The landscape for Pac-12 men’s tennis is changing, and for once, coach Billy Martin isn’t worried about USC.
“I don’t think this is going to be a year where ‘SC is the team to beat throughout the whole country, much less the conference,” Martin said. “I don’t want to just fixate on them, quite honestly. I think there is going to be much parity in our conference as we had probably in the last seven or eight years.”
The Trojans, an annual tennis powerhouse, have won five national championships since 2009, so why is Martin, who is in his 23rd year of coaching, not stressing as much about playing the crosstown rival?
A lot of it has to do with the four seniors who graduated last year, all of whom played the top four spots on the singles lineup. In addition, three of those four helped compose two of the Trojans’ doubles teams. In total, that is roughly two-thirds of their starting lineup.
“I’m very hopeful that we can be the better team this year,” Martin said. “I think this year, for the first year in many, I don’t think we can just be worried about USC in our conference.”
USC did have a top recruiting class for the 2016 season, No. 2 in fact, but the lack of veteran carryover means this is still very much a rebuilding year for the program.
Where Martin foresees trouble is from the Northern California Pac-12 schools, Stanford and Cal.
The Cardinal made a breakthrough last year, winning a share of the Pac-12 championship after beating both the Trojans and the Bruins in the regular season. Despite losing two starting seniors, Stanford is pushing further into contention, recruiting two blue chips and earning its fourth top-five recruiting class in a row.
As far as Cal goes, it is very much the same team. The Golden Bears lost three seniors, only two of whom played consistently, combining as a doubles team. Coach Peter Wright won’t have to make many changes to a competitive squad that finished fourth in the Pac-12.
The rest of the conference is largely a mystery. The other schools don’t tout the same recruiting prowess of the top four, and several have gone to reaching outside of the U.S. for talent.
“I don’t really know all the guys from Washington yet. I haven’t seen them. I know they have gotten four foreign guys. You just don’t know how good those guys are going to be,” Martin said. “I’m not 100 percent sure about Utah.”
The regular season is several months away and there is still a lot the fall season left, but 2016 is shaping up to possibly see a changing of the guard in the Pac-12.
Compiled by Korbin Placet, Bruin Sports senior staff.