Thursday, January 9, 1997
M. TENNIS:
New players fill void; team hungry to return to championshipsBy
Mark Shapiro
Daily Bruin Staff
The situation was, to say the least, grim. The once undefeated
UCLA men’s tennis team had just lost in the finals of the NCAA
tournament to archrival Stanford, only adding to the Bruins’ recent
string of championship runs that have fallen just a few steps short
of glory. With this disappointment loomed an even darker future as
the Bruin’s top four players were headed for greener pastures.
Now, seven months later, the sun is rising over the Bruins as
they prepare to kick off the 1997 campaign, and it is shining
brighter than most would have expected. Through recruiting efforts
and a bit of luck, the second-ranked Bruins have reassembled and
are ready to exorcise the demons of last year. The fact that they
will host this year’s NCAA tournament only makes UCLA hungrier.
"It’s the driving force," UCLA head coach Billy Martin said. "We
ended a great year with just the worst taste in our mouth, and we
all feel that the only way to redeem ourselves from losing that
last match would be to come back and win it all this year. Anything
less than that will not satisfy us this year."
These are hefty words, and with the loss of last year’s stars
Justin Gimelstob, Srdjan Muskatirovic and Heath Montgomery, they
seem all the more daunting. But by reeling in the nation’s No. 1
recruit and No. 2 top-notch transfers, the Bruins have primed
themselves for another title run.
It took three years, but the Bruin braintrust was finally able
to convince freshman phenom Kevin Kim to join their squad. Kim, who
captured the 1996 USTA national boys singles championship, came in
as the No. 1 recruit in the nation, and he has already begun to
make good on his fanfare. He reached the finals of the Rolex
Regional last fall and jumped to No. 22 in the fall polls.
"I’m more excited about having him after this fall," Martin
said. "I think he has a tremendous future in this game."
The next holes were filled by junior transfer Alex Decret, who
was ranked 25th in the nation last year at UC Santa Barbara, and
sophomore Jason Cook, who had a strong freshman campaign at the
University of New Mexico, both of whom bolted to UCLA.
Due to the vagaries of NCAA transfer policy, both players are
eligible to compete for the Bruins without having to sit out a
season.
And compete they will, for both Decret and Cook bring the
multifaceted game that is so well-suited to the LATC hard courts as
well as provide the depth of talent that has become a UCLA
hallmark.
"They give us incredible depth in our singles and certainly help
us with doubles," Martin said. "We are a very deep team again this
year."
The biggest coup, however, came from within, as senior Eric
Taino turned from earlier plans to turn pro to return for his
senior season. With the chance to play at the No. 1 position in one
final title run as bait, Martin convinced Taino to return to
Westwood for one more campaign.
The return of Taino, who won 25 matches last year at the No. 3
position, provides the Bruins with an experienced, foreboding
presence at the No. 1 position and a vital piece in their
championship puzzle.
"I thought coming back one more year would not hurt Eric,"
Martin said. "If he came back, he’d be our leading candidate for
our No. 1 player with a good chance to win the NCAAs. For us to be
a legitimate contender for the NCAA championships, it was crucial
that we have Eric on our team."
With Taino anchoring the top spot, the second spot will fall to
junior Matt Breen. Breen had a phenomenal fall, winning the Rolex
Regional and taking second at the Southern California
Intercollegiate Classic. This performance boosted Breen, who spent
most of last season in the fifth position, into UCLA’s top tier of
players.
Kim will hold down the third spot, with the fourth position
falling to Decret. The fifth and sixth singles positions will be a
tossup between Cook and sophomores Vincent Allegre and Brandon
Kramer.
The doubles lineup presents a bit more of a challenge for the
Bruins, with only one of the three teams set. Senior Eric Lin, who
is the team’s best doubles player, and Kim will form the first
team, but the other two teams have yet to be decided. One other
possible pairing could match Breen and Taino, who went 20-3 as a
team last year.
SCOTT O
Senior Eric Taino returns to try to lead the Bruin tennis team
to an NCAA victory that was just beyond their reach last year.