'I'd have thought you were crazy' Inside Connor O'Guinn's run to state tennis
Last year, Connor O'Guinn was just along for the ride.
After Bloomington North's boys' tennis season as a team ended at sectional, O'Guinn watched senior Nick Shirley make another trip to the IHSAA boys' tennis state singles final and finish in second place. He was in awe of the tennis and the Park Tudor facility.
"I felt like our season was still going on, watching him play," O'Guinn said.
He's had success in the past, but when this season began, he never, ever figured he'd be the one leading another North parade back to the state singles finals this Friday. But here he is, last man standing for the Cougars and getting ready to face off against Guerin Catholic senior Jake Miller in the quarterfinals at Park Tudor at 2 p.m. with the winner drawing Hank Lin of runner-up Columbus North.
Both are state rookies, but O'Guinn might be the only one there who hasn't been working on his backhand since he was in elementary school. He's a relative newcomer to the sport. He's always been competitive, but if someone back in early August had suggested this was how he'd end his senior year?
"I'd have thought you were crazy," O'Guinn said. "I didn't expect it at all. I personally thought as a team we were going to go a little bit farther than we did and then face some really good players and teams.
"Unlucky as a team, we lost, but I knew this was an opportunity for me, after I beat David (Ciucu of South) and we lost, to make a run for it. And I had to play some tough people to get here, but ended up getting there. It's been really fun, all these matches. Some have been close, some haven't, but all this is so much fun. To even say that I went to state for tennis is really cool. I feel really accomplished already."
Inside job
Last Saturday's region was an interesting experience.
It started off well enough on a cool, wet morning at Bedford with a 6-1, 6-0 win, then it was off to get something to eat and wait for the 1:30 p.m. final against Ferdi Bosse of Evansville Christian. It rained too much, so the match was moved to the IU indoor courts.
O'Guinn has been playing tennis for only four years and had just one other experience playing a competitive match indoors, and it wasn't good. Two years ago, rain at South moved the regional final against Columbus North to indoor courts in Columbus.
"We were sharing the courts with people who was getting lessons," O'Guinn said. "It wasn't a fun experience. We had to go one by one and we lost 5-0.
O'Guinn had a bit of a headache and also figured Bosse had experience playing indoors. It was also weird having spectators above him, including Shirley and Rogers. But once the match started, he forgot about all that.
"I didn't really let it effect me," O'Guinn said. "I played some of my best tennis and my serve was as good. It got a little warm and I was tired, but I kept pushing. It was a real test."
And as a member of the boys' basketball program at North, he's seen large crowds and been close to pressure situations the past two seasons, which both ended at semistate. So he's ready to face the noise and nerves.
"It is kind of nerve-wracking, but it'll just go away after the first couple of points," O'Guinn said. "I'll just focus on myself and my match and my friends and family will help. I'll be more happy than nervous up there."
Carpe diem
O'Guinn's run means a Cougar will be at state for the fourth time in seven seasons, following Shirley and Mac Rogers. North also had a pair of doubles teams make it in 2014-15.
"They're all competitors, all intelligent," North coach Ken Hydinger said. "Their games are different, so are their backgrounds. Mac playing as a real young kid, Ray Leonard came from a big tennis family. Nick was playing as a real young kid, so that part's not the same.
"But they were all proactive. They went out and got after it. What was the Robin Williams line from that movie (Dead Poets Society)? Carpe Diem. Seize the day. They all had that really."
And that's just what O'Guinn plans to do at state. Is he happy to be there? Sure. But he plans to make the best showing he can.
"It's a huge step up," O'Guinn said. "I just want to play hard and show I belong up there. Those guys have been playing their whole lives, so they're sort of expected to be in that situation.
"I certainly feel like I belong. It's important to me, even if I lose, to go down with a fight. I want to play a good, clean match. I mean, I am just happy to be there. I didn't expect it. I don't have anything to lose, so there's a lot of pressure on them."
Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com and follow on X (Twitter) @JimGordillo.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: 'I'd have thought you were crazy' Connor O'Guinn's run to state finals
