HHS netmen look to establish new identity

Wu assumes top spot in lineup

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   It won’t take long for the Hillsborough High boys’ tennis team to find out how it stacks up against the competition. The 2006 campaign was set to begin with home matches against local rivals Bridgewater-Raritan and Montgomery, which should give HHS head coach Larry Johnson a good look at his players in the heat of battle.
   "I’m looking forward to seeing how they handle their new identity," Johnson said.
   The HHS coach was referring to how the Raiders will perform without Thomas Kinrade, the graduated four-year starter at first singles who won a Somerset County title last spring. Kinrade has been the poster boy for Hillsborough boys’ tennis for the past four seasons but he’s gone and the Raiders must move on.
   Senior John Wu slides up from second singles to the demanding No. 1 position. Johnson feels Wu has the tools to be a successful player at the top of his lineup.
   "John is an amazingly talented player," Johnson said. "He’s a pure striker, very solid from the baseline. He’s not a net player so he has to add a little variety to his game. I know what John can do and I think he can do it at No. 1. He can compete with a lot of the better and more notable players."
   Junior Chris Plaskon also moves up a spot from third to second singles. The second-year varsity player, like the rest of his teammates, has worked hard to improve his game. Plaskon was successful in the No. 3 spot and Johnson believes his winning ways will continue.
   "I have full confidence in Chris being able to handle No. 2," Johnson said. "When he got the call to third singles, he did a fantastic job for us. His game is much better than it was last year. He’s talented."
   The third singles position figures to see changes this spring. Junior Ross Friedman and senior Mark Apostolos were battling for the position, but sophomore transfer Stefan Apostolos will be a factor once he becomes eligible. The younger Apostolos has to sit out the first 30 days of the season to observe the state’s transfer rule.
   "He’s a great pickup," Johnson said. "I’m glad he decided to come back to Hillsborough."
   The two players who don’t compete at third singles will add to Hillsborough’s depth in the doubles department. That list of quality players also includes seniors Chris Chung and Jesse Goldstein, junior Tom Gross and freshman Tim Le.
   "They’re all strong players," Johnson said. "They’ve been in the program and most of them performed well right at the top of the jayvee team. On 90 percent of the schools in New Jersey, they probably would have been playing varsity. We had a lot of seniors who played varsity tennis for a few years."
   The Raiders lost Kinrade and three doubles starters in Will Daly, Adam Mamawala and Piotr Mankowski. Johnson has confidence in their replacements.
   "Most of them are year-round players," he said. "The only reason they’re new to varsity is because we’ve had top players in the lineup. Our jayvee team has been very good the last few years. Our practices are more competitive than 70 percent of our matches. What they lack in varsity experience they make up for in tennis experience. They may be new to varsity, but they’re not new to tennis."
   The Raiders expect to be tested early and often this spring. Johnson expects Bridgewater-Raritan and Watchung Hills to be very strong. Montgomery has a new top player in its lineup. Pingry and Ridge are always solid in the county.
   "We have the potential to win the conference, but it’s going to be tough," Johnson said. "All our guys can play. We’re just reloading the gun. We used up a couple of bullets. Now we’re just reloading."