Q&A with OU men’s tennis coach Nick Crowell
NORMAN — First-year OU men’s tennis coach Nick Crowell has been around plenty of collegiate teams in his career. But this year’s Oklahoma team has perhaps the most interesting makeup of any club he’s ever seen. The Sooners, a squad that lost in the NCAA Tournament title match last year, enter this year’s national tournament with plenty of experience in three seniors and two juniors. But the team also has three key freshmen. Crowell has guided this complex team to a 14-9 overall record and 2-3 Big 12 mark. The Sooners are hosting a regional in the NCAA Tournament. He sat down with The Oklahoman ahead of Friday’s matches to discuss his first year in Norman and this quirky team.
Q: This is your first year being a head coach after being the associate head coach at Florida State. How does this compare with what you’ve done in the past?
A: “At the end of the day, the head coach has to make the final decisions and I think that’s been the biggest difference, where you’ve got to pull the trigger on who plays in the lineup, who sits out. You’re making call on recruits. You’re making the final call on even little details that maybe you’re not always thinking about. I think that’s been the biggest difference, just making that decision and having confidence in your decision-making.”
This year you have a lot of young guys combined with a bunch of senior leaders. How has your team developed and grown together?
“We’re kind of like two teams. We have this really experienced bunch of guys and then we have a group that came in January, and they’re still getting their feet wet. The older guys are taking these younger guys on and showing them the ropes. I think the younger guys bring and excitement and a newness to the team that I think was needed. When you mix those two things together, I think if you get everything going in the right direction, you can peak at the right time and see where it can go.”
Who should people be looking for this weekend at the Norman Regional?
“I think Spencer Papa has played really well all year long. Starting in Athens, Ga., in our very first tournament, he made the finals at the Southern Intercollegiate, which is one of the top fall tournaments. Really got his momentum going for the year. He’s pretty much been top-20 in the country all season long. He’ll be playing No. 1 this weekend. Mississippi State, SMU, Bryant, all going to have good No. 1s. Those are going to be great matches. I’d encourage people to watch some of our younger guys. They’re playing five and six and they get put on the ends, but I like it when people go over there and cheer those guys on. And then you’ve got the two Romanians in the middle, and those are guys are always exciting. They bring a lot of energy and they’re very clutch. The level is going to be high on all six, so it depends what you’re looking for.”