Wesley Miller

Steve Virgen

Early during the Pacific Coast League boys tennis singles

championship match, Wesley Miller was not Wesley Miller.

There was something missing. The confidence was there, but perhaps

there was too much.

Miller, a Corona del Mar High junior, entered the title match

against Tesoro’s Nick Meister with an undefeated record in league

play, 21-0. Miller appeared to try too hard with some of his shots.

It was as if he was waiting for some moment to inspire him.

“I was pretty confident going in, probably a little too

confident,” said Miller, who did find motivation before the first set

ended. “He broke my serve and went up, 4-3. After that I basically

turned it on and he couldn’t keep up. I lost just two games after

that.”

Miller, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, defeated Meister,

7-5, 6-1, to cap an undefeated season on Meister’s home court May 12.

The victory was a microcosm of Miller’s ascension to the PCL

title, which began with his freshman year on the CdM boys tennis

team. Miller earned first-team, All-PCL doubles honors his first year

with the Sea Kings. Before he became a sophomore Miller refined his

game and improved.

He earned first-team All-PCL doubles laurels again, yet he picked

it up even more in the postseason, helping lead the Sea Kings to a

CIF Southern Section Division I title. However, Miller still

recognized a problem. He thought his game was not complete.

Miller’s father and coach, Rusty, said his son’s serve needed some

big-time work. Wesley Miller agreed and took care of business.

“That used to be the weakest part of my game, but now it’s the

strongest,” Miller said of his serve. “I worked on my serve a lot.”

Corona del Mar Coach Tim Mang has seen Miller’s maturation from

the tennis player’s freshman year. Mang said Miller has worked hard

and intensified his effort even more this season. With junior Carsten

Ball playing in United States Tennis Association tournaments, trying

to earn points toward his junior ranking, Miller took over as the

team’s No. 1 singles player.

The improvements Miller, ranked 61st in the USTA 16s, had made

proved to be a great example for his teammates and helped Miller in

his leadership role.

“He’s really improved on his serve,” Mang said. “His serve is

giant right now, and he is much more aggressive at the net. He’s

getting more offense at the net. His serve is really a weapon. He has

more of a complete game now.”

With Ball out most likely until the CIF Division I quarterfinals,

Mang is depending on Miller that much more.

“We have to have Wesley,” Mang said. “It gets tough now. [Miller]

has been filing in just fine.”

While Miller has been an example on the court, he has also been

bonding with his teammates. Spencer Reitz, known as the outspoken

leader of the squad, gave Miller a nickname. The Sea Kings call the

5-foot-8 redhead, “Rojo,” which means red in Spanish.

Miller said he is fine with the name.

Miller is scheduled to play in the CIF individuals Saturday at

Costa Mesa Tennis Center.