led NHHS to its first league title and a CIF semifinal for the first time in four years … played club for Newport Beach Water Polo … helped the team finish sixth at the 2018 Junior Olympics … led the 12U team to a bronze finish in the 2014 Junior Olympics’ Platinum Division and earned first-team All-American honors.
Personal
Full name: Makoto James Kenney … born in Pasadena, Calif. … his mother is Waka Kenney … says he chose UCLA because of its strong athletic department… describes his greatest athletic thrill as “winning games” … lists Damian Lillard as the athlete he admires most … lists basketball as a hobby … is half Japanese … majoring in political science.
• 2-time All-MPSF (Second Team - 2020; Honorable Mention - 2022)
• MPSF Newcomer of the Year (2020)
• 3-time ACWPC All-Academic Honors (Superior - 2020, 2022; Excellent - 2021)
• 2-time MPSF All-Academic Team (2021, 2022)
• 3-time Pac-12 Fall All-Academic Team (2020, 2021, 2022)
• 7-time UCLA Athletic Director's Honor Roll (Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023)
• MPSF/KAP7 Player of the Week (Feb. 1, 2021)
2022
Played in 16 of 27 games … scored 21 goals (fifth on team) on 44 attempts, converting at a 47.7 percent rate … was fifth on the team in total points (40) with 19 assists (fifth on the team) … scored a season-high four goals in a win over No. 7 Long Beach State (Sept. 9) … he scored at least one goal in 11 of the 16 games he played, including seven multiple-goal games, and two games with a hat trick … scored at least one goal in a season-best four straight games (Oct. 10 to Oct. 20) … also registered five steals, eight drawn exclusions, and six field blocks.
2021
Played in 22 of 24 games … scored 14 goals on 39 attempts, converting at a 35.9 percent rate … was ninth on the team in total points (25) with 11 assists (eighth on the team) … scored a season-high three goals two times on the year (in a loss at No. 2 USC on Nov. 6 and in an overtime loss to No. 3 California on Dec. 4) … he scored at least one goal in 10 of the 22 games he played, including two multiple goal games, and two games with a hat trick … scored at least one goal in a season-best three straight games (Sept. 11 to Sept. 17) … also registered nine steals, six drawn exclusions, and four field blocks.
2020
Played in 12 games … named the MPSF Newcomer of the Year (just the second Bruin all-time to earn the distinction, joining Garrett Danner in 2013) … named MPSF/KAP7 Player of the Week (Feb. 1, 2021) when he made his collegiate debut and scored a game-high and season-best five goals on just six shots in leading the No. 2 Bruins to a 15-9 home-opening win over No. 5 Pepperdine (Jan. 30, 2021) … finished fourth on the team in scoring with 20 goals on 46 shots, which ranked sixth in the MPSF (1.7 goals per game) … also finished fifth on the team in total points (26 - six assists) and added eight steals, four exclusions drawn, and two field blocks … scored in 10 of the 12 contests he played … logged goals in a season-high seven consecutive games (his first seven) and registered five multiple-goal contests including three hat tricks.
Team USA
Was a member of the 2018-19 Men’s Youth National Team roster … competed in the 2018 UANA Pan-American Youth Water Polo Championship in Clearwater, Fla. … found the back of the net three times in Team USA’s silver-medal finish in 2018.
High School/Club
Was a four-year varsity letterwinner in water polo at Newport Harbor High School under coach Ross Sinclair… named to All-CIF Southern Section Division I team in 2018 and 2019 … earned All-Orange County first team in 2018 and 2019 … notched three goals, three assists, three exclusions drawn and two field blocks in the 2019 CIF Southern Section Division I semifinal win over Loyola to lead the Sailors to back-to-back championship games … earned the Daily Pilot’s Dream Team Player of the Year honor in 2017 … scored a 360-backhand shot off of a foul in a 2017 league match to send the game to overtime where Newport Harbor eventually won the Sunset League title … led NHHS to its first league title and a CIF semifinal for the first time in four years … played club for Newport Beach Water Polo … helped the team finish sixth at the 2018 Junior Olympics … led the 12U team to a bronze finish in the 2014 Junior Olympics’ Platinum Division and earned first-team All-American honors.
Personal
Full name: Makoto James Kenney … born in Pasadena, Calif. … his mother is Waka Kenney … says he chose UCLA because of its strong athletic department… describes his greatest athletic thrill as “winning games” … lists Damian Lillard as the athlete he admires most … lists basketball as a hobby … is half Japanese … majoring in political science.
| Makoto Kenney's Career Statistics | ||||||||
| Year | GP | GOALS | SHOTS | PCT | AST | STL | FB | EE |
| 2020 | 12 | 20 | 46 | .435 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 4 |
| 2021 | 22 | 14 | 39 | .359 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 6 |
| 2022 | 16 | 21 | 44 | .477 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Totals | 50 | 55 | 129 | .426 | 36 | 22 | 12 | 18 |