ROCKINGHAM — Back for his second year as the Richmond Senior High School boys’ tennis coach, Patrick Hope is looking to use last year’s learning experience to fuel this season’s success.
A season ago, Hope took over the program and was open about his needing to learn the intricacies of the sport from a coaching standpoint. But no longer will he be worried about all the responsibilities regarding game days, and instead, it’s his players’ development that will take forefront in 2019.
“After last year, I feel I can really focus a lot more on the strategy and technique of playing the game as opposed to year one with learning the rules,” Hope said. “Now I know all of the little foundational things and can help the guys build their confidence.”
In 2018, during Hope’s first season, he led the Raiders to a 4-9 overall record. The Raiders also had 17 players on the court, seeing several seniors graduate last June. Former Raider Jimmy Cooley and current senior Kevin Campos were successful in winning their first round doubles match in the regional playoffs.
Also gone are brothers Austin and Miles Harrington, who were the No. 1 and No. 2 singles and doubles players last season. Hope had to call an audible when he found out they wouldn’t return for their junior campaigns.
Now the total number of players is cut in half, as Hope said this year’s eight players, five of whom are returners, have a great shot at “getting better as the season goes along.”
The Raiders’ lineup consists of Campos as the No. 1 singles player, followed by No. 2 sophomore Bradford Pittman, who showed promise as a freshman. Rounding out the top four are returning seniors Caleb Brewer (No. 3) and Mason Bailey (No. 4), as 2019 will serve as their first season in singles competition.
The final returner is No. 5 seed Karym Ojeda, and is followed by newcomer Alex Yates (sophomore, No. 6), and reserve players Adam Morrison (senior) and Kevin Lee (sophomore). The top six singles players will also team up and serve as Richmond’s three doubles pairings.
“We really tried to take advantage of the skill session time before tryouts so we could hit the ground running,” Hope said of pre-season workouts. “Not having the Harrington twins could hurt us, but there are eight guys who are willing to compete.
“It’s going to be a lot easier to manage a smaller group of guys,” he added. “We’ve been able to have more compact practices, which benefits us because I’m not having to rotate between so many guys. That should also give all guys a chance to play in a match this season.”
Hope used Cooley as an example of a player who worked his way into a starting role last spring. He began the season in the lower half of the lineup before working his way into the No. 2 role, which is something he could see happening again this season with other players.
The head coach will also be looking to Campos and Pittman as being this year’s leaders on the court.
“One of the biggest things that Kevin and Bradford bring is match experience from last year,” Hope said. “They were lower in the lineup last year, but now they’re at the top. They’ll need to get used to some things, like the pace of play in the No. 1 and No. 2 matches.
“We have an athletic group, and the more time we get on the court and with our rackets, the better we’ll get,” he continued. “It’s been a really wet pre-season, which has cut our court time. It’s just a matter of us getting out there so we can and getting things going.”
The Raiders will contend with Sandhills Athletic Conference powerhouses Pinecrest, Scotland and Lumberton high schools, which finished in first through third place, respectively, last spring. Richmond, which went 4-8 against SAC opponents, is looking to improve on its fifth-place finish last spring.
Opening the 2019 season last Thursday, the Raiders traveled to non-conference Union Pines High School. Hope and company fell by a final score of 9-0, but Hope noted there were no “glaring errors against a really tough team with experience.”
In the singles matches, No. 1 Campos and No. 6 Yates lost to Shawn Rutkofe and Luke O’Donnell 10-0, respectively. The four other Raider players fell to their opponents 10-1, starting with No. 2 Pittman falling to Blake Deaton.
No. 3 Brewer lost to Jake Moubry, No. 4 Bailey was bested by Kai Blakely and No. 5 Ojeda came up short against Davis Moubry. In doubles matches, all three Richmond pairings fell by a final score of 8-0.
“The biggest things I’m looking for are individual growth and a strong team bond,” Hope noted. “Having good chemistry going on in doubles will be a focal point.
“Tennis isn’t about coaches, it’s about the players and how they can deal with their emotions,” he concluded. “We don’t want that to affect us, and we know sportsmanship is the nature of the game.”
