FLASHBACK: 2009 All-Area Boys Tennis: Powerful hitters ace positions on tennis squad

LEAD FORMAN: Troy's Brett Forman is one of the singles stars on the 2009 All-Area Boys Tennis Team. File Photo | Dan Stickradt

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

The pipeline of talented tennis players continued again in the area this season.

While a cast of stars departed in the spring, several returnees and newcomers from a variety of schools moved into or up the lineup this season and enjoyed tremendous success.

Among the eight local teams in the coverage area for www.northoaklandsports.com, there were a total of seven local stars that garnered some type of All-State recognition by the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association.  All of those players landed a spot on the all-area first team, as selected by area coaches. The first team features seven singles stars and four doubles teams.

Below is a profile of all of the first-team stars.

SINGLES PLAYERS

BRETT FORMAN, Troy: Although just a freshman, Forman lived up to the hype as one of the top prospects in the state of Michigan, regardless of division. Earning a spot on the Division 1 All-State First Team, Forman racked up a 22-1 record with his only loss coming to Joe Dube’ of Novi-Detroit Catholic Central in the state semifinals in the No. 1 singles flight. He was the OAA Red Division and regional winner routinely playing against fellow all-state players.

“Brett has a lot of maturity for a freshman,” said coach Rick Bucalos. “I knew before the season began that he was talented, but you never know how kids will do as freshman playing against older players. Brett beat a lot of great players this year and was one of the best in the state. I look forward to seeing what he can do in the future.”

TREY KEATING, Troy: Sliding into the No. 2 singles slot for the Colts was this senior, who also had several key wins for one of Oakland County’s top teams. He was the regional runner-up, a semifinalist at the league tournament and reached the semifinals of the D-1 state finals, falling to Matt Thomas of Birmingham Brother Rice, the eventual No. 2 flight state champ. He was also a state semifinalist last season as a junior, when he also played No. 2 singles. This is the second time in three years that Troy has finished in the top five in the state with Keating in the lineup. He also helped the Colts to the state finals all four years.

“Trey improved a lot since last year and was another reason why our singles lineup was so tough,” said Bucalos. “Trey was consistent for us. It was nice to see him graduate being an all-state player.”

NICK FIASCHETTI, Rochester Stoney Creek: Although just a freshman, Fiaschetti debuted onto the scene as the Cougars’ top player. Reaching the semifinals or finals of several tournaments, Fiaschetti was named honorable-mention all-state in Division 1. A member of the All-OAA White Division team, Fiaschetti also finished as the league runner-up, won both the Athens and Holly tournaments, and reached the semifinals at the regional. He lost in the Round of 16 at the state finals and finished the year 16-4. All of his losses came against all-state players.

“Nick had a really good year for being a freshman,” said coach Heather Redshaw. “He’s played in a lot of USTA tournaments and came in and only lost to one player in our league. I don’t think he realizes how good he can be.”

JESSE CHEN, Rochester Adams: Chen remained at the No. 2 slot this at Adams and helped the Highlanders finish in the top 10 in the state in Division 2 again this season. Named All-State in Division 2, the senior finished 22-3 and had a stellar 97-11 career record. Chen won the Holly Invitational and regional, finished second at the OAA Red tournament and Romeo Invitational and was a state semifinalist this season as a senior. Chen was the No. 4 flight state champion as a freshman, finished as the No. 3 state runner-up as a sophomore and the state runner-up as a junior at No. 2 singles. Team-wise, Chen helped Adams to four straight top-10 finishes in Division 2.

“Jesse’s strength is in the backcourt,” said coach Al Must. “He’s strong with both his forehand and backhand. I think he really improved his volley and his serve this year and that helped him become an all-state player. We will miss having him on the team next year.”

JAY JOSHI, Rochester Adams: Joshi returned to the lineup for the Highlanders after a none-year hiatus and had a fine season, where he earned All-State honors in Division 2.  The junior posted a respectable 15-8 ledger against top-flight competition and that included a regional championship. He was also fourth at the OAA Red tournament and a state quarterfinalist.

“Last year Jay didn’t play. There were some other things he wanted to accomplish, but he came back this year and did a great job,” said Must. “He’s come a long ways since he played No. 1 doubles two years ago as a freshman. He’s really matured. His entire game is better.”

KRISTOFF SAARI, Rochester Adams: Tucked down at No. 3 singles in the Highlanders’ deep lineup, Saari had a brilliant season. He was champion at the Holly and Romeo tournaments, won the OAA Red and regional tournaments and reached the state semifinals in Division 2. He finished 28-1 with his sole loss coming in the state tournament. He is 51-4 after two years.

“He’s another player that came a long ways since last year,” said Must. His game is the base-line. He’s becoming a better all-court player. His serves are better and he;s developing some power. He’ll move up in our lineup next year, so we’ll expect some big things from him.”

MATT KARIM, Troy Athens: The Red Hawks have enjoyed one of its more successful runs in boys tennis in recent years and this senior was a big part o fit. Named honorable mention all-state in Division 1, Karim held down the No. 1 singles slot and reached the finals or semifinals at various tournaments. He was second at the Port Huron Northern and Athens tournaments, reached the semifinals at the OAA White Division tournament, won the Grosse Pointe regional and lost in the Round of 16 at the D-1 state finals to Joe Dube of Novi-Detroit catholic Central, the state runner-up. He is a three-time state qualifier and helped his team finish in the top-15 at the state meet during his freshmen, junior and senior seasons.

“He was our No. 1 singles guy for four years and had a great career for us,” said coach Andrew Shipp. “He had a lot of great career wins and will be missed next year.”

DOUBLES TEAMS

PATRICK SMITH-JOEL TALSMA, Auburn Hills Avondale: The Yellowjackets may have struggled overall in dual matches, but not their No. 1 doubles duo. Smith and Talsma finished the year with a fine 21-5 record as seniors and earned All-OAA White Division honors. They finished as the OAA-White runners up and also reached the semifinals of their flight in a deep Division 2 regional before ending their season.

JIMMY KINGSLEY-JASON MAANS, Rochester: An injury to Kingsley limited this duo’s chance to play together for the first few weeks of the season. One his return, they flourished to finish the year with a 10-7 record against stiff competition. Named to the All-OAA White Division squad, they were semifinalists at the league and regional tournaments.

“One of guys had an injury (Kingsley) and they missed a few weeks playing together,” said coach Jerry Murphy. “Once they were back playing together, they were a touch team. They beat some pretty good doubles teams towards the end of the year and they were competitive when they didn’t win.”

MARCUS KARIM-WILL CHEN, Troy Athens: Karim, a senior, and Chen, a junior, combined forces to anchor the Red Hawks’ doubles lineup and finished with over 20 wins and All-State Honorable Mention status in Division 1.  They reached the Round of 16 at the state finals, were named to the All-OAA White Division squad, won the league tournament, captured the Athens tournament title and reached the finals at the regional in the No. 1 doubles flight.

“This was one of our better seasons as we were 15^th at the state meet and these guys were consistent the whole season,” said Shipp. “We wouldn’t have done so well without these guys. They were very consistent in terms of scoring points for us at tournaments.”

MATT KUNTZMAN-ADAM ZANDER, Troy: Another reason why Troy was one of the top teams in the powerful OAA Red Division and ranked in the top 10 in Division 1 season was the play of this duo. Kuntzman, a sophomore, and Zander, a senior, were both the OAA Red Division and regional runner-ups and finished as quarterfinalists at the Division 1 state meet. They defeated Athens’ Karim and Chen in the second round at the state finals.

“They’re record wasn’t great, winning a little more than 50 percent of their matches, but they played well at the end of the season and they reached the quarterfinal round at the finals,” said Bucalos. “Part of their record was the fact they we played a lot of the best teams in the state. They did a good job together. They were always competitive.”

COACH OF THE YEAR

RICK BUCALOS, Troy: In just his second season at the helm for the Colts, Bucalos led a talented team to one of its better finishes in state history. Troy, which finished 6-1 in league duals, was ranked most of the season in Division 1 and finished fifth at the state finals after ranking 13^th a year ago. The Colts were also one of the top teams in a variety of tournaments this season. They finished second at the regional, where the Colts trailed only state champion Birmingham Brother Rice. They were also third at the league tournament and third in the final OAA Red Division standings.

“We went from being 13^th to fifth in the state and that shows you the talent we had and how hard these guys worked,” said Bucalos. “We had a strong JV last year and we brought back a lot of players. With Brett Forman at No. 1, that made us that much stronger. We will return some guys next year, so we could be good again.”

2009 ALL-AREA BOYS TENNIS TEAM

NAME                     SCHOOL                                  GRADE                    FLIGHT

SINGLES PLAYERS

Brett Forman          Troy                                            Freshman                No. 1

Trey Keating            Troy                                            Senior                      No. 2

Nick Fiaschetti       Roch. Stoney Creek               Freshman              No. 1

Jesse Chen                Rochester Adams                  Senior                      No. 1

Jay Joshi                  Rochester Adams                   Junior                      No. 2

Kristoff Saari           Rochester Adams                   Sophomore           No. 3

Matt Karim             Troy Athens                             Senior                        No. 1

DOUBLES PLAYERS

Marcus Karim         Troy Athens                           Senior                      No. 1

Will Chen                    Troy Athens                          Junior                      No. 1

Matt Kuntzman       Troy                                           Sophomore            No. 1

Adam Zander            Troy                                         Senior                      No. 1

Jimmy Kingsley      Rochester                                Senior                      No. 1

Jason Manns            Rochester                                Sophomore           No. 1

Patrick Smith            Auburn Hills Avondale     Senior                      No. 1

Joel Talsma               Auburn Hills Avondale      Senior                      No. 1

COACH OF THE YEAR

Rick Bucalos            Troy                                         2^nd Season                 5^th at state

HONORABLE MENTIONS-SINGLES

Auburn Hills Avondale: Charlie Lapastora, sr. (No. 1); Clarkston: Andrew Heurman, soph. (No. 1); Lake Orion: Tyler Barry, sr. (No. 1); Bobby Michaels, jr. (No. 2); Adam Ilenich, sr. (No. 3); Rochester: Arthur Lee, sr. (No. 1); Rochester Adams: Raymond Xu, sr.; Rochester Stoney Creek: Amorin Sharick, sr. ( No. 2.); Troy: David Caldwell, Troy sr. (No. 3);  Raymond Chen, Troy, jr.  (No. 4); Troy Athens: Brian Flewelling, sr. (No. 2.).

HONORABLE MENTIONS-DOUBLES

Rochester Adams: Cameron Woolley, sr. (No. 2)., Juhan Lee, fr. (No. 2); Abhay Dhaliwal, sr. (No. 1), Brian Palazzolo, jr. (No. 1); Rochester Stoney Creek: Sal Lipuma, sr., (No. 1), Marc Kensel, sr., (No. 1); Erik Schoenhals, jr. (No. 2), John Seyferth, soph. (No. 2); Troy: Noah Rice, jr. (No. 2), Peiming Lin, jr. (No. 2).

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Category: All Area Teams, Auburn Hills Avondale, Clarkston, Clarkston Everest Catholic, Lake Orion, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy, Troy Athens, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes