STANFORD, Calif. – There's a humility among student-athletes at Stanford, even the great ones. It's hard to be self-absorbed when there's someone more talented on the next field, in the next locker room, or even in the lunch line at Jimmy V's.
But at some point, the buck has to stop. And maybe that buck now stops with Ben Hallock.
An Olympian before he stepped foot in his first college class, the 20-year-old already is a fixture on the U.S. water polo national team and holds the promise of a long international future, in the image of his former U.S. teammate, the retired Tony Azevedo.
But at Stanford, Hallock is a redshirt sophomore and an economics major who has led Stanford to a new national No. 1 ranking and to its best start in nine years. During Saturday's 13-11 victory over then-top-ranked USC that improved Stanford's record to 9-0, Hallock scored four goals, including a breathtaking left-handed lob (he's right-handed) over a defender and goalie who strayed too far.
His influence on each game is much deeper than the goals he scores or the assists he passes for. At 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, Hallock gives Stanford a true center in the Shaquille O'Neal mold, but with more speed and skills.
"S.C. had to gear its entire defense around Ben," said John Vargas, Stanford's Dunlevie Family Director of Men's Water Polo. "He played a role in almost every goal in some way or another, even if he didn't actually score or assist."
Azevedo, the retired Stanford great who captained the U.S. and played in five Olympics, is the American icon of the sport.
"I see similarities between Ben and Tony." Vargas said. "They're excellent leaders and they're the best players in the pool. When you can have your best players be great leaders, you're going to be successful."
Hallock was the youngest to make the U.S. squad for the Rio Games in 2016, just after his graduation from Harvard-Westlake School. He quickly discovered the extent of physical play at the international level with bigger players and a more deliberate style.
"The first time I hit the water, in the first game against Croatia, it was 'Oh my goodness,'" Hallock said. "Just the sheer exhaustion in a very short amount of time. You train for months on end for this 36-minute game. You hit the water and go up and down twice against a 280-pound guy and it feels like you're just trying to survive. The intensity just goes up ten-fold."
If Hallock played with the same intensity against, say, San Jose State, "I'd be useless," he said. "I'd just be called for a ton of offensive fouls."
The advantage, however, comes on the mental side: "You come back and you'll be hard-pressed to find a situation or game that will make you more nervous than playing in the Olympics," Hallock said.
There are no guarantees for his national-team future, but Hallock no longer is on the fringe.
"A few years ago, it was just fighting for a spot on a single roster for any tournament," Hallock said. "Even now, there are no guarantees that your spot on the team's ever safe. But as I've gotten older, I have a lot more confidence in my position on the team, how I stand, and my production level in the international game."
If he wants it, Vargas said, Hallock could have a career like Azevedo's.
"For sure," said Vargas, an Olympian as a player and head coach. "But that's going to be up to him. He could have two or three more in him, but he's focused on other things as well, and he's trying to set himself up for a career after water polo."
But for now, from the perch of No. 1, Hallock has little reason to remain humble, though he remains so.
"Players like Ben come around only once every 10-15 years," Vargas once said. And nothing has changed, except perhaps Hallock's place in Jimmy V's line. Let him cut to the front.