By Paul Torricelli

Each season, SFA hears of junior tennis players choosing to forgo playing for their high school team. With this news comes the annual debate over the merits of playing for the school team or pursuing more challenging competition outside of school in order to improve your ranking.

It’s a tough decision but there are a number of reasons, usually valid, for making the decision to play elsewhere. Number one is the conflict between high school tournament schedules and significant USTA events – particularly in spring when the summer circuit looms and the prospect of competing in front of college coaches is very attractive.

Or it may be that a player thinks their school team and coach is lacking good practice partners or the real ability to develop their game.

Whatever a player’s individual reason for saying no to the school team, there is one overriding factor that makes joining the team exceptionally beneficial in the long run. We’re talking about the experience of team play. It’s one of the first things a coach looks for in any new recruit.  

What are College Coaches Looking For?

Firstly, lets assume that most high school players would like to play college tennis at some level. For these players rankings and results are paramount and one of the most important ways to attract the attention of college recruiters. But if that is truly the goal, young players need to think beyond simple wins and losses and examine what playing at the next level really means – and entails for them. Believe me, college coaches are looking past the ranking lists and quality wins. They are reading between the lines for the right “fit” for their TEAM. Regardless of school and their individual programs, all college coaches are constantly working and evaluating how to build, shape, and manage the team concept on a daily basis.

So what are coaches looking for as they scout prospects and do their research? Three things: Impact players who make their team better from the moment they arrive; juniors with histories of winning and real potential and “sleepers”.. Coaches love late bloomers overlooked by others who then thrive in college and excel beyond expectations. College tennis is loaded with these players who also tend to embrace the team concept from day one.

It’s equally important to understand what coaches seek to avoid. As good as these impact and sleeper players sound, they’re not guaranteed to be good team members – one of the most important factors to a college coach. Recruits who arrive at college without prior team experience have to learn from scratch what being on a team is all about and this can be a distraction and a drain for time-crunched coaches. Players who haven’t been through the highs and lows, nuances and concessions that come from working with others toward a common goal, often struggle when they have to adapt in college. And coaches do not have the luxury or time to hold hands until a player gets it. They need you to arrive on campus, buy into the team’s mission, and get to work.

Becoming a Team Player

You don’t just arrive on campus as a freshman and say, okay, now I’m a team player. As a college coach, I would nearly ask parents and recruits about the team concept and never heard one reply that they weren’t sure or that it wasn’t important. In fact, most of them usually enthusiastically answered that they loved being on a team. While I have no doubt that they were sincere, I am convinced that all but a few had any real understanding of what teamwork means.

Todd Martin once told me that despite the glamour and glory of Davis Cup, his days in college tennis were a true team experience. As with any sport, college tennis teams thrive on team chemistry or the lack of it. Every coach has a horror story of someone who ruined the experience for other players. And, without exception, every great player has gained from good team chemistry..

The most important thing to realize is that team play is about the team. In other words IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU! The ability and willingness to make a contribution and be one part of something bigger is what matters. College tennis players compete best when they are close with their teammates. Nobody wants to let their friends down, especially when he or she is battling on the court next to you. If a player chooses not to represent his school and play with his friends, they should have a very good reason for doing so.

At the end of the day, there are many people who will persuade you as a young player to skip the school team and focus on rankings and advancement. But with the best intentions in the world, they’re not college coaches and have never been in a position to see the day-to-day, year-to-year importance of good team play. They’ve never seen the repercussions of a player who is not a good fit on a team or to recognize the character building benefits of teamwork.

As a former college coach, I can assure you that playing on your school team is not only beneficial to your collegiate career it is part of that career.