Tempe, Ariz. --For the second time in three years, ASU men's tennis head coach Matt Hill is bringing a top-10 recruiting class to Tempe to help evolve the program from a blank slate to a college tennis power.
"It speaks volumes that we are able to attract top talent around the world into a program that wasn't here (four years ago), so that's a very difficult task when talking to recruits about what it could be and not what is already established," said Coach Hill. "Our job isn't to sell anyone on anything, it's just to make them aware of what is here, what they are doing and what they can be a part of."
"The Pac-12 definitely one of the best conferences in the country for tennis and there's a lot of good coaches recruiting wise in this conference," Coach Hill stated. "We expect to be in that group, that's our mindset on how we approach it and we expect to be one of the best, if not the best, programs inside the Pac-12."
Making in moves in just four years! Excited to have top-10 recruiting class by @TennisRecNet https://t.co/WcwCks1TTk pic.twitter.com/H8YQUOqP5K
— Sun Devil M. Tennis (@SunDevilMTennis) June 23, 2020
Coach Hill has two goals for his program: become the best program in men's collegiate tennis and help young players transition from the junior world circuit into the men's world circuit, where they can have careers as professional athletes.
When recruiting, Hill is interested in players who have aspirations for both of those goals, as well as having unique qualities on the court that make them stand out besides other potential recruits.
Finally, the recruits have to be innovative enough to join a program that they get to help build something special and see the vision for years to come instead of going to a program that is already built up.
Seniors from 2019-20 @makeylala and @NathanPonwith are back for extra year thanks to NCAA. They join a star studded group of @TheSunDevils coming back for 2020-21. https://t.co/5yeCVYbQ7f Also we love old team photos pic.twitter.com/mR7RHSPa5D
— Sun Devil M. Tennis (@SunDevilMTennis) July 24, 2020
Recruits also need to have the courage to join an up-and-coming program instead of a program that is well established. At ASU they have the opportunity to help build something special and develop the program's vision for the future.
Hill found this in freshmen Spencer Brachman, Moritz Hoffmann and Max McKennon.
Both blue-chip recruits, Brachman and McKennon are two of the best players in the United States. They are already familiar with each other, as they have played doubles matches together, even winning a handful of titles. A lefty, McKennon was ranked No. 1 in Tennis RPI during his 2017 and 2018 seasons with a current rank of No. 11.
Hill expects both Americans to bring a lot of value to the culture and chemistry of the team while also providing the heart, competitiveness and pride for ASU on and off the court.
Hoffmann, a German native, represented Germany in the Junior Davis Cup and has consistently been in the top five best players in every age group. With an extensive background against men's players, it provides Hoffmann an advantage when facing upperclassmen.
"These guys can play," said Coach Hill. "They are really going to push the upperclassman, look to earn playing time and their results coming in suggest that there isn't a team on our schedule that they aren't going to be competitive with, no doubt about that."
Along with the three freshmen, the Sun Devils welcome back seniors Nathan Ponwith and Makey Rakotomalala. Despite an opportunity to play on tour and make a name for himself professionally, Ponwith decided to stay and make ASU tennis a nationally recognized program.
"The leadership from those guys especially Nathan (Ponwith), will be a huge factor and a very critical role in bringing this team together, so we are super excited to have those two guys back this year," Hill said with excitement.
Let's "Makey" it great day as @makeylala is back! He is part of @TheSunDevils history!
— Sun Devil M. Tennis (@SunDevilMTennis) June 8, 2020
??- singles win vs. Duke's Nick Stachowiak first point for ASU since returning as a program (1/13/18)
??- clinched ASU's first team win since revival, defeating Lucas Moreno of LMU (2/9/18) pic.twitter.com/Kk8ASk1r44
Full of injuries last season, the Sun Devils went 4-7 and were unable to enter conference play before the abrupt end of the season. With three new recruits, ASU now has a roster size of 11, the largest that Hill has had in his 15-year tenure as a coach.
"You are going to see a very deep, talented team that's still super hungry and has a chip on their shoulder," mentioned Hill. "Even though within the first two years of the program we made the NCAA tournament both years for our ranking and finishing inside the top-25 and being ranked as high as 13 in the country, they still don't believe that they are where they want to be or where they belong."
Keep up to date with ASU men's tennis by following @SunDevilMTennis on Twitter and Instagram.