They completed the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Tennis Tournament Sunday. The winner (Stanford ) is located near the Pacific Coast. The team they beat (Virginia ) had one American starter. Stanford had one international starter.
Scanning the rosters of the four North Carolina teams, I found no North Carolina starers. There were fourteen teams entered. I don’t know of any North Carolina starters on any team. Stanford and Boston College were the only two teams with less than five international players. Boston College was 0-13 in conference matches.
Most iternationals were starters, which probably indicates they recieved most of the 4 and 1/2 scholarships alloted per team. My guess is that currently the portal rules and the “likeness money” are making American college tennis the “minor leagues of professional tennis”: Just as they have in Men’s basketball.
Over the years many North Carolina colleges and universities have dropped men’s tennis programs, or both men and women’s teams. (East Carolina men, Appalachain men, High Point – both, Guilford ?, ). I know of none added.
Many blame Title IX. Me thinks that money is the more rational explanation.
Next Sunday concludes the 2023 season of tennis grand slams. TV tennis (save Disney vs Spectrum ) provides many viewing possibilities. Particularly THE TENNIS CHANNEL. Here are a few observations, plus this reminder: There many LEVELS to the game ( The pros are are many levels beyond beginners. They too break through barriers one at a time.) : There is a CLASSIC METHOD of Tennis instruction . A method that is best for most people. Viariations that work are ok ( “… if a flaw works, don’t change it !”)
GOOD NEWS
All kinds of improved play on the home front. Men and Women.
Vindication of College Tennis as a valid developmental pathway .
Tremendous high levels of African/American play by many.
There were so many comments like “… for the first time since—–” , it was almost routine. Not quite.
There were 25 plus players in the men and women’s singles draws that were involved, at some point, college players. The same was true of the 2023 French Open and Wimbledon. Many Americans, but also many internationals. Humans attain maximum physical ability at about 27 years of age. Think football and “red-shirting” for the worth of an extra year (one year ! ) of growth.
GIANT STEPS!
: CoCo ROCKS ! Semi finalistsMadison, Ben –Big Foe in quarters. Sloane Stephens, Chris Eubanks, Michael Mmoh, On Arthur’s court ! Yeah Serena, Venus and Richard Williams and to the black families that paid a big price in a difficult arena. And yet– how many atypical superstars could have made the leap with a college scholarship awarded to an international?
P.S. The ACADEMY pathway may well be best for early blooming world class players. Academy programs house them, feed them. and hopefully provide education , and teach them tennis. Actually good colleges do the same thing–and maybe more wisely at a more mature age..
Why not empasize high school tennis as it is the only place an average kid can get inexpensive, invaluable , match play experience? Can’t we find good coaches for our kids?
Technology in coaching! Heard of SWING/VISION?
TROUBLE
Medvedev d. Rublev 6/4, 6/3, 6/4. 29 games. Had they played the max or 5 sets of 7/6 (12 games times 5 =60 games—– plus 5 seven point tiebreakers. At a minimum, that would be 65 games. If Russians could survive that we do need to fear them!
HEAD, HEAT, HEART–the real dangers in sports. US OPEN casts spotlight on hotter weather!
Heat illnesses vary in danger. HEAT CRAMPS ( SYMPTOMS ARE OBVIOUS ), HEAT EXHAUSTION (SWEATTY, PALE SKIN , SICK AND WEAK ), HEAT STROKE ( HOT, RED, DRY SKIN AND POTENTIAL KILLER ).
The weather dictates change (s). Shorter formats, longer breaks, air condtioned venues, etc, “Tme for a cool change.” Spectators are avoiding 95degrees on aluminum bleachers. SAW = SALT (ELECTROLYTES ), ACCLIMITIZATION, AND WATER. PS –Ice is the best tool you have.
Lots of tools to fight heat problems. Learn them , have them , use them.
*Parity dictates change too. There are few pushover matches now, Intense points cause injury. Fatique, back to back 7/6 in the fifth, demand study. Tennis has to protect the health of it’s product. Chris Evert won 90 plus tour matches in a row on clay courts. Rarely did she have to play a deuce set until the semis.
“THINGS HAVE CHANGED “( B. DYLAN )
HACKALOOSKIS, POSSIBILES, AND QUESTIONS .
A HACKALOOSKI IS A BAD PLAYER TELLING A GOOD PLAYER HOW TO PLAY.
I asked Coach Roland Thornqvist , University of Florida’s Women’s Tennis, what he emphasized ? ” Hit it hard and run fast!”
I found magic in coaching college players to know how to play when ahead. Special moments are points 30-0 and 40-15. Up a service break ?—get a second break. I watched even Roger Federrer thinking he could benefit from that advice . ( The ultimate hackalooski ).
How to beat Serena ? Serena with a drop shot! How to beat Serena with a dropshot ? Serena with a drop shot and solid defensive technique against a dropshot.
THE TALENT CODE by Daniel Coyle says myelin is the answer. Or “deep practice” ( 10,000 hours ), plus ‘Ignition ” or the HSE (“holy shit effect “) when one committs to an arena. And find a good coach.
An example : There are 4, not 2, corners on your side of the net. The resurrection of the dropshot has pointed out the two corners up at the net! However, many don’t like to practice developing the different footwork, shots , defense against the drop shot, and volleying that crosscourt “dink” that most good players have perfected as the best choice responding. You have to establish myelin or motor memory, or entrenched synapses to master these different ploys.
You can’t drop shot on a hard court? Tell Carlito. You can’t lob a pro ? Here again another old ability, the topspin lob, is proven that “wrongy, dongy”. Hint: Refer back to practicing all these shots.
Again–levels of play : While even at a high level, crosscourt is the tactic of choice, As is the admonition “Don’t change the line of the ball ” ( or “don’t change from crosscourt to down the line “.) At least not until you are sure you can make the shot. Hit one more dependable crosscourt until then.
The problem with this advice at the top levels is you have to be able to hit these shots. And they can. Nine of 10 players are right handed. This demands concentrated crosscourt practice. Again the modern pro often defends 2/3 of the court with the forehand. It is common now that in certain situations pros will move to the exteme backhand corner , not only returning the crosscourt shot with a forehand–but creating a new and more exteme angle and a new winner.
Even great players have weaknesses. This year a rehabilitated Zverev looks like he corrected his 2nd serve dilema. I’m not sure about Sabalenka. The weakest link in tennis is the second serve. Teach a reliable second serve first. Hell is sitting blind folded and hearing the sound of a second serve hitting the net.
Hackalooski #2 —Tommy Paul ! Perfect the offensive and defensive intracacies of the drop shot and the topspin lob . P. S. North Carolina loves you.
Chris Eubanks Questions: I spent a lot of the early spring watching you with interest. Eariy on, your backhand looked suspect. Then I watched with amazement the shift to a great one hand top spin bomb. How did that happen so fast? Between you and me , when Medvedev finally moved up on the service return, did that cause you problems with the return volley? Or did that rush you on the serve?
You are capable of restoring the serve and volley as a big time advantage. Work on the time and technique between the serve and the first volley. ” Balance is the clue to good tennis and footwork is the clue to good balance.” ( Welby Van Horn ). *
This was Hackalooski #3. And p.s. we love you too, Chris!
2022 offered some silver linings in the American efforts in elite player development. 2023 ( French Open starts the rock throwing again : No Americans in the running! )
Forgive the pilvering: I can’t find the true author of a recent attempt to identify American shortcomings and causes in player development. Several systemic flaws listed are capsuled : Inadequate care of player’s injuries—lack of parental involvement—motivation and mental toughness—lower birthrate—lots of other attractive sports.
The first and main problem listed is described this way:
“… if you don’t start out with a trust fund, you’re stuck, especially for a sport like tennis that requires years of youth investment. This is a major, fatal disadvantage for American tennis. In Europe, South America and lately in Asia, kids from all social classes have a shot at a tennis career. If they show sufficient talent and motivation, there are numerous community organizations, government programs and general social assistance systems to help build up their careers, in part because these other societies strongly support investment in their youth. “
My inclination is to cite #1 as the core flaw to be dealt with.
“After all is said and done, more is said than done~” a.k.a. –What can we do?
Here are two starting suggestions:
Reserve a large portion (50 % ? ) of college tennis scholarship aid for Americans.
2. Support Hgh School boys and girls varsity teams.
High School teams are one place that participation is relatively inexpensive,
The coach is the key.
Team play adds a whole new element to the process. And teammates share the pressure.
A tremendous wealth of knowledgable people could help the coaches. players, teams, and parents.
This is not going to be easy. Money, Time, and effort are “musts”.
There have been a couple of documentaries lately about LITTLE RICHARD. He was a leader in the Rock and Roll “Boom” in the mid to late 50’s . Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, Marvin Gaye. Many other “greats”. I think Little Richard was the first to claim he was The King of Rock and Roll, but others entered the show by wearing a king’s crown and dancing down the aisle once the red carpet was laid down for this “king”.
About ten years later (1968 )there was another BOOM—-“Open Tennis ! The professionals could now enter the tournaments. The timing could not have been better. One reason was television. Tennis fit the screen perfectly. The Australians led the way, Borg and the Swedes, Spaniards. Connors, McEnroe, Sampras, Agassi, Evert, Austin’. Tons of Americans fueled the craze, Craze ? Boom? You Bet!
And it wasn’t just the players . A whole new market developed. Sure enough everyone needed some lessons and a green Yonex. When the USTA hosted a coaches clinic along with the USOPEN, would be “Kings of Tennis Teaching” cropped up from everywhere with “the way, the truth and the light ! From Elmer Gantry to Dennis Van Der Meer. Spreading like Kudzu or Pickleball.
So—1968 until 2023 —Who is the King ( or Queen ) of Tennis Coaching/Teaching ?
Good News: By and large the boom created an intense ,competitive, effort to learn, to earn, to win.
One high school coach proclaimed “…I can earn more teaching tennis in the summer than painting the classrooms or teaching Driver’s Ed”.
The surge of interest caught the attention of science, particularly sports
oriented scientists. Diet, psychology, —-all of a sudden winners thanked “my team “
Technology is about to radically improve the game.
Still there is BAD NEWS.
Where did you go Joe Dimaggio?
French Open 2023 (last week) ROUND OF 16 WOMEN- American Women ? One —CoCo.
American Men ? zip, zero , nada.
With the exceptions of Venus and Serena there has been no USA in “winning “ for decades.
As the old saying goes “… if we so smart, why ain’t we rich? “
Where did we go wrong? What can be done about it? What can I do about it ?
Last year several American men gave us a glimmer of hope. Tommy Paul, Francis Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz , Sebastian Korda provided impressive “shining moments”. Their training included the THE ACADEMY method of living, lodging, and practicing with master teachers. The latest French Open Draws had 11 men and 6 women in singles who played some college tennis. The COLLEGE method is strikingly like an academy that houses, feeds, finances, with professional coaches and hopefully education too boot. Even one season of college play affords an often needed extra year to develop one’s game. Think “redshirting”.
John Isner Is a North Carolina product of the FAMILY METHOD. John stayed at home, played high school, then college team tennis. Scholarshipped to the University of Georgia, John is quick to credit those 4 years as gateway to our finest player’s success.
And, historically , the FAMILY METHOD produced a large portion of elite American players.
There is no limit on the number of internationals playing college tennis.
And the number of and percentage of internationals awarded scholarships is staggering. We have paid for their training, while abandoning our own. And quite often at tax-payer’s expense. Many of these go from college play to the pro circuit.
My guess is that some form of this conversation has repeated itself between internationals: Player 1—“My country would not scholarship non-citizens like America!” Player 2. “Mine either. Can you believe how they simply gave college tennis to us?”
What should we do? One suggestion is to reserve at least half of our scholarship money for our kids.
Player development is expensive. Profitable playing careers are truly rare. Scholarship aid is the only reasonable way to recoup expense.
What can I do?
Having quit a job that I wasn’t suited for, I was advised to “ Do what you can do!”
I payed on every team that would give me a uniform. Little league, high school, two varsity college teams. Coached basketball and 40 years of small college tennis.
Along the way there were tons of hours on the court. And most with fine college players. Yet camps, recreation classes , club pro and public tennis, yielded a laboratory for all levels of players.
A lifelong North Carolinian, retired at the beach, The “what can I do “question was answered by —-HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS.
I believe in TEAMS. Team play. Sacrifice for my mates. Playing for my school.
I know that the coaches need help that we can give. Some schools can’t find anyone to coach teams. THE ARE MORE GIRLS PLAYING HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS THAN BOYS—yet finding girls teams a good coach is particularly tough. “The route to the most improvement is through coaching the coaches”.
I dream we will scholarship our kids first.
I suspect scholarships are the best bet to motivate our people to invest what is needed to
How many men and women players in the 2023 French Open tennis tournament played American college tennis at some time?
There were a total of 11 men and women players in the 2023 French Open tennis tournament who played American college tennis at some time.
Men:
Sebastian Korda (University of Southern California)
Jack Sock (University of Nebraska)
Taylor Fritz (Texas A&M University)
Tommy Paul (University of Georgia)
Brandon Nakashima (University of California, Berkeley)
Marcos Giron (University of Southern California)
Denis Kudla (University of Virginia)
Steve Johnson (University of Southern California)
Frances Tiafoe (University of Maryland)
Michael Mmoh (University of Southern California)
Women:
Sloane Stephens (University of Florida)
Madison Keys (University of Illinois)
Coco Gauff (University of Georgia)
Danielle Collins (University of Florida)
Alison Riske (University of Florida)
Christina McHale (Princeton University)
It is worth noting that some of these players may have only played American college tennis for a short period of time, or may have transferred from another school. Additionally, some of these players may have also played professional tennis before or after their time in college.
HOW MUCH MONEY WAS SPENT ON AMERICAN VARSITY TENNIS TEAMS BY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 2022/2023?
According to the NCAA, colleges and universities in the United States spent an estimated $135 million on varsity tennis teams during the 2022-2023 academic year. This figure includes expenses for coaching salaries, travel, equipment, and other team-related costs.
The average cost of a varsity tennis team at a Division I school was $1.5 million, while the average cost at a Division II school was $500,000. The cost of a varsity tennis team at a Division III school was significantly lower, at an average of $250,000.
The cost of varsity tennis teams has been increasing in recent years. This is due to a number of factors, including the rising cost of coaching salaries, travel, and equipment. Additionally, the popularity of college tennis has been increasing, which has led to more schools investing in their teams.
Despite the rising cost of varsity tennis teams, the sport remains a popular option for college athletes. Tennis is a relatively low-cost sport to participate in, and it can be a great way for students to stay in shape and compete at a high level. Additionally, college tennis can provide students with valuable opportunities to learn about leadership, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
Here is a breakdown of the estimated costs of varsity tennis teams at different levels of competition:
Division I: $1.5 million
Division II: $500,000
Division III: $250,000
These costs are estimates and may vary depending on the specific school and team.thumb_upthumb_downuploadGoogle itmore_vert
DOES THIS INCLUDE SCHOLARSHIPS?
No, the $135 million figure does not include scholarships. Scholarships are awarded to student-athletes based on their academic and athletic achievements. The amount of scholarship money that a student-athlete receives can vary depending on the school, the sport, and the student’s academic and athletic achievements.
The NCAA does not allow schools to use scholarship money to cover the cost of travel, equipment, or other team-related costs. This means that the $135 million figure only includes expenses that are directly related to the operation of the varsity tennis teams.
However, it is important to note that scholarships can help to offset the cost of attending college. This is because scholarships can be used to cover tuition, fees, room and board, and other expenses. As a result, scholarships can make it possible for student-athletes to attend college without having to take out loans or work full-time.
If you are interested in playing tennis in college, it is important to research the different schools that offer tennis scholarships. You should also contact the coaches of the schools that you are interested in to learn more about their scholarship program.
DESCRIBE THE TRAINING TOGETHER BACKGROUND OF AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYERS TOMMY PAUL , FRANCIS TIAFOE, AND SEBASTIAN KORDA
Tommy Paul, Francis Tiafoe, and Sebastian Korda are three American professional tennis players who have all trained together at the USTA National Training Center in Boca Raton, Florida. They have known each other since they were young kids and have been competing against each other for years.
Paul is the oldest of the three players, born in 1997. He turned professional in 2014 and has reached a career-high ranking of 30 in the world. Tiafoe is the next oldest, born in 1998. He turned professional in 2015 and has reached a career-high ranking of 29 in the world. Korda is the youngest of the three players, born in 2000. He turned professional in 2018 and has reached a career-high ranking of 35 in the world.
All three players have had success on the ATP Tour. Paul has won two ATP Tour titles, Tiafoe has won one ATP Tour title, and Korda has reached the finals of two ATP Tour events. They have also all represented the United States in the Davis Cup.
In 2022, Paul, Tiafoe, and Korda all reached the round of 16 at the US Open. It was the first time that three American men had reached the round of 16 at the US Open since 1999.
The training together background of Tommy Paul, Francis Tiafoe, and Sebastian Korda has helped them to become successful professional tennis players. They have pushed each other to be better and have learned from each other’s experiences. They are all still young and have a lot of potential to achieve great things in the sport of tennis.
Here are some additional details about the training together background of these three players:
They all started training at the USTA National Training Center when they were young children.
They have all been coached by the same coach, Patrick McEnroe.
They have all competed in the same tournaments and have faced off against each other many times.
They are all good friends and support each other on and off the court.
The training together background of these three players has been a major factor in their success. They have learned from each other and pushed each other to be better. They are all still young and have a lot of potential to achieve great things in the sport of tennis.
Below is a letter to me that states the position of NCAA President Mark A. Emmert on international athletes in American college athletics. And I agree with the content. However, I believe there is another tenable side to this issue. Therefore, in addition to President Emmert letter, I have shared what I believe is another salient side to the issue.
Dr. Mark Emmert President, NCAA PO Box 6222 Indianapolis, Indiana 46206
Dear Dr. Emmert,
I am appreciative of your letter of March 15, 2017. Earlier this winter I had a long conversation with Timothy Russell , CEO of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). I have also pled my case to Paul Lubbers of USTA player development, the Southern district of USTA, (STA) and the North Carolina Tennis Association (NCTA).
And have done so with countless others since 1970. Your response ensures that I have been heard at our highest levels and that is truly fair.
Approaching age 77 with fifty years of coaching, teaching and administering in two small (Barton College) to mid size Division 1 (Elon University), I have watched this issue closely, and while I fully agree with diversity and inclusion and equitable participation, there seems to be more to the issue.
My teams rosters included fifty plus internationals. From about a dozen different countries. Roland Thornqvist, women’s tennis coach at the University of Florida just won the women’s D1 National team tennis indoor title, owning a handful of national titles. I recruited Roland to the USA and he is probably best known of my recruits who are in the athletics arena and have stayed in the country. No less known in the world of orthopedic surgery in America is Dr. Pramote Malisitt, a native of Bangkok, who remains in our country. Dr. Peter Lindstrom, is one of twenty nine Swedes whom I recruited, and who is nationally known as a vital computer expert with our defense department. Neither our schools, nation, nor I would wish they weren’t here.
Never have I suggested we shouldn’t have delved into internationals then or now. But it seems to me to be a half full/half empty issue. Not once have I ever said an international should be prohibited from participation. Or equal admittance. The elephant in the room is scholarships. Never have I suggested internationals should be exempt from a reasonable amount of money. I do believe that the NCAA has a legal right to provide aid to our citizens first. One link to follow allows that about 200 million American dollars go into international men and women tennis players.
Many parents and taxpayers question all foreign rosters, all with grants and many from state schools. (See enclosed latest rankings from Division II) I wouldn’t object to an all international team in any sport if they paid the bill. But to scholarship an all African team, rather than an African American team is bothersome, to say the least. What we have now is foreign aid, not trade. Not once in the many times I asked any international , “Would your native country do what we do?” was the answer yes. And the money is coming from the coffers of the only reasonable financial return for all the expenses encountered: Scholarships. Scholarships can easily amount to a quarter million dollars per student ,over four years. Not to mention the subsequent benefits of quality education. I don’t even mention the rarity of professional player rewards, as we all know the status of American elite players. That is another issue, but giving American college tennis to internationals via disproportionate scholarship is directly related to this demise (again link to follow).
Basketball, golf, and other international sports are making forays into the American college arena. As a young coach I quickly realized if they have a nuclear weapon or two, I had better find some to help me keep my job. This is true today. Witness Duke University’s meteoric rise in Women’s golf. Surely young coaches watched an all international roster ascend to the top. Is this the intent of Title IX for our women? The American college system is the best system in the world to train elite athletes. The best example is surely Women’s Soccer.
Soccer, the most widely played sport in the world ,has never been won by American men. Yet, since the advent of Title IX our women have won three world cups in soccer. All twenty three women were participants in American College Soccer. And I’d bet they all had scholarships. Some one asked me where was the national training center for women on the world cup team? Chapel Hill, I replied. (Anson Dorance’s UNC teams had six of the twenty three players). And his teams influenced all the rest.
Upon accepting the job at Elon University, the then president admonished me, “… we don’t want an all foreign team!” After ten years that included a national team championship, I was concerned that a walk-on international was good enough to shift our team balance to more than 50% international for the first time. A decided shift in attitude was “ Coach we’ve decided that we don’t care where they are from if they are the quality of people you’ve been recruiting.”
And, while this validates your position, I believe a compromise is the answer.
My internationals returned home at about a 90% rate. That money may have brought in any number of our own citizens, equal in every way, except talent in tennis, as a true 18 year old freshman . (see DAY DREAM BELIEVER) on addendum to follow. Without scholarship aid for many American tennis youngsters, the “…pathway to opportunity” does not currently exist.
I have shared a few opinions, mine and others, on Addendum 1.
I intend to include a copy of your letter, and valid position to several interested parties. Knowing I have had my say, I remain sincerely grateful.
The southeast is experiencing lots of colleges dropping of sports. Men and women’s tennis teams are among the first to go it seems. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association is trying to stop the bleeding. Here are a few personal observations:
Scholarships: International college tennis players, men and women. are usurping the scholarships. College tennis sold its soul to winning.
Diversity: Coaches hitched on to the popular gravy train of “diversity”. Diversity in college tennis became an American with a large scholarship.
Facilities: The big question is why do athletics directors cut non revenue sports with tiny budgets and paying customers. In our area the schools who have cut tennis often need new, competitive facilities. The price tag has gone up for these. The schools in our area who have dropped tennis all seem to need new facilities. (Appalachain, East Carolina, Winthrop, High Point for a few).
In my active career as a tennis coach I found a sympathetic ear from my athletic directors about saving grants for Americans.
“I’m gonna bring that up at the convention!”) Post convention apologies went like this—“Tom, I’m sorry. The football and basketball problems are so big we forgot about tennis.”
2020 and the squeeze is on and the A.D’s and President’s may be thinking differently: ‘Wait a minute! We are giving eight women’s and 41/2 men’s grants to almost all foreign kids. They eliminate Americans who often pay the freight? Plus we don’t have a reasonable facility and we’ve promised them one for years. More and more are building larger more expensive, arms race courts. And my coach say we can’t be competitive without an indoor facility. What’s that 12 and 1/ 2 times 50k a year in foreign aid. Six hundred thou, plus? Then indoor and outdoor courts, another 3 million?
Conclusion: The only revenue of sizable amount from non-revenue college sports is when an American parent writes that checkto the schools.
PASSION
Being a coach often makes you almost surrogate fathers. Certainly you care about your players. My passion is care for American junior tennis players and their access to a fair share of our college and university tennis scholarships. I believe there is a direct link between awarding so many of our scholarships to internationals that we have run our own kids out of tennis, and other American sports as well.
Is this patriotic or xenophobic? Is it illegal to reserve state tax money for our state’s youngsters. Where is the fair “fine line” we can expect?
Passion number two: The model for successful American juniors has been the FAMILY not the ACADEMY model. No ones cares like the parents. Proper parental guidance, local teaching pros, community tennis “angels’, junior tournaments, high school team play, and on to college tennis. Examine our golden era of pros (Evert, Connors, McEnroes, Sampras, etc).
Academies are often filled by throw away kids, limited rich kids, and a selected few who get all the attention. More importantly it is questionable academically and personally.
I spent a lot of effort on the international issue. Below are some clips, or comments from other related articles. www.tomparham.wordpress.com has these articles and more in toto.
Anyway–to start the new year how about the SIX BY SIX plan? There are six singles players in the standard team format. There are also 6 slots for doubles (2 players per team, 3 teams). How about this: Six of the twelve slots must be filled by Americans
(From XENOPHOBIA)
Sixty years ago Carolina won its first national NCAA basketball championship. We watched it on this new thing called TV. UNC beat my Wake Forest Deacons four times in close games that undefeated year for the Heels (32-0). The last one on a buzzer beater by Lennie Rosenbluth. UNC Coach, Frank McGuire observed “…the Baptists and the Catholics were having a swell game when the Jewish kid ended it all”.
This year’s UNC roster was made up of all American players. Three of five solid starters were from our state. Gonzaga listed five internationals on their roster. Someone said there are five thousand international basketball players in the USA.
. I asked Coach Verdieck early on if he knew Dennis Van Der Meer? Not only is Van Der Meer the world’s most prolific tennis teacher, he was very close to my mentor, Jim Leighton. Verdi eck said, “know Dennis”? I taught him 90% of what he knows!”
When I asked Coach Leighton if he knew Coach Verdieck, he said no. I told him of the Verdieck comment about Dennis Van Der Meer. Leighton was appalled, and said he intended to ask Dennis about that!
A couple of years went by and I asked Leighton if he’d asked about Verdieck. Leighton admitted that Dennis had responded, “Yes, that’s probably about right.”
THE USTA HAS COME UNDER FIRE JUSTIFIABLY FOR THE LACK OF RESULTS FOR THE TREMENDOUS MONEY POURED INTO “PLAYER DEVELOPMENT”.
. Five years ago I told all kinds of parents and friends that Title IX would provide tremendous opportunities for our girls, through golf scholarships. In just five years later, I wonder. Have you witnessed the women’s world golf rankings. The number of Korean players at the top is truly impressive. Due in no small part to a frenzied number of young Koran aspirants, putting in the lengths of practice sessions we reserve for school.
How long before we see college coaches bringing in entire rosters of girl golfers, borderline if not pro, from overseas? Tennis blinked and boom, no scholarships left for us.
What happens if internationals usurp collegiate basketball scholarships?
Was Title IX intended to offer opportunities for our women, or someone else? Other sports? Those to come?
MY high school football team, playing in the homecoming game, gave up a quick touchdown. Then we fumbled on the first play on offense. In our defensive huddle our captain concluded, “…we better get a toe-holt on this son of a bitch.”
North Carolina has produced 3 real moneymakers from professional tennis. One,Tim Wilkison, turned pro at age 17. John Isner and John Sadri attended college 4 years on tennis scholarships before going pro. Sadri and Isner both credit college tennis for their success.
From the 1970’s until today, the number of scholarships awarded to internationals has spriraled upwards, as grants for Americans declined in response.
Within this same time period Americans among the upper tier of professional tennis has declined to the point of alarm. Obviously the two are connected.
Scholarships are the only reasonable financial reward for American athletes. Professional tennis as a possibility has proven a particularly unreasonable bet.
American women’s sports have produced two interesting related examples.
Our women just won their third soccer world cup since Title IX (1970). Of the 23 roster members on the USA squad this year, all 23 attended college. My guess is that all were on sizable soccer grants.
Duke University’s women’s golf team finished 2nd in NCAA this spring. There was not an American on the roster.
is it not possible to reserve American monies for American young people? Would the NCAA go to court on the issue? Is it true the NCAA is not a “state actor”, i.e, able to make decisions in the best interest of the organization?
I asked if he’d consider recruiting a player from this state? It was a state funded university, yet with a typical all international roster. His response was “…Oh no! Our fans wouldn’t tolerate a lesser quality of team!” I couldn’t resist noting that there were three non-players in attendance–me, him, and his school’s financial aid officer.
The second speaker startled me and others with his topic. Stripped down, it proposed to bring smaller satellite tournaments for college tennis in America. One panel member questioned where was the financing of these local tournaments coming from? Response: “we already have five million dollars in reserve.” Silence! Who is that sponsor was the question from the floor. I do not remember the name but another panelist replied “that is a gambling outfit in Europe isn’t it?” Yes was the answer. We all seemed a little stunned. And did not bring up the subject through the next several presentations.
As I exited the meeting Coach Kriese stopped me and asked “what do you think?” I was very frank with my friend –“Chuck this is an attempt to bring big time gambling to American College Tennis.” I was then no longer involved with this effort.
THE ISSUE CONTINUES
But the time has come for others to help. What about a USTA “think tank”. Don’t we have any lawyers? The last I heard a ton of money will find a good lawyer. The USTA got any poker players? I bet there is a legal way. At least run a good bluff at litigation. Bet the NCAA wouldn’t take the football/men’s basketball money to risk on an expensive trial?
I think it is right and legal. But somebody has got to “…screw up some courage”. Only those who love American tennis will do it.
Few good Americans develop without high school tennis.
Girls high school teams and girls of limited ability are the most neglected learners and often the most receptive.
The maturing of our women’s league players, coaches, and administrators is a gold mine of help for high school girls teams. Boys too.
There are a lot of different ways to help our high school teams and coaches.
The two toughest teaching spots are developing a working one hand backhand grip for 1. the slice and 2. the advanced serve.
The Men’s singles finals yesterday was Andy vs the Joker. Since 2010 my strong feeling has been that these two had realized the value of the offensive and defensive demands of great drop shots, and worked the hardest at developing the necessary skills.
Yesterday’s rain delay and other duties caused me to abandon my drop shot chart. Over the first several games Novak won 5 of 6 drop shot attempts. He had a wide open down the line pass on the one point he lost. Andy tried two and won both points when I had to miss a lot of the match.
I would love to know the feeling of these two champions as to 1. doesn’t an effective drop-shot have a particularly tiring or fatigue potential 2. as well as a psychological damage that is a corollary weapon.
I don’t think this is going to “back off” any. And I would remind all players that you have to develop defensive quickness, and movement patterns and postures that offset this demon.
“In the last decade or so, UConn and other top programs have increasingly sought players from Europe, Canada, Australia and Africa, as a growing parity in college basketball has made recruiting increasingly competitive. There were four different women’s champions in the four seasons before the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 N.C.A.A. tournament.
All four No. 1 seeds in the 2021 women’s tournament — Stanford, UConn, North Carolina State and South Carolina — listed at least one international player on their rosters. South Florida, another tournament team, listed 11, along with a player from Puerto Rico.
UConn (25-1) is seeking its 12th national title with a roster that includes two Eastern Europeans — Muhl, who injured her ankle in the Huskies’ first-round win on Sunday night, and Anna Makurat, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard from Poland — and Aaliyah Edwards, a 6-3 freshman forward from Canada. They are three of only 12 players from outside the United States signed by Auriemma in his 36 seasons coaching at UConn.
“If you don’t have international players, you’re almost behind the ones that do,” said Blair Hardiek, global technical director for the N.B.A. Academy Women’s Program, a development project for international athletes.”
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Onions have many layers. Lots of things do. Earlier I cited a letter addressing international men tennis players in small colleges in 1970. Kudzu-like, this layer of college athletic issues has added women.. All divisions of organizations (NCAA,NAIA, JUNIOR COLLEGES,etc.), tennis, track, soccer, race, money sports and non revenue, Nearly all of our arenas.
Again my concern is for “our kids”. Women’s basketball at the top allows 15 scholarships annually. African – American women will lose a lot more scholarship money as this trend expands. An American is eliminated for every international granted a scholarship.
The Little Green Book of Tennis 