Stacking up the best in the U.S.

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - Any time the word o7 nationalf7 is associated

with a tournament or invitational, you know the principals mean business.

In this case, Corona del Mar High boys tennis coach Tim Mang, who

started the National High School Tennis All-American Foundation, has

recruited the best of the bunch for an inaugural event in Newport Beach.

“This isn’t your average prep event, and it’s the beginning of

something giant,” said Mang, executive director of the CDMHS-Pavilions

National High School All-American Team Invitational, March 16-18, at the

Palisades Tennis Club.

Six of California’s top programs, along with several tennis powers

from around the United States (including private schools), will decide

the most official national team tennis championship ever conceived.

Five of the top 20 teams in the nation, according to the USA Today’s

final 1999 rankings that were released last week, will compete, including

No. 2 (and host) Corona del Mar and No. 5 Peninsula.

Teams from Arizona, Florida, Virginia, New York, Oregon, Nevada,

Colorado and Connecticut, as well as California, will play in the event

expected to draw attention from national media outlets.

And many of the out-of-state programs, such as Cherry Creek (Colo.),

are eager to prove that California, Texas and Florida are not the only

states with traditionally strong tennis teams.

“We’re anxious to see how we stack up,” said Cherry Creek Coach John

Gibas, whose program has won 323 straight dual matches, a streak that

dates back to 1970, and captured 26 of the last 27 state championships.

“I think the perception is that the best tennis is played in

California, Texas and Florida, and for a large part that’s probably

true,” Gibas said. “But one of the reasons we’d like to come to this

tournament is to see how we stack up ... and see if we can compete

against teams from historically strong warm-weather states.”

Cherry Creek, which plays its boys season in the fall while the girls

play in the spring (opposite of California), is based in an affluent,

unincorporated suburb of Denver. It’s the largest public school in

Colorado with 3,600 students and features 180 boys in the tennis program.

It has four coaches, three varsity teams and three junior varsity teams.

But Cherry Creek isn’t the only powerhouse preparing to stake claim to

a national championship.

Two schools from Virginia, nationally ranked E.C. Glass of Lynchburg

(No. 15) and Woodberry Forest, an all-boys private boarding school, could

make an interesting showing in the National High School All-American Team

Invitational.

“It will be nice to get an idea of how we stack up against the best

teams in the United States,” said Woodberry Forest Coach Randy Hudgins,

whose school Web site is proudly promoting its tennis team competing in

the Newport Beach-based event.

“From New Jersey down to South Carolina, I’d say we’re in the top five

or top 10 -- at least last year. But who knows how the teams will be on

the West Coast? We may not be as competitive. But, then again, it might

be a pleasant surprise.”

Woodberry Forest went 14-2 last year and won the Virginia Prep League

championship for the sixth time in the last 10 seasons, a league

consisting of nine private schools in the state. By participating in the

tournament, Hudgins also believes it’s a good way to sell the school to

potential students on the West Coast.

“We’re a well-known school in terms of strong athletics and academics

on the East Coast,” Hudgins said. “We’ve got pretty strong financial

backing -- $140 million in endowment -- so we’re fortunate to have some

alumni who have been generous to the school. We’re one of the best

academically challenging private boarding schools in the country.”

Of Woodberry Forest’s losses last year, one came against Virginia

public-school state champion E.C. Glass and the other against East Chapel

Hill, the North Carolina public-school state champion.

Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood, ranked No. 16 in the final 1999

national poll, and No. 20 Brophy College Prep in Phoenix, Ariz., are also

entered.

Dr. Michael Crop Senior High School (Miami, Fla.), Green Valley

(Henderson, Nev.), North Medford (Ore.), Horace Mann (New York City) and

Chesire Academy (Conn.) are the other non-California entries.

Mang said 15 schools are confirmed and he’s still seeking a 16th to

fill out the bracket, which he said will be announced soon.

“What (prep) sporting event is there, where you can see the top

players in the United States?” Mang said. “In football games you don’t

see the best players in the country. Maybe if it’s Mater Dei playing

somebody in basketball from the East Coast, you might see the best. But

this is 16 different high schools.”

Last year, Corona del Mar -- on its way to the CIF Southern Section

Division I title -- finished second in the Tournament of Champions at

Overland Park, Mo., which was won by Cardinal Gibbons of Fort Lauderdale,

Fla. The tournament in March will replace that event on the national

landscape.

Centennial (Bakersfield), Monta Vista (Cupertino) and Menlo School

(Atherton) are the other California teams in the event, which kicks off

with opening ceremonies March 16.

The invitational will be played under the auspices of the National

High School Tennis All-American Foundation, a nonprofit corporation

launched by Mang in 1998.

This year’s event will take place at various clubs in the area, with

Palisades as the headquarters and site of the March 18 title match.

The National High School Tennis Invitational for girls will be played

in October and hosted by the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club.

Proceeds from the tournament go toward recognizing high school tennis

All-Americans via the National High School Tennis All-American

Foundation. Details: (949) 717-7710.