By Pete Ruden
For a team to be successful, it is extremely important for the players to have chemistry both on and off the court. Luckily for the Iowa men’s tennis team, establishing that chemistry wasn’t hard.
With only nine players on the team, the squad is one of the smallest teams on campus, making it a lot easier for the players to get along.
“We just like being around each other because we’re all so similar and we all have the same interests,” junior Josh Silverstein said. “We’re all pretty much the same person, just mixed up a little bit. We just have fun doing random things.”
Because the players are close off court, it benefits them on the court. Players already know their teammates very well, so it is easier for them to trust and motivate each other.
Head coach Ross Wilson figured out another way for the players on the team to get along. He recruits players who value the education, are dedicated to tennis, and who want to be the best. With players that have such similar interests, the team is bound to get along.
Along with recruiting players with the same attitudes and values, the experiences the team has gone through together has helped them grow. The members of the team have traveled around the country together and have been around each other for so long now, that they’ve grown as friends.
“This group has been together since last year, so they’ve had a lot of time to get to know each other, and to grow, and to develop,” Wilson said. “It’s an ongoing process, but I’m really happy with where they are as a group.”
Whether the tennis team is eating together, watching movies, supporting other sports teams, or playing video games, everyone has a good time.
Over the summer, the group went to the pool a lot. Freshman Jason Kerst said it has been his favorite group activity so far, even though the team jokingly forced the high dive on him as “freshman initiation.”
However, Silverstein has a different favorite. Though Iowa City has a lot to offer and many different activities, Silverstein’s favorite thing to do is to play Call of Duty with teammate Robin Haden.
“I love beating Robin in Call of Duty,” Silverstein said and laughed. “That is my favorite thing that I’ve done in Iowa City.”
From a coach’s perspective, Wilson likes seeing his team get along. Getting players with such camaraderie helps build the program, which makes Wilson feel like he got the job done in the recruiting process.
While Wilson knows tennis and the education are important, he also knows how important the relationships built in college are.
“This experience is not just about the tennis. It’s not just about the education. It’s about the people most importantly,” Wilson said. “The people who you meet, who you help, who help elevate you, who you elevate. Those are all things in this experience that I want our guys to have and to be able to look back on.”
