Photo courtesy of GoFundMe.com/AlanRuizFamily

Staff Reports

DIAMOND BAR– An assistant coach for Diamond Bar High School’s water polo teams collapsed in the parking lot after Tuesday’s practice and died a short time later.

Alexander Ruiz, 45, a walk-on coach for the Brahmas water polo and swim teams, has been with the school since 2013.  An avid sports lover, Ruiz was also a martial artist and black belt student.

“He (Ruiz) was leaving campus late in the afternoon and he collapsed when he got to the parking lot,” Interim Principal Guy Roubian said. “He was with other assistant coaches who are trained in CPR and they initiated CPR until the paramedics came. He had a heartbeat when they transported him, but he died shortly after reaching the hospital.”

“It’s a terrible tragedy and it shook the whole school and the program,” Roubian said. “It has hit us all pretty hard. It was a shock to everybody.”

Ruiz leaves behind a wife and 3 children, including two sons who attend DBHS.  He was the sole breadwinner in the family, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with expenses. Donations can also be dropped off or mailed to: Diamond Bar High School, Attention: Water Polo – Coach Alexander Matal, 21400 Pathfinder Rd, Diamond Bar, CA 91765.