Press
Only a Game, National Public Radio & 90.9 WBUR, Boston 8/27/05
"Pro football combines have long existed to help connect coaches with players who'd like to play. Some showcases designed to help talented high school basketball players get the attention of college coaches even attract television coverage. But, can such a concept work for a sport like tennis? Bill Littlefield investigates." —NPR/WBUR Website
Listen to the complete broadcast on the NPR/WBUR Website.
"Students Well Served at Tennis Showcase"
By Susan Bickelhaupt, Globe Staff
Boston Globe: 06/26/2005 Page: C3 Section: Sports
NEW HAVEN - About 90 high school tennis players were swarming around the Yale Tennis Center for two days last week. Some munched on pizza as they killed time between matches; some gathered to read the pairings and results posted outside the brick buildings at the athletic complex; but most were on the 22 courts, showing off their skills for the 70 college coaches sitting in the bleachers.
Sure, the 48 girls and 40 boys swatting the balls are at the top of their game in high school, but the Tennis Strategies College Prospects Showcase now in its fifth year is another way for them to get the attention of college coaches.
Otherwise, most contact is limited to e-mails or videotapes that the kids send. Some coaches look at the top players in tournaments, too.
But, as Tim Donovan said, only three players from New England are sent to the junior national championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., every year, so that leaves a lot of unseen talent.
Donovan, who founded Donovan Strategies eight years ago to help high school students navigate the college recruiting waters, knows firsthand how daunting the process can be. Donovan, who went to Brown and then played professional tennis for four years, acknowledges that he was in a good position, being a ranked junior national player and having the benefit of older siblings advising him. But that was 20 years ago, and Donovan said that using tennis to get into college is even more competitive.
Donovan started the Showcase as a way to have coaches get another look at high school players. It's not a camp or a clinic, but a purely competitive two days in which the kids all going into their senior year of high school play singles and doubles matches.
The Showcase started at MIT, then was at Harvard for a year, and is now at Yale, which has plenty of court space. Donovan also felt that moving the location a bit south made it more accessible to players from outside New England.
While the Showcase predominantly features New England players, students from around the country attend, and this year players from Japan, China, and South Africa attended.
The 70 coaches representing 90 college tennis programs men's and women's come from Ivy league schools and all three NCAA divisions.
"This helps players find schools appropriate to their level of play, and gives them an opportunity to be seen by coaches," Donovan said. "There are a lot of good players out there that coaches don't get to see."
Before the Showcase, Donovan sends out packets to coaches that include the players' photographs, their GPAs, their SAT results, and their ranking information. So the coaches have a pretty good idea about whom they were zeroing in on.
"If somebody catches a coach's eye, that's great, but they're pretty focused on certain ones," Donovan said.
Wellesley coach Christine Franek said it gave her a chance to see players of all different levels.
"Sometimes at the nationals, you just see really elite players," she said. "Here, you may see more kids who are really interested in a Division 3 program. Certainly we have some idea who we want to look at, and some have contacted us. Also, often in high school, they only play singles, so it's good to see them play doubles."
James Neeley, who will be a senior at Thayer Academy, won both his matches Thursday morning.
"I was nervous at first," he said. "But you can see how you match up against the best players, so even if you don't win, you can look good."
Mike Quitko, the coach at Quinnipiac, said the Showcase gave them a chance to see more than just the tennis skills of the players. Since virtually all of them have top-level serves and backhands, Quitko said he was looking beyond that.
"I've been writing all day, and have worn out two pads," he said of his extensive note-taking. "I look at how they act, what they do without he ball. Like when the match gets tough, do they get tougher or do they fold? Those are things you want to know. If that whole team's going to rely on that player, they have to be strong."