2008 Men's Tennis Season Preview
New head coach. New players. A new home court. In short, everything is new again for the 2008 Pacific men's tennis program.
As Brian Jackson begins his first year lead the Boxers, the former Division I player will have a chance to mold the program the way he wants. That's because he is starting fresh, being left with a roster six freshmen and only one returner from the previous season.
The youth of the program is of no concern to Jackson. In fact, that youth is a great positive. "Unlike past year with Pacific tennis, these are players that have come in considering themselves tennis players," Jackson said. "That's their life. That's their deal. This is probably the only team that I've ever been involved with that begs to practice and is frustrated when we don't get to."
It's a dedication level that gives Jackson promise for the Pacific program for years to come. The new lineup comes in with a great deal of balance, which will give him a chance to try out a lot of different lineups and give teams different looks.
"We have a lot of people who can beat each other any day of the week," Jackson said. "It's going to be fun to interchange lineups, to work with personalities and not necessarily because of talent."
About the only spot is appears to be set is the No. 1 singles position. Michael Okada (Fr., Hilo, Hawaii) comes to Pacific from one of Hawaii's top high school programs and provides a great deal of natural talent. Okada was a conference champion as a senior and a conference runner-up each of his previous two seasons.
Jackson said that Okada sets himself apart with his physical ability. "He is an extremely quick person and has obviously had a tennis racket in his hand for a long time," Jackson said. "Michael is certainly going to lead our team this year and hopefully will be a strong component for the future."
The interchangeable parts begin with Patrick Kinghorn (Fr., Salem, Ore.) and Nhat Nguyen (Fr., Salem, Ore.). The two were doubles partners at North Salem (Ore.) High School, finishing second in their conference meet last year while compiling a 16-2 record. The fact that they know each other so well should make them dangerous in doubles, but both should also prove tenacious as singles players as well.
"Those two seem to know each other like the back of their hands," Jackson said. "They gel well at doubles, but they are also intense players themselves. They are gamers. They love competition and go after each other on a daily basis."
The remaining three freshmen bring solid skills from their high school careers. Justin Kinney (Fr., Bellevue, Wash.) has assumed a leadership role on the team after earning his school's sportsmanship award last season. Jeffrey Lee (Fr., Clackamas, Ore.) brings seven years of USTA playing experience to the program, while Aaron Shapiro (Fr., Salinas, Calif.) also arrives with solid high school credentials.
The Boxers' elder statesman is the team's only holdover the previous campaign. Ryan Ford (So., St. Helens, Ore.) persevered through the 2007 season as the team's No. 2 singles player. Jackson is happy to have Ford back to bring a sense of history to the program. "He reminds the guys what its like out there," Jackson said. "He knows the competition and he has accepted his role really well. He has a lot to offer."
Jackson enters the season fully aware that wins will be hard to come by. He goals for the program are simple: continue to grow the program and show his Northwest Conference brethren that the old days of Pacific tennis are behind them.
"We want to show people that this is a real program," Jackson said. "Our main objective is that we are in every match and, regardless of who we step on the court against, that we have other teams believing that we are competing and that we're not someone who you can schedule for the third match of the day.
"We're the youngest team in the conference, so we're not going to have a goal to win every match," Jackson said. "We're going to have a goal that when we leave the court, people are shaking their heads saying, 'That's not the Pacific we've known in the past.'"