THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 24, 1995 TAG: 9505240627
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: Athletes of the Week
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
Were they playing a football game, the Maury Commodores no doubt would have put the ball in the hands of their best runner in such a clutch situation. Had it been basketball, the top shooter would have been charged with pulling things out.
But in high school team tennis, the pressure can fall on anyone, even an admittedly nervous, relatively inexperienced No. 3 man like Maury's Ross Hoffman.
Hoffman, a sophomore, found himself contesting the pivotal match in both the Commodores' Eastern Region semifinal against Tallwood and the championship against Lafayette. On both occasions, Hoffman delivered, helping the Commodores pull out an unlikely region title.
His on-court heroics earned the baby-faced Hoffman The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star Athlete of the Week honors, as well as providing a case study in how to shrug off being in a tight spot. Seems Hoffman is a graduate of the ``What, me worry?'' school of tennis.
``Actually, I think it worked out well for me to be in those situations,'' he said. ``I didn't have time to really think about what was going on.''
But the more Maury coach John Brinkman thought about it, the more he realized that, while Hoffman's tennis resume includes only three years' experience, very few tournaments and no previous team play, there were very few players he'd rather have on the court with the match on the line.
``The best thing about Ross is his competitiveness,'' Brinkman said. ``Plus he listens. He'll do exactly what you tell him.''
Sometimes, however, Brinkman's advice takes a while to set in.
Hoffman and partner Rob Brown were down, 5-2, in the final set of the clinching second-doubles match against Tallwood before they staged a dramatic rally using Brinkman's ``lob-and-run'' strategy. Hoffman and Brown ran off four consecutive games, then the match on a Tallwood code violation.
In the final against Lafayette, Hoffman came through again. With the Commodores ahead, 3-2, and fans and players focused on his court, Hoffman outsteadied Kelsey Reddick in three sets in what both coaches later called the pivotal match.
``You know, I was kind of nervous when this regional play began,'' Hoffman said. ``But now I'm starting to feel pretty comfortable out there.''
Almost as comfortable as the Commodores feel when he's out there. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Ross Hoffman
by CNB