The Barstow boys’ tennis varsity practice started in February 12 after coming off of their epic single and team state championship victories. The entire tennis team runs on a staggered start practice schedule as varsity begins practice promptly at 3:45 while the junior varsity practices start at 4:15.
“Winning the state championship as a team was a dream come true,” says number one varsity seed Richard King ‘22. He adds that “being the first guys team to win the state championship at Barstow was a special moment for me. This year hopefully we can repeat and win another state championship at the class two level with help of national coach of the year Tom O’Brien.”
King ‘22 is ranked number one in the state of Kansas according to Tennis Recruiting and number 150 in the nation. He has signed to continue his tennis career at division one school Wichita State University and hopes to help Wichita State claim many more titles.
When King ’22 was asked about the future of the tennis team, he stated, “I think the future of the team is in great hands with the younger guys on the team such as my younger brother Bobby King, Sunny, Dylan Markey, Aaram Salam, and George Colombo. We are beginning to see a lot of guys beginning to move up the ranks on J.V. One that has been making waves on the JV tennis courts is Amrit Sian. His penetrating groundstrokes and his soft hands at the net make his opponents shake when they see him walk onto the court. His intense practice mentality along with his elite athleticism has made him a top candidate to make his mark on Varsity very soon.”
The other players also have big aspirations, and know their own weaknesses well. Sunny Gandhari ‘24 stated, “I’d like to win more of my singles and doubles matches and help my team hopefully win state again. I need to work on not double faulting as much and my backhand. I think the team would benefit from more practice time and less shenanigans.”
Bobby King ‘25 was also candid about the work he has to do this season, saying, “I think playing during the off season to get better will help me improve my skills so that I can help the team win many more state championships. I think I need to work on my footwork and backhands.”
Good luck to the boy’s tennis team! You can find their schedule here to come out and support your Knights!
