Men's Tennis | 3/24/2015 10:04:00 AM
BALTIMORE – With this being the height of "March Madness" across the country, we can be excused for using a Dick Vitale-like pun when describing the talents of Coppin State freshman
Gavin Lewis, a true "diaper dandy" on the men's tennis team.
Lewis enjoyed a memorable week by winning two matches at No. 3 singles. He defeated Loyola's Tim Dowd (7-5, 7-5) and North Carolina Central's Jamal Hoyte in a three-set tiebreak thriller (6-3, 1-6, 10-8) last Friday. His two-match win streak was stopped by Howard's Myron Davis (6-2, 6-2) on Sunday.
His victories highlighted a pair of Coppin State setbacks. He has been a shining light during a tough start to the Eagles' season.
"The first two matches I played this spring, I got creamed," Lewis said. "It was a great feeling to win my first collegiate match. At first, I wasn't too satisfied and I felt like I could have played much better, but in the end, I won and I guess that what counts. I have gotten more confident in myself."
Lewis, a criminal justice from Georgetown, Guyana, has slowly adjusted to the demands of playing Division I tennis and the intense training required to compete at a consistently high level.
"The training here is tough compared to what I received back home," Lewis said. "There have been times that I can't walk and (Coppin State head) coach (
Diwani Lewis) says we haven't done anything. He says 'this is just a warm-up.' The transition has been tough to take in."
Fortunately, Lewis has been surrounded by nurturing teammates
David Ogan,
Reginald Robinson and
Patrick Thomas. They have all made Lewis feel like a welcomed member of the team.
"Everyone on the team encourages and motivates you to do better," Lewis said. "I am not used to that. Back home, if you have a bad day, nobody encourages or says anything to you. We have a good relationship off the court and it helps as a team."
Coppin State (0-4 overall, 0-1 MEAC) is home for a three-match MEAC homestand against Hampton (Wednesday, 2:00 p.m.), Maryland Eastern Shore (Friday, 3:00 p.m.) and Norfolk State (Saturday, noon).
On the women's side, the Eagles have dropped matches to Loyola and Howard this season.
Lewis' performances this season have been a welcomed sight to Coppin State head coach
Diwani Lewis.
"Gavin has surpassed my expectation of him thus far this season," Lewis said. "Being that it is his first season, I wasn't really expecting much, only for him to gain some valuable experience at this level. However, given his performance I had to re-evaluate my initial thoughts of him. He has stepped up on every occasion and competed well. He has shown no signs of freshman jitters, but only that of a seasoned player. I am very excited about his recruitment and I am confident that he will only get better."
