Rebel Reinforcements Readying
2/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
His team is ranked 68th in the preseason poll.
His team lost its All-American singles star to graduation.
In fact, his team has only one - that's right, ONE -- returning player on its roster. So, why is UNLV head coach Larry Easley not panicking?
Because this season - clearly one to be spent in a rebuilding mode - finds a talented rookie duo hitting campus this semester to team with a solid group of local newcomers and last year's MWC Freshman of the Year.
Suddenly, the Rebels look to be rapidly developing their top-half of the lineup in order to become a conference contender that should make a trip up the rankings by 2004.
"We are undermanned a little bit right now but are only a couple of players shy from being a really good team," Easley says. "This will be a year to get back on track and build in a positive direction."
That direction will again be an extremely young one as UNLV, which took fifth place at last year's Mountain West tournament on its own courts, will head into the next two seasons with nary a senior. Aviram Salomon, the aforementioned 2002 rookie standout, will be the veteran of this year's team as a mere sophomore.
That youthfulness, however, will benefit from the continuing leadership of a returning coaching staff: Easley, a four-time conference coach of the year who enters his 12th season at the school, along with 2002 ITA regional assistant of the year Stephane Matheu-Cambas, who is in his third season working at Fertitta Tennix Complex.
SINGLES
The two January additions come with the tools to be No. 1 players but one will get his chance to prove himself at the top half of the lineup immediately.
Henner Nehles, a big athlete out of Duisburg, Germany, should be the go-to guy this spring and, depending on how quickly he picks up the American college game, could push for a spot in the NCAA tournament as an individual.
"Henner is a major recruit for us," Easley says. "He has the biggest and most powerful overall game on the team. I expect him to add a strong presence at No. 1 in both singles and doubles. He should be a highly successful player for us over his career."
The second member of the potentially potent pair is Romain Massaro out of Paris, France, who figures to find a home in the top half of the singles lineup.
"Romain is going to be a solid college tennis player for us," says Easley. "He is someone that can win almost anywhere you put him and will be a big part of our lineup for years to come." Starting the year at No. 3 should be the only returnee - Salomon - who posted a strong 18-13 overall record a year ago, including 12-6 at this same spot in the lineup. He is the latest in a highly productive line of Israeli players that includes former all-conference performers Danny Erez and Asaf Tishler.
"Aviram is a very effective player in the middle of the lineup," his coach says. "He can win big at three and four and could get close at the highest spots. His success as a freshman didn't surprise me because he won't make many mistakes on the court. His opponents have to go out and beat him and there are not a lot of guys in college tennis who can do that down at the three and four spots."
The lower portion of the lineup will be populated by a trio of youngsters. Freshman Milos Blagojevic is a tall Serbian who graduated from a local high school and is the brother of Marko Blagojevic, who briefly played at UNLV two years ago. Sophomore Joel Kielbowicz is a local out of Green Valley High School who transferred back home from the University of Montana after some time in Big Sky Country. Adding depth to the lineup will be another Las Vegan, Ryan Barber, a Bonanza High School product who came out for the team in his second year at UNLV.
DOUBLES
After abysmal doubles production in 2002 that resulted in a 22-38 record, the new Rebel lineup seemingly can do nothing but improve.
The top position, which led the way in woe a year ago at 5-15 in dual-match action, will feature Nehles and Massaro to begin the season. Salomon and Kielbowicz will team up at No. 2 while Barber and Blagojevic will make up the third team.
THE SCHEDULE
After the traditional trek to play Southern California powers such as Pepperdine and top-ranked UCLA, the Rebels will look to win their own spring invitational, which kicks off on St. Valentine's Day, for the eighth consecutive season. Three weeks later, the Rebs head back to Corpus Christi, Texas, for the HEB tournament.
After a mid-March visit from South Carolina, the first Rebel Classic will debut at the Fertitta Tennis Complex with a diverse field that includes Ball State, Central Florida, Southern Mississippi and Sacramento State.
After a final non-conference clash at Tulsa, Mountain West Conference play begins during the last weekend of March with matches against New Mexico, Air Force and San Diego State, all on the Aztecs' campus. A trip to play Utah and BYU closes the regular season and will provide Easley's group a nice warm-up for the league championship that starts April 24 right back in Provo.
"San Diego State is the clear favorite and you can never count out BYU and Utah when playing at that elevation," says Easley, who has thrice won league titles with the Rebels. "We'll look to hold our own while we are reloading."
OVERALL
Armed with untested but promising talent, Easley says he just doesn't have enough bodies yet to expect a big upgrade in 2003.
"I am anxious to see what these new guys can do," says the former coach of two individual national champions at UNLV. "Even without a veteran leader like (2002 All-American) Thomas Schneiter, there is a lot of talent on this roster that really makes the future bright here."
