Tonight, I will write about a third current player who has been with me now, for three years. As he nears the completion of his junior year it has been a journey that has had multiple turns but appears to be going in the direction of his choosing. Players must create a path that challenges them to succeed on the court but also that leads them to where they want to be when they leave with the paper that says they have accomplished the task.
Derek Bell is from Missouri but has lived outside of the US at times in his life. He is not a natural tennis player but has accomplished a lot in the short time he has played. If you saw Derek, you would have sworn he was a football player. He is a Midwest kid who has sports in his blood. Whether it is basketball, football, soccer, or baseball Derek is ready to play. Tennis was something he picked up while in high school. Having an athletic background allowed him to figure out the basics rather quickly. While in high school he even became a state doubles champion while competing for his high school. This fete is what led me to recruit Derek in the first place. When a player realizes victory at their highest level there is a certain mindset that is required for this to occur. Most players see the effort that it took to achieve this goal and then can call up that effort when the next big goal presents itself. Derek came to FSC during a large transition period for the program and was thrust into a daunting task right off the bat.
During his freshman year Derek started out playing some singles in the backside of the top six but was a go-to guy for doubles. The freshman year for his team was not one that stands out in the record books for good but the guys fought through and gave their best efforts. Derek was a versatile doubles player and could play with multiple types of players. He had seven different partners during the season and met every challenge with gusto and a wanting that you could see. Through the frustration and losses, he continued to believe that he would get better. Having a strong serve and good volleys kept him in the doubles rotation for his first year. As he moved into his sophomore season the team also went through a transition. The team was strengthened from top to bottom and some of new guys from the prior year saw playing time cut significantly. Derek was one of those guys. He moved in and out of the doubles line up for most of the season. Anger and the sense of being looked over were evident as there were multiple conversations about him being the right guy to fill a particular void. When players believe in themselves, as a coach it is often hard to bench a guy who still holds out hope. Having a player who says they want it is what we all want as coaches. Recall back to the championships that he won while in high school, this was the thought that kept going through my mind. “He will bring back the work ethic that he did to accomplish such a great accomplishment while in high school.” This is one of the thoughts I had. The other thought was, “if I wanted this as badly as he says he wanted it I would be spending every possible moment getting as rock solid as I could.” Fast forward to the conclusion of his sophomore season and the frustration of his season was apparent.
Here we are currently during his junior season and he is still bouncing in and out. There is a difference now though. He may not be where he wants to be on the tennis court but he has figured out where he is going with his studies. He is driven to accomplish his goal of working in the sport industry and has applied for a great internship for this summer. It is funny how life works, sometimes we sacrifice something we like to go after something else that we love. Although Derek has not given up his desire to play at the highest level there appears to be a peace that has overtaken much of his frustration. When you are coaching an athlete, you want them to stretch to achieve the ultimate goal of winning during the competition. Derek is learning that life in the business world is also a competition and that the effort to stand out takes just as much effort as it does to do so on the tennis court.
I will admit that I have spent many days being frustrated with Derek and his talent that is not being utilized. I will also be the first to admit that over the past three years I have watched Derek become a great teammate whether he is playing with them or cheering them on during a heated match. He is, although not always happy about it, becoming the man he wants to be. Talent and effort are not always co-existing buddies and that is a hard lesson to swallow at times. I may not always get what I want from Derek on the court but he is showing me that when you finally find what you want and are willing to work towards it good things may happen. In a roundabout way, he is doing what I ask of all my players when they come to FSC. Be willing to fail so that you can succeed.
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