It has been a long and arduous journey for Chris Lam, but after
19 years, the sophomore transfer has finally made it to
Westwood.
After growing up in Honolulu and traveling by way of Santa
Clara, Lam now finds himself on the courts of the Los Angeles
Tennis Center.
It is where he was born to be.
“My dad played tennis when I was born, so I was always at
the courts,” recalls Lam.
Calvin Lam, a native Hawaiian, encouraged his son to begin
taking lessons at the age of 5.
“I kind of grew up with it,” he said.
The years since that time have brought him through home
schooling and the junior tennis circuit.
Lam’s decision not to attend traditional schools was
dually motivated by the poor state of the public school system in
Hawaii and Lam’s burgeoning tennis abilities. Home schooling
allowed him the flexibility that was necessary in order to focus on
his game.
Lam’s hard work and dedication to the sport eventually
earned him a scholarship to play at Santa Clara where he led the
team as a freshman by compiling a 25-9 overall record in the No. 1
singles position. Not only did Lam take a leadership role with the
team, he gained valuable Division I experience as well.
“Being able to play No. 1 at Santa Clara and get that
experience helped a lot,” says Lam. “It helped with the
transition from juniors.”
In honing his skills at Santa Clara, Lam was able to prepare for
the jump to a national power like No. 1 UCLA. His decision to
transfer was prompted not by any discontentment at Santa Clara, but
rather by the tremendous opportunity to showcase his abilities with
the Bruins.
Lam, who wasn’t originally recruited by UCLA, has made
great strides since beginning his collegiate career.
“I started working with my coach, Calvin Ni’i, and I
made a lot of improvement,” Lam says.
In fact, Lam improved so much that the once-implausible idea of
earning a scholarship at UCLA has become a reality.
“I’ve always liked it here,” he says. “I
just never expected the offer to come.”
When the offer did come from UCLA head coach Billy Martin, he
couldn’t turn it down.
“I didn’t even think twice about coming here,”
explains Lam. “It’s UCLA. The tradition is
unbelievable. It’s just a great place to be.”
And he’s taking full advantage of his opportunity. During
the fall tennis season, during which the players compete
individually, Lam compiled an impressive 13-3 singles record, won
the singles title at the Southern California Intercollegiates, and
impressed the UCLA coaching staff.
“He had a great fall season,” said Martin.
“We’re very fortunate to have him. Now I’m ready
to see what he can do when there’s a little bit more
pressure.”
His teammates are also thrilled to have him aboard.
“Chris is a great guy, great teammate and certainly a
great asset to the team,” said junior and team leader Tobias
Clemens. “He’s very athletic and very good mentally.
He’s improving every day.”
Lam will now do his best to help the Bruins toward their
ultimate goal ““ an NCAA title.
“Our expectations are to go all the way, obviously,”
he said. “We want to win the national
championship.”
Chris Lam has come a long way from his Hawaiian beginnings. He
has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the sport that finally landed him at
the nation’s premier collegiate tennis program. Now, after
playing with the likes of Andy Roddick, he has the chance to be an
NCAA champion.