East Webster has had a long line of success on the tennis courts and that hasn’t changed since Robbie Brown took over three years ago.
This year’s team was out of the gates in the right direction as they jumped out to three wins over rival Eupora, New Hope and Caledonia, but the coronavirus put a halt to the rest of the season. Progress was still made in Brown’s eyes with a team that is full of youth and without much practice.
“We didn’t get a chance to play many matches and we were young. We had 12 varsity players and half of my team were ninth grade or below,” Brown said. “Because of the rain we didn’t get to practice a whole lot and girls basketball going into the playoffs added to that as well. We didn’t have much of a season but we I felt like we were getting better.”
Meri-Grace Gregg, Lauren Graves and Jenna Flake missed most of the early practices due to the basketball season being extended but gave the team a boost when they returned. The team was also without one of its best players in Samuel Turner who had hurt his wrist. The East Central Community College signee was expected to return soon, however.
Playing the matches with the young players helped get them prepared for the season ahead next year and beyond. Brown said there’s no substitute for those live matches but there’s also more instruction that needs to take place in the coming months.
“During tennis season it’s really hard to teach fundamentals and live action stuff so it’s very important that they continue playing in the summer,” Brown said. “If my young ones can keep playing and working, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be better. You can go out and play tennis every day and not get any better. You’ve got to work on weaknesses to improve.”
Working on weaknesses during the current social distancing is going to be tough. The Mississippi High School Activities Association ordered that all sports be suspended until at least April 17 and that means facilities are off limits on school grounds.
With that in mind, Brown said that simulating actual matches is going to be increasingly difficult. But there are other ways for players to get better as the months go by.
“Sometimes who is in better shape will be the deciding factor. Also, a lot of times they can just watch tennis and see how the pros handle themselves,” Brown said. “All they can do is watch YouTube videos on serving, volleys and things like that. I’ve been watching coaching tips myself to be prepared for what’s ahead.”
