Chapter 111: Encountering a Strong Enemy
Men's tennis teams have never had a captain, mainly because tennis is an individual sport.
On the one hand, even though the NCAA competition is a team competition, as long as you stand on the court, it is a one-man battle.
On the other hand, due to the particularity of turning professional in tennis, truly outstanding players can turn professional at the age of fifteen or sixteen. This also means that college players may leave school and turn professional at any time when the time is right. Even if a captain is appointed, the captain may still turn professional.
Therefore, the influence of the captain title is very limited, and there are too many uncertain factors, so it is not specifically set up.
But recently, Martin couldn't help but think seriously that perhaps, setting up a captain in daily training would have a positive impact on the entire team.
Gradually, Martin sensed the leadership qualities in Gawain.
Not only does he lead by example in training, but the infectiousness revealed in the trivial conversations in daily life and the affinity when interacting with teammates after training can often subtly change the players' thinking, allowing them to temporarily forget about the pursuit of reporters and focus on training.
Quietly, the team's atmosphere changed, which was more effective than Martin's advice and Grant's chicken soup slogans.
No wonder Grant praised Gawain highly in private.
The attention of reporters and the surrounding of fans slightly disrupted the Bruins' daily training rhythm, but Gao Wen's concentration and dedication quickly regained his focus.
In addition, Jilong, who has always been a "prodigy", has received countless attention before entering the NCAA. He is not surprised by such a scene. Jilong has always been low-key and introverted. He also silently devoted himself to training, and the team's atmosphere quickly returned to its usual state.
Only Thompson and Searle, who are lively and outgoing, still seem a little impetuous. They lose focus every day because of the students who come to watch their training. From the quality of their training, it can be felt that their minds are filled with a lot of things other than tennis.
In addition, Bremer's condition has also fluctuated. On the one hand, there is pressure from Gawain's progress, and on the other hand, there is pressure from media attention. His training condition has always been unsatisfactory, and it has gradually become difficult to win the mini-matches with McDonald and Gawain.
More or less, one can still feel the ups and downs of the team's condition.
However, for Martin, all these fluctuations are within an acceptable range.
Having worked as a college tennis coach for so many years, Martin has long been accustomed to the ups and downs of young players. This time the impact of media attention has been reduced to a minimum, and he really can't ask for more.
Moreover, media reporters are the best touchstones. Only after going through the baptism and test of the spotlight can the players further complete their transformation and growth. Just like Gawain who is the focus of the spotlight, his calm and dignified way of dealing with things gradually stands out and shows more potential.
Amid the fluctuations in status and changes in mentality, the spring season schedule has not stopped, the games are still going on, and the Bruins have completed two more games.
Fortunately, after encountering strong opponents in succession, the next two games were relatively easy. The opponents were all from the second-tier league with limited strength. Even though the Bruins were not in stable form, they still won precious breathing time, and Martin was able to make more flexible changes in the deployment of troops.
In one match, Geelong played first singles, Thompson played second singles, and Gowen played third singles.
In another match, Geelong played first singles, Gao Wen played second singles, and Thompson played third singles.
It can be seen that Martin is trying different arrangements and combinations. In addition to the first three singles, McDonald also replaced Bremer as the fourth singles. The team is running in a new lineup and preparing to face stronger opponents in the future.
The Brown Bears won these two games easily. Although Thompson lost one game unexpectedly, it did not affect the overall situation.
“4:1”, “5:0”.
After another two easy wins, the Bruins' unbeaten streak extended to twelve games. Then, they faced another strong enemy: the University of Virginia.
If we discuss such a question, which team has performed best in the NCAA in the past five years? For outsiders, the University of Southern California, which has won four consecutive championships, is undoubtedly the first team that comes to mind. After all, the number of championship trophies does not lie; but for insiders, I am afraid that the University of Virginia is their answer.
reason?
Obviously, it has something to do with the fact that the University of Virginia has made it to the finals of the National Championship for three consecutive years - losing to the University of Southern California the first two times, and finally defeating UCLA to win the championship in the third time. The stable performance, average strength, and comprehensive quality make this team a role that cannot be ignored.
And the most special thing is that the University of Virginia does not rely on star players, but truly relies on the strength of the team to win victory after victory. It is like a relay race. Although the team does not have top superstars, each baton has solid strength, and then they unite as one to rush towards victory.
During these five years, the University of Southern California was able to achieve four consecutive championships, and the biggest contributor was Steve Johnson, the No. 1 singles player in the United States for three consecutive years.
This bearded player won the singles title at the U.S. Championships for two consecutive years and was also invincible in the team competition.
In fact, after turning professional, Johnson has become the best performing NCAA player in the United States in the past five years. Later, his highest career ranking reached 21st. He has reached the third round of all four Grand Slams, with his best result being the fourth round of Wimbledon.
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But the University of Virginia did not.
Take this year as an example. Except for the first singles player Mitchell-Frank who is ranked fourth in the United States, the other five singles players are all ranked outside the top 30, lacking the collective advantages of UCLA or USC.
However, under the coaching of head coach Brian Boland, this team without stars is always able to turn decay into magic. The second singles to the sixth singles players are of average strength and have different styles. They deploy different troops according to different opponents and gain the upper hand.
Of course, in the NCAA Atlantic Coast Conference where the University of Virginia is located, the overall strength of the tennis team is relatively weak, and men's basketball is their forte. However, the value of the University of Virginia's victories is not inferior at all. They have been able to create miracles of the weak defeating the strong many times, which is amazing.
This season, the University of Virginia and the University of California, Los Angeles are the last two teams to remain undefeated so far. They are ranked first and second in the United States respectively. They are undoubtedly the two best performing teams at present.
The upcoming matchup is also hailed as the ultimate battle between kings, and it is even likely to be an early preview of this year's U.S. Championship finals.
The eleventh update.
(End of this chapter)