Bloomington North's Connor O'Guinn quick learner on tennis court as sectional awaits
From No. 1 singles to No. 2 doubles, Connor O'Guinn really had no idea where he might fit into Bloomington North's lineup heading into this boys' tennis season.
The senior, who grew up a basketball junkie, didn't like running cross country, had left soccer behind and thought he'd try something new as an eighth grader. A friend of his, J.T. Storm, who played football and golf as well as tennis encouraged him to give the sport a try.
A foreign exchange student living with a neighbor provided another playing partner during the COVID lockdowns.
"We just played," O'Guinn said. "We didn't know what we were doing. My first day here (at North), the coaches had to tell us how the scoring worked."
Still, O'Guinn had a chance to play in some varsity matches as a freshman and it whet his appetite. Basketball was still his main sport, but if he was going to play tennis, he was going to be good at it and scrap and claw each match and learn everything he could from North's staff and former Cougar Mac Rogers, who went on to play at Indiana.
"I knew at some point I really wanted to play singles," he said. "I knew someday I'd get to that point."
In 2021, his win at No. 3 singles secured a sectional title for North and last year, he teamed up with at No. 2 doubles with Seth Force. They were beaten in the sectional final by South's David Ciucu and Josh Sang. Interestingly, Ciucu and O'Guinn would meet again in the sectional finals if North and South make it, only this time, at No. 1 singles.
Taking over at No. 1
The graduation of four-year all-stater Nick Shirley, now playing at Butler, left a hole at the top of the lineup. North coach Ken Hydinger knows a round-robin tournament with this year's top seven could shake out in any number of ways.
Everyone had a fair amount of talent and intangibles to vie for the No. 1 singles position but O'Guinn certainly fit the bill.
"I don't want to say the others couldn't do it," Hydinger said. "But I will say this: 'Connor definitely looks forward to it. He likes the challenge."
So O'Guinn wasn't the least bit flustered after having to face one of the state's best, junior Hank Lin of No. 2 Columbus North (whose only postseason loss last year was to the eventual state champ).
"I was really excited to play No. 1 singles and I had to learn fast," O'Guinn said. "I played Hank Lin my second match ever at 1 singles and he kicked my butt. But it was a good learning experience.
"Even players who I don't think are as good (as Lin) are super steady. Everybody is good when you're playing the best from each school."
And many of them just have much more experience as lifelong tennis players. It's just something O'Guinn has had to figure out how to overcome as he added to his arsenal.
"The real essence of tennis is being able to play with your head and your heart," Hydinger said. "That said, having more tools in your toolbox puts you at a different level to have that tested.
"Connor's got a lot of head and a lot of heart, but he started so late. He's been playing maybe three years, so he doesn't have the tools. But I think if the guy keeps up with this game, starts playing 25s and 35s (age group competition). They've got national championships for 75s and 85-year-olds. He loves to compete. He moves his feet well and has good hands. It's just taking time to pick up the racket skills."
In the meantime, he's gone 4-1 in three-setters, the last an epic three-hour 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-3 win against Terre Haute South, and lost another match 7-5, 7-6. He never quits, one of his best traits as a player.
"The players are better so I've learned to just feed off them," O'Guinn said. "Just make sure to play really smart, especially if they've been playing for a while and are really skilled.
"And then have the will to win and never back down to anybody. I've had a lot of success in three-set matches I've had to grind out."
Draw splits North, South
The postseason route will have a different look as boys' tennis sectionals take place at Bloomington South on a Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday schedule. Each night's action will start at 5.
First, there's a new sectional lineup as Bloomington North, South and Edgewood are now joined by Owen Valley and Brown County instead of Bedford North Lawrence and Martinsville.
There's a new regional site as the Bloomington Sectional winner will head to Plainfield, where champions from Terre Haute, Plainfield and Mooresville sectionals will congregate. The only ranked teams in that group are No. 7 Avon and No. 27 South. The South winner will open against the Plainfield winner.
As for the draw, leading off will be rivals Edgewood and Owen Valley on Tuesday. The Mustangs won back-to-back meetings 4-1. The Patriots were sectional champs last year. The winner moves on to play the host Panthers. The other Wednesday semi pits North against Brown County.
North beat South 3-2 in a rain-delayed match during the season but the Panthers have altered their lineup since at 3 singles and 1 doubles. The Bloomington schools each have five sectional titles dating back to 2013.
The lineups
Bloomington North — Singles, 1. Connor O'Guinn, 2. Brady Murphy, 3. Paul Macy. Doubles: 1. Casey McIntyre and Seth Force, 2. Esteban Crespo and Ben Konisky.
Bloomington South — Singles, 1. David Ciucu, 2. Alex Busch, 3. Josh Sang. Doubles, 1. Evan Kantor and Ethan Peyton, 2. Abe Corry and William Liao.
Edgewood — Singles, 1. Andrew Paul, 2. Mitch Deckard, 3. Carter Cheaney. Doubles, 1. Quinn Norris and Dane Weisner, 2. Dannie Chandler and Jaylin Luedemann.
Brown County — 1. Jack Sichting, 2. Owen East, 3. Brandon Saechao. Doubles, 1. Jon Kirchhofer and Jax Burt, 2. Sawyer Gore and Trevor Shields.
Owen Valley — 1. Caleb Bixler, 2. Kaden Hamilton, 3. Sean Goss. Doubles, 1. Michael Hensley and Cooper King, 2. Kolby Brown and Kyvan Manning.
Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com and follow on X (Twitter) @JimGordillo.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington North's Connor O'Guinn quick learner on tennis court
