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MORITZ: Tennis on the upswing for Bonnies |
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Don’t
look now, but tennis is quickly becoming a high-profile sport at St.
Bonaventure. Yeah, that’s right — tennis. OK, so 6,000 rabid fans probably won’t be attending the team’s matches at the courts outside the Reilly Center anytime soon But 2001 has proved to be as successful a year for the tennis program as it was for men’s basketball or any Bona sport. In April, the men’s tennis team won the Atlantic 10 title and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. This weekend, Vili Nurmi and Mikko Haulos — the top two players from that NCAA team — are playing in the ITA All-American Tournament outside of Atlanta. And just Monday, head tennis coach Michael Bates earned some national recognition of his own. Bates has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Committee. The 36-year old native of Annapolis, MD., will serve a four-year term that began on Sept. 1. Bates, the two-time defending A-10 men’s tennis Coach of the Year, is the first Bona coach in any sport to earn such an appointment. “I was happy,” Bates said. “It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s a nice honor. It’ll be something that will help me promote tennis, and that’s what I want to do.” Bates will be the Region I representative. Region I is one of eight around the country, extending from New England to Maryland. Bates is still learning what his responsibilities will be as part of the committee. But in the past, the committee has set the rules for the college game, helped organize the NCAA Tournament and listen to suggestions from coaches. “The NCAA comes up with something, and we tell the coaches in the region about it,” Bates said. “We’re kind of like the spokesmen in between the two. We represent each region with regards to any NCAA issues.” Bates applied for the job over the summer, after coaches he knows encouraged him. “Other coaches recommended me, they said ‘Why don’t you look into it?’” Bates said. “I think they want somebody in the region they can talk to and express concerns to.” So Bates applied for the position through the A-10, as all applications for committees must go through league offices. He got the job this week. Along with the greater responsibility, Bates’ appointment gives the Bona program instant credibility in the college tennis world. And that can only help the team in the future. “I just think, that first off, it will help us get more recognition for our program,” Bates said. “It will help to be interacting with more coaches from around the country and make stronger contacts in regards to playing and scheduling matches.” (Brian Moritz is a sports writer for The Times Herald.) |