OK, seriously!!! How good is tennis gonna be this year. They are my last hope for a conference and a national title this year after soccer?? Hope i hear good answers.Any lineup predictions???

Mens team is stacked with great players. They have a shot at running it all.
But i know more about the womens team then the men. Women have a shot to win Big XII conference again, which they will, and then push the sweet 16

The womens team has no shot at the sweet 16. As long as old man Klienecke is running the show they will never make it out of regionals...

[This message has been edited by jsobertxag (edited 2/13/2006 8:26p).]

I think the mens team will be considerably better in 2004 with the added depth. The loss of Ryan will be missed and it will be interesting to see Lester Cook play at #1. Ante at #2 is strong and Kalid at #3 is worth going to the matches just to watch his energy on the court. The new additions will make this team one of the strongest top to bottom ever at A&M. The doubles line up will be interesting to watch. I think the #1 of Ante and Lester is solid but it will be interesting to see who will play at #2 and #3. I think this is where the added depth of this team will allow for more possibilities. I can't wait for the season to start. For those who have not had an oppertunity to attend a home match, you are missing one of most exciting sporting events on campus.

EBag-

Well said.

Not a fan of Klienecke either. But Cass (the men's coach) is very good.

The Men's Team is currently ranked #9.

Lester/Ante #1
Lester #17
Ante #19

Not bad. Maybe Baylor (Knoll) will get caught this year.

EBAg,

I like the assessment...we will definitely be better from top to bottom than we were last year. However, my vote for the best team ever at A&M would have to go to the 2001 squad. Man that team was unbelievable. Our regular lineup consisted of Shuon Madden, Ryan Newport, Keith From, Dumitru Caradima, Cody Hubbell, and Tres Davis. We also had Jarin Skube, Khaled El Dorry, and Nathan Price on our bench. That's completely stacked. Our doubles teams were pretty much unstoppable too. I know all 3 were ranked in the top 30 at the end of the season. Madden and DC at 1 dubs, Tres and Newp at 2, and Cody and Skube at 3. I loved watching those guys that year. Every match was so exciting because of the talent we had.

This year's team has gotten me the most excited since that 2001 squad. We should be very good from top to bottom and our doubles should be much improved. I can't wait until the 19th when the spring season kicks off.

I agree, the 2001 team was stacked. I think the excitement around this team also centers around that same key, depth. There are players who will take the court for the first time at A&M and these players will make an major impact on the program. The promise of the future is very exciting. Being able to watch Lester and Ante for two more years. Khalid will be a great leader this year which will build team unity. The new guys are going to be impressive, so much so that two guys who were in the rotation last year John and Matt will have to fight for court time. The competition for spots will make this team much stronger. They will have to compete in practice just to wear the jersey on days of matches. 2005 when the National Championships come to town the Aggies are poised to be a player. This season the Aggies have a chance to make it to the round of 16 and at that point anything can happen. This is going to be a great season, I just hope the team doesn't struggle on the road against top rank teams and begin to question their talent. The promise is there and I look forward to Monday and the season opener.

Aggiedoc2003

Hope to see you Monday...make some noise and establish the home court advantage for the remainder of the season.

EB Ag,

I should be there for all three matches. I haven't missed many home matches in the past 3 years. I always look forward to the tripleheader in the middle of January to kick off the season.

Aggie Doc, When you compare this team with the 2001 team, you forgot that these guys actually get along much better than 3 years ago. the team chemistry 3 years ago did not exist. I bet this team will do greater things than the 2001 team.

I don't know proaggs...we had good senior leadership on that team in Shuon and Cody and great team players in Skube and Khaled. I remember reading that Price didn't mesh well with the team (hence the reason he left for Arkanas), but I don't know of any other team chemistry problems. Care to enlighten me?

Well it really is almost tennis time. I think that everyone will be very pleased with this years squad. We will have more depth than we have had in a long time. Additionally, we have some top quality players at the top of the lineup who may be able to really make some noise as the season progresses. The schedule is very demanding, but that has never bothered our guys. Coach Cass wants them to play the very best competition, and his schedules certainly reflect that philosophy.

Trying to compare this team with others is very difficult. The 2001 team was not only very deep, but most had played together for a few years. Lester, Ante, and Khalid have been on the court together for some time, but we will have a lot of new guys battling for playing time. If they play anywhere close to their pedigree, we might really get things going.

Hope everyone can get out Monday for the triple header. Also there is going to be a tournament this weekend at the Varsity Courts that is being co-ordinated by our mens and ladies assistant coaches. I am not sure exactly who will be there, but both current and former college players can register to play. I think the last I heard there will be @25 players who will be in the competition. In any event, the season is at hand, and the excitement will begin.

According to Tim Cass's dad, last year was the first year since Tim coached at New mexico that he had seen such player chemistry on a Tim Cass Team. Only Ryan left that group, and what was added were several more Texas boys that have played this game through the junior tennis circuit together.

They know each other, respect each other, hae competed against each other. Now add that to their desire to be at Texas A&M and I think Grandpa Cass will find out in La Holla this year at the camp fire, that the chemistry is even greater. They have the spirit, they play for the school, the fans, for each other as well as themselves.

This team loves to play and they like being together and having fun off the court. Come watch them and see. There is something else the 2001 team did not have that the current men's and women's team has. They support each other, eat at Cheddar's together and cheer each other on at matches. They love the game.

That is CHEMISTRY and with their talent, the great coaching, it will take them to the Big 12 and past the round of 16. Come watch them play at home, see them on the road if you can. They are good, spread the word, we want standing room only. I have my stadium seats.