Greater experience, depth has Harkins excited about Nicholls men’s tennis squad

A veteran group and more depth than the squad has had in quite a while has Nicholls coach Greg Harkins excited about his men’s team as he embarks on his eighth season as Colonels coach.

“I’m very optimistic on the men’s side,” said Harkins, who also is the coach of the Nicholls women’s tennis team. “We have three all-conference players returning. We have more depth than we’ve had in a number of years.

“We also added a really solid freshman and some other players that really give us more depth than we’ve had in a while.”

That depth, Harkins said, will hopefully lead to a more complete team.

“We came up a little short last year. We just were about one player short,” the Nicholls coach said. “I’m hoping that we fill that gap, and the guys are strong, and they’re motivated. They have goals and aspirations.”

A pair of seniors help to provide the leadership.

One such senior is Omar Morsy.

“He’s actually a fifth year. He’s working on his MBA,” Harkins noted. “He’ll be playing Line 1 for us. He’s held that line for the last almost four years. So it’s nice to have that level of experience.”

The other top senior is Antonio Sasso.

“He’s just been a juggernaut in doubles, and he’s an anchor, four through six. They’re both our team captains,” Harkins said of Sasso and Morsey. “To have that kind of leadership is really impressive.”

A freshman to keep an eye on is Kotaro Matsumura.

“He had a hell of a fall and really lit it up,” said Harkins. “So as a freshman coming in, he really had one of the better falls that I’ve seen for a freshman in a long time.”

Another solid contributor is senior Harry Collins.

“He won some big matches for us last year and he had another great fall,” Harkins said.

Another player expected to play a key role is Quentin Lamothe.

“Our French boy, Quentin Lamothe, he’ll probably be Number 2 in the lineup,” said Harkins. “Nobody works harder than him. His physical conditioning is at an elite level and so he really is taking charge and challenges the guys physically. He is another one who is just having success because he bought in and he’s believing in getting better, not only for himself but for the team.”

A productive fall campaign, Harkins said, has the Colonels believing in themselves.

“It helps us build confidence more than anything,” the Nicholls coach said of the fall schedule. “It helps establish the lineup, especially when you add in new guys, whether they’re freshmen or whether they were transfers. It gives them time to bond and go through those experiences.”

“We played some tough matches in the fall,” Harkins continued. “The fall in collegiate tennis is more individualized tournaments, and in the spring, we head into the dual matches. So it really gave me an opportunity to kind of see where we could put the lineups together.”

The goal for matches, Harkins said, is to get to the four points necessary to win as a team.

“For us, it’s just trial and error,” said Harkins. “We have to work through the matches. It’s not where we start, it’s where we finish. Our goal is to peak in April. The boys know that. I think it’s just maintaining consistency and composure.

“The trials and tribulations, it’s just a long season. We start next week and won’t finish until the end of April. It’s trying to be as consistent as possible. Also, you know you are going to need a little bit of luck. You’ve got to stay healthy. Hopefully, the ball bounces on the right side of the net, which is our opponents.”

With the likes of the University of New Orleans, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Incarnate Word, along with affiliated members the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Bryant from Rhode Island, Harkins said he expects tough matches again in the Southland Conference.

“Anytime you walk on the court, it’s going to be a battle,” Harkins said. “The guys want that. The good news is we have enough experience and depth that they know what is expected. They are not seeing anything they haven’t before.

“They want to compete for a conference championship, and I can say this is the first time in a number of years that we really, as long as we’re healthy, and the ball bounces our way a little bit, we’re going to be in the mix.”