University of California Athletics

Building On A Solid Foundation

January 19, 1998

For the first time since head coach Peter Wright took the reins of the California men's tennis program in May of 1993, he can truly say that the Golden Bears are his team. Now entering his fifth season as the Bears head coach, Wright is for the first time fielding a team solely comprised of players he has recruited to Cal. And with a solid foundation in place for the upcoming season, it appears that Wright has the Bears poised to return to the national spotlight.

Despite losing three of its top six players before the 1997 season even began (one to injury, one to academic persuits and one to the professional ranks), Cal finished the year ranked No. 45 in the nation with a 10-13 overall record. The Bears also made their fourth consecutive postseason appearance, falling in the NCAA West Regional first round to Arizona State.

Fighting through that early season adversity and still managing to earna postseason berth should pay big dividends for the Bears in 1998. Thanks in large part to those early season personnel losses that forced many of the Bears younger players into action a year early, Cal returns a battle-tested squad for the upcoming season. The play of his underdog team earned Wright the 1997 Pac-10 Southern Division Coach of the Year award.

"Last year we started the season with a great team and then we were dealt a couple of blows with Michael Hill deciding to turn pro, Bobby Mahal going down with an injury and Kian Raiszdeh's decision to take a year off to concentrate on his MCAT exam," Wright said. "But I was proud of the way this team came together and played the hand that was dealt them. Our guys worked together to accomplish what they did and those players now know that they can achieve so much more as part of a whole team than they can as individuals."

The Bears open the 1998 dual match season ranked No. 37 with a nucleus of returners headed by seniors Nathan Jackmon and Kian Raiszadeh and juniors Bobby Mahal and Chris Santoso. To that group, Wright has added six talented freshmen, including Adrian Barnes, Scott Kintz and Erik Dmytruk, who are expected to contribute right away.

"This year's team has a real neat makeup," said Wright. "The experience factor our veterans bring to the table and the enthusiasm of the freshmen is a great combination.

"If we do the things we are supposed to do and execute the way we should execute, we will be a very good team."

Whether or not the Bears do evolve into the type of team Wright believes they can be will depend a lot on the surgically repaired right elbow of their top player, Mahal. Expected to play in the No.1 position for Cal, Mahal posted a 4-1 record and climbed as high as No. 21 on the Rolex charts last season before going down with the injury in January. An all-court player with a huge forehand and a deadly return of service, Mahal's elbow passed it's first test of the year as the junior from Brampton, Canada, reached the quarterfinals of the Rolex Regionals last fall.

"Bobby's ability to beat top quality opponents is crucial to our success and he has had some tremendous wins for us in the past." Wright said. "A lot of that comes from the fact that he is a tremendous competitor. His play is an example that I hold up to the team."

One Bear who could burst onto the national singles scene in '98 is senior Nathan Jackmon. Already considered one of the nation's top doubles players-he teamed with Mahal to form college tennis' No. 11 tandem last year (prior to Mahal's injury) and this season that duo ranks No. 22 on the fall Rolex doubles charts-Jackmon also advanced to the semifinals in singles and reached the doubles final at the Rolex Regionals. Jackmon plays with an aggressive serve and volley style, utilizing his big serve and quickness at the net to control the tempo of a match and keep opponents off balance. A native of Santa Barbara, he posted an 8-6 (.571) dual match record at the No. 3 position a year ago and should see action in the No. 2 slot this season.

"Nathan is poised to have a big year for us," said Wright. "His development as a player continues to be excellent and he is really focused on tennis this year and how he can contribute to this team. He's a player who has no boundaries."

According to the coach, Raiszadeh and Santoso should also see plenty of action for the Bears this season as both will certainly vie for starting positions among the top six. The return of Raiszadeh, a junior from Oakdale who was expected to be a starter but sat out the 1997 campaign to concentrate on academics persuits, should pay big dividends for Cal. As a sophomore in '96, Raiszadeh played more matches (23) than any other Bear and posted an overall record of 13-10 (.565), primarily in the No. 3 slot.

Santoso, a junior from Vancouver, Canada, had a trial-by-fire campaign in '97 as he was forced into the No.1 position for much of the year due to Hill's departure and Mahal and Raiszadeh being unavailable. Though his record was less than spectacular, 13-16 overall (9-14 dual match), the experience he gained was invaluable. Both Raiszadeh and Santoso posted strong fall performances, most significantly at the All-American Championships where both players won four consecutive matches with Santoso just falling short of qualifying for the tournament's Main Draw.

"Having a strong player and tough competitor like Kian back is huge," said Wright. "He and Chris (Santoso) both bring a lot of experience with them and they both know what it takes to win at the top levels in the Pac-10 and in college tennis."

Two other returnees, seniors Minh Le and David Sutton, will also be counted on over the course of the season. Sutton, who played mostly in the No. 4 position a year ago, is expected to open the season in the Bears starting singles rotation and both are slated to compete in the starting doubles lineup. Sutton will team with Santoso in the No. 2 slot and Le will combine with freshman Erik Dmytruk at the No. 3 position.

Six newcomers dot the Cal lineup for the 1997-98 campaign including one of the world's top juniors, Adrian Barnes, as well as nationally ranked juniors Dmytruk and Scott Kintz. Another frosh trio-Joseph Chrisman, Chris Chung and Hiro Nakamura-could also challenge for playing time.

Barnes, a product of Oxford, England, competed at Junior Wimbledon last summer and reached the third round in singles and semifinals in doubles. He brings a wealth of international experience and an uncommon level of maturity with him to Cal, nailing down a starting spot in the middle of the Bears singles rotation during the fall. Kintz, who teams with Barnes in doubles, and Dmytruk will also contend for singles playing time among the Bears top six.

"Adrian plays smart, powerful tennis, but the best thing about him is his ability to focus when things get tight," said Wright. "Scott has got a lot of talent and desire while Erik is very solid and difficult to beat. I expect all three to make an impact on the team this year."

Cal should continue its tradition of top notch doubles play with the nationally ranked duo of Mahal and Jackmon having already proven they will be a national force this year by advancing to the final of the Rolex Regionals during the fall. The duo of Le and Dmytruk also posted a strong effort at the Rolex as the twosome posted four straight wins in advancing into the semifinals. Complimenting those two squads will be the tandem of Sutton and Santoso, which played 20 of Cal's 23 matches, recording a mark of 10-10 in the No. 1 position last season.

The road ahead will not be an easy one for the Bears, whose schedule once again figures to be one of the most difficult in the nation and includes the likes of top 25 foes Stanford, UCLA, USC, Kansas and UC Santa Barbara. But according to Wright, the determining factors in Cal's success in 1998 will come from within, regardless of the opponent.

"If we aspire to play at a high level, we must play with a the same amount of focus we did last year," Wright said. "If we can do that, this team, which on paper is much more talented than last season's, can accomplish a tremendous amount."