April 14, 2009
BY HOMER JACOBS
12th Man Magazine
Conor Pollock strolled out onto the practice courts at the Mitchell Tennis Center this month, sporting a senior beard and his usual laid-back persona. He sounded and looked like he was about to shoot the curl at Waimea Bay.
His demeanor is a far cry from when he arrived on the Texas A&M campus as the typical, peach-fuzzed freshman unsure of what to do and where to go.
"It's crazy...it goes by so fast," Pollock says. "It seems like yesterday I was moving into the dorm on the first day. It's really a blur. I'm going to miss it a lot."
A&M is going to miss Pollock, as well. The 21-year-old top-line performer in singles and doubles could leave Aggieland as one of the most decorated tennis players in school history. And that's saying a lot, considering the program has churned out such talents as Grant Connell, Mark Weaver and recent A&M Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Shuon Madden.
Pollock's college career took off immediately because it had to. Pollock was the only freshman in the Aggie lineup in 2006, winning Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. He played every singles position but No. 1 and held the team's longest winning streak at 10 matches.
By his junior year, Pollock was team captain and solidified as the team's top singles and doubles player. The rapid rise was punctuated last spring when Pollock and teammate Austin Krajicek roared to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament in doubles, the furthest any A&M duo had gone in school history.
"That was just a great tournament for us and a great year for us," Pollock said. "Things fell in place, and we started playing well at the end of the tournament and really had a shot to win it all. We beat No. 1 Virginia, but we got beat by a good Mississippi team. Tennis is a weird sport: Once you get momentum, things can happen quickly. That's just what happened in our case."
This spring, the doubles team of Pollock and Krajicek--ranked as high as sixth nationally so far in 2009--will be considered one of the favorites to take the NCAA title. And the Aggies will have the opportunity to go for the team gold on their home courts.
"This year at home, we feel pretty excited and confident about our shot this year," Pollock added. "That was really cool to make history last year. Just to be mentioned with those (Aggie greats) is a huge honor. That's pretty elite company."
While Pollock's game features some of the sweetest strokes in college tennis, his hand-eye coordination may be traced back to some nimble hands and fingers first developed during junior high music class. Pollock grew up playing piano and later violin in the school orchestra through his sophomore year of high school.
While his teammates may not know of his other string talents, Pollock doesn't shy away from one of his favorite hobbies.
"If I didn't go to school on a tennis scholarship, I'd probably be playing music somewhere," he added. "It's a good way to get away from everything. I play mainly classical. (My teammates) really don't know much about that. Coach (Tim) Cass did make me play in front of the team my freshman year."
The multi-talented Pollock (he carries a 3.68 grade-point average as a finance major) is now Steve Denton's top player, and the third-year Aggie coach knows he has a rare student-athlete leading his team as it tries to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAAs at home for the third time since A&M first hosted the NCAAs in 2002.
"He's a dream kid to coach," Denton said. "He's just really matured a lot and been a great leader here for the team. Some players are better than they think they are. In his case, he is a lot better.
"He's gained a lot of confidence in himself and his abilities over the last couple of years as he's matured. I know he's really excited about the remainder of this year and having the NCAAs at home his senior year. He feels like he's much better equipped to go out there and give it a shot."
The Aggies started slowly this spring season as a team, losing four out of five matches during an unyielding early schedule that saw the Aggies play eight straight matches away from the Mitchell Tennis Center.
Fortunately, the schedule shifts with A&M finishing with nine of its last 12 matches at home. And then there's the Aggies' ultimate carrot dangling: A chance to play all of their postseason matches in College Station.
"Obviously, the team is my biggest priority," Pollock added. "I've never been to the Sweet 16 as a team. I think with the guys on our team, we have a great shot and opportunity this year to do that, especially with it being at our place."
Pollock is on track to graduate in May, and he may enter graduate school at some point. But first he wants to play for the national title in college and then take a shot at the pro circuit.
One of Denton's biggest recruiting spiels is always to tell prospects that this A&M coaching staff (former pro Bob McKinley is Denton's assistant) stresses the training and preparation needed to reach the professional level.
The coach definitely sees pro potential in Pollock.
"I think you have to give yourself a couple years out there to learn the ropes because it's a different level," said Denton, who reached the singles final of the Australian Open during his pro career. "And it's different in that you're on your own and don't have a team to surround yourself with. It's all you. It's got to be a more self-motivating type of thing, and Conor is a very motivated person."
Pollock knows his days at this special university are dwindling. He shakes his head in amazement of the support he's received from the fans, if not from his mother, Julie, who never misses a home match despite having to make the three-hour drive from San Antonio.
He just can't give up tennis quite yet.
"I've played this sport my whole life," Pollock said, "and I don't want to have any regrets when I'm 30 and look back and say, `Oh, I should have tried it.' I still love playing and competing. And it'd be a great opportunity to travel around the world and make some memories."
He's made plenty of those so far at Texas A&M.