Making his points

Mike Sciacca

Michael Codini has a habit of making practice perfect, whether it

come in the classroom, or, out on the tennis court.

The 18-year-old senior is the No. 3 singles player for the Laguna

Beach High boys’ tennis team, a precision player who knows who to use

his smarts.

His play on the court is just an extension of his prowess in the

classroom.

“Michael is a great No. 3 player because he is the kind of player

who will try to get very shot back,” Laguna Coach Greg Weiss said.

“He is willing to stay on the court as long as it takes, and he

fights for every point.”

Speaking of points, Codini racked them up when he took the SATs

last April.

His score of 1600 reveals just how intelligent he is.

The 4.6 grade-point average he carries, backs it up.

“To be honest, I don’t study a whole lot,” said Codini, who added

that he didn’t find the balance too difficult when managing school

work and athletics.

“But I’ve always had to work hard to achieve my success in the

classroom,” said the honors student. “I’m just pretty efficient when

I work, whether its in the classroom or on the tennis court.”

Codini has been accepted to Harvard and said he plans to attend

the Cambridge, Mass. campus next fall.

His twin sisters, Cristina and Teresa, currently are juniors at

Harvard.

“I love it there,” said Codini, who has been back to visit his

sisters. “It’s a great location just outside of Boston. The campus is

really beautiful and the academics are wonderful.”

Codini was born and raised in Laguna Beach and has been playing

tennis, he estimates, since the third grade.

He’s in his second varsity season with the Breakers but, he hasn’t

limited his time to just academics and sports.

In addition, Codini, who lists history, government and Spanish as

his favorite subjects, plays alto saxophone in the school’s marching

band and jazz ensemble, and is a member of the Model United Nations

club.

“Michael is a remarkable student,” Weiss said. “His intelligence

spills over on the court. He is a fighter that will try to wear down

his opponent and take advantage of that player’s weaknesses.

“Michael is a pleasure to have on my team. During practice, he is

willing to do anything to help the team and all the kids get along

great with him.”

Codini said he will efficiently be working toward one main goal

during his final year in the boys tennis program.

“I just hope we can make CIF this year,” he said. “I think we’ll

place pretty well in league. I’m pretty confident we can do it.”