US College Signings 2018 (and general college chat)

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

US College Signings 2018 (and general college chat)

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Article on Brigit Folland who graduated from South Carolina this summer. A graduate assistant coach is someone who is taking a graduate degree (usually 1 year) and who is paying for it by providing coaching to the institution's tennis team.

athletics-news-lenoir-rhyne-university-tennis-names-brigit-folland-graduate-assistant-coach.aspx

-- Edited by The Optimist on Thursday 7th of September 2017 01:04:49 PM

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Article (from May) announcing Max Stewart's signing for Oklahoma

http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211603907

-- Edited by The Optimist on Thursday 7th of September 2017 01:02:09 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Good to see it come round again

I was surprised how long Sofia Kenin took to decide to go pro. Ranked in the top 150, and having just won $140k at the US Open, she finally decided to de-commit from college. But it's a sign how close it was (maybe Emily App and Jodie might ponder thereon).

And Geller, the runner-up at Wimbly Boys, junior WR 4, and still in the US Open juniors, is still going to Stanford, showing no sign of going pro.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

For the top young Americans who are very comfortable with the college system and what it has to offer, I feel it is as much about level of maturity as standard of tennis. Whilst great to have the potential to earn a living from playing sport, the lifestyle for the first few years can be stressful and at times a bit lonely. Not all 17-18 yo's can cope with that (indeed I feel a lot of our female players over the years haven't reached their potential more due to the lifestyle than any lack of ability). So why not go to college for a bit until you feel a bit more grown up, independent and self-assured.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I had a brief chat with Alex Geller at Roehampton and he was extremely excited about going to Stanford. I would be very suprised if he didnt go.

Academically a fabulous opportunity and given you also have to consider the competition on campus, becoming No 1 would be a challenge and an opportunity to develop from a tennis perspective. He would definitely keep Tom Fawcett on his toes.

skibbarriz · Strong Club Player

The Optimist wrote:
For the top young Americans who are very comfortable with the college system and what it has to offer, I feel it is as much about level of maturity as standard of tennis. Whilst great to have the potential to earn a living from playing sport, the lifestyle for the first few years can be stressful and at times a bit lonely. Not all 17-18 yo's can cope with that (indeed I feel a lot of our female players over the years haven't reached their potential more due to the lifestyle than any lack of ability). So why not go to college for a bit until you feel a bit more grown up, independent and self-assured.

I think most of our 19-21 ish female players on tour would have been better off going to U.S. College. And i don't say that in hindsight, but because i think that unless you are truly elite jnr at 18 AND showing results in pro tournaments, College is the best option.

I don't sense that the lifestyle on tour has held them back, but i'm not sure what aspect of it you are looking at when you say that. I'm unaware of them showing signs of unprofessionalism or immaturity, or emotional difficulties with tour life.

I think certain players are now stagnating WR 300-400 because they are simply fulfilling their projected rankings for juniors of the level they were. Not because something has gone wrong. They are decent, but everyone else ranked around them is decent at tennis too. And those ranked significantly above them have exceptional talent.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

College is a better option for many of the British young female players, in particular, because, as mentioned elsewhere, we have no club structure of any note here.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Quite a sweeping statement perhaps the general sentiment is correct, I don't know exactly what the difference in outcome is but definitely something the LTA should survey.

Stanford include in their recruiting literature (for their footballers and possibly basketball players where they are up against it to recruit the NFL quality talent with the academic pedigree to get in) the difference in mean earnings of a Stanford graduate against incomes of other University graduates from athletic powerhouses. A powerful recruiting tool for those where they are close to but not a given to succeed in professional sport.

Top 30 juniors at 18 have a dilemma if their agenda is purely to be an elite tennis player, if they are well resourced either by the LTA or their families it has to be a nuanced choice. For many, finances dictate that choice and agreed college is a cheaper way of continuing to play competitive tennis but the standard is at its best excellent but variable. Let's face it the NCAA singles tournament, the pinnacle of American college tennis would not necessarily compare with the Murcia futures tournament in Spain and that comparison is valid year on year. The power conference finals are probably at the level of the British tour. If you are outside the top 50 College is probably a very good choice for many.

If the goals are as stated and they are well resourced there are a number of things to consider. Will they play No.1 if not when, is the University in a powerhouse conference, how will there off season shape up (often where they step up in standard and get really tested) do they like the coach and assistants, how much individual coaching will they get and how important is that to be them, do they plan to stay 4 years, how long is the coach likely to stay; there is an element of local politics and lack of control.

If the realistic goal is elite tennis going pro does give one control over development. It is also an early introduction to running a small business ie themselves, you have to become resourceful and proactive very early to survive which along with the life experience is not to be sniffed at. Billy Harris who went into it with his eyes open but desperate to give pro tennis a go for example probably has a set of people skills (above and beyond white van driving) that he would never have learnt at University. It is very much about the players expectation and what they feel they need to do to succeed.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Friday 8th of September 2017 06:01:54 AM

skibbarriz · Strong Club Player

Coup Droit wrote:
College is a better option for many of the British young female players, in particular, because, as mentioned elsewhere, we have no club structure of any note here.

i'm glad you mentioned that because I was thinking of it as a factor too, particularly from following recent posts on it by others.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Leigh Walsh @LeighWalsh87 8h8 hours ago

College players across the US will be dreaming a little bigger tonight. Kevin Anderson, former NCAA semi-finalist, into the #USOpen final

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

First lot of rankings released. Think these are voted on by a committee.

Women

58 - Holly Hutchinson - Old Dominion

69 - Emily Arbuthnott - Stanford

92 - Zoe Douglas - Iowa

94 - Alannah Griffin - Auburn

101 - Sabrina Federici - Texas Tech

114 - Georgie Axon - Auburn

117 Elise Van Huevelen - Iowa

Dubs

8 - Sabrina Federici - Texas Tech

17 - Emily Smith - Vanderbilt

24 - Georgie Axon - Auburn

28 - Alannah Griffin - Auburn

31 - Emily Arbuthnott - Stanford

42 - Zoe Douglas - Iowa

42 - Elise Van Huevelen - Iowa

55 - Katty Weymouth - Furman

Men

18 - Julian Cash - Oklahoma State

52 - Vinny Gillespie - Drake

77 - Ewan Moore - Tulane

80 - Dan Little - Utah

92 - Josef Dodridge - Wisconsin

100 - Charles Broom - Dartmouth

Dubs

25 - Julian Cash - Oklahoma State

28 - Alastair Gray - Texas Christian

41 - Matt Storey - Memphis

44 - Charles Broom - Dartmouth

56 - Ewan Moore - Tulane

58 - Tom Wright - Arizona State

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Good to see, The O.

Happy to see Luke Hammond, in only his first week or two there, with wins in singles and doubles, and helping the Oklahoma Cowboys to some college title. He certainly sticks out from a crowd ! (He's the tall one

). A good lad to watch out for in the future - one of Matt James' players (Matt posts on here sometimes, and is tennis coach at Millfield).

pbs.twimg.com/media/DJYwzp9X0AEHh_j.jpg:large

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Last year we had Cameron breaking on the scene which was exciting.

And the year before that there was Lloyd.

We don't have a 'star' player this summer but it seems to me that our college players, in particular Julian Cash, Andrew Watson and Ryan Peniston, have been way more successful than our usual batch of college players who do some tournaments over the summer.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

It would be very nice to see if Julian can make the top 10, transferring after your freshman year must have been a bit of a frustration. I am also optimistic that the boys starting at Cal will have an impact on the PAC 12. Will be fun to watch.