Lewis-Clark State tennis teams have international flair

Mar. 26—On the walls surrounding the courts the Lewis-Clark State tennis teams practice on, there are many different flags that can be seen.

The flags represent countries that span six of the seven continents. Countries that Warriors tennis players, current and past, call home.

LCSC tennis coach Kai Fong has jokingly said in the past he has "spies" all around the world that help him recruit internationally.

Across their men's and women's teams, the Warriors have 28 total athletes from 18 different countries.

"I think coach Kai had a lot to do with my decision (to play here)," said Daniel Tevez, a sophomore on the men's team from El Salvador. "He's the coach that wanted me the most. And I took into account the tennis program, my major, the city and I decided just to try something new here."

Many current players, international or domestic, have similar stories of being recruited: they knew Fong previously, they knew someone who knew Fong prior or Fong was the person who wanted the player the most.

"For me, it was a little different (than Tevez)," said Bonolo Molefe, a sophomore on the women's team from Botswana. "(I found out about LCSC) through an agent who knew of the school and who knew of Kai. So, he contacted me with Kai. And then, through the whole process, there were other schools, but coach Kai was the one who seemed a bit more not concerned with financial situations or stuff like that, or level of play. He just wanted to know you as a person, how you are and if you're willing to work hard and put in the work, so that's why I came here."

Thomas Schaap, a junior from Salem, Ore., got in contact with the school through a former player.

"I found out about the school through a former player," Schaap said. "They moved to Salem, where I'm from, then I thought, 'I'll just email the coach.' And he got back to me in about five minutes. So I came and visited the school, liked it, and that's how I got here."

Fong, a former tennis player at Idaho, explained that a lot of his recruitment isn't based on experience of watching the player compete, but more so on work ethic and character.

"I would have to say that half of the players I have ever recruited, I have not ever seen hit a tennis ball," Fong said. "They were taken on faith that they are open to learning and having a strong work ethic towards graduation and tennis. Back in (the) day, there weren't any phone calls, nor video chats nor video evaluations.

"Communication was through letter writing, and occasional landline calls at 25 cents a minute. We have been very blessed to have gotten the high quality recruits with the sight unseen approach. Word of mouth recommendations were huge."

Even with the stark differences in background from person-to-person, the team dynamic is no different than the level of camaraderie one could find in any other collegiate program. Laughs are exchanged, jokes are made and memories and companionship are shared.

"I think since we share the same coach, same courts, we usually see each other all the time," Tevez said. "You kind of develop relationships in between time and all of that. And most of us have been here for a while, so we know each other a lot. We see each other play, we usually hang out within seasons. We're all like a little club.

"Also for us internationals, it's kind of hard for us to get around, we're a little shy at the beginning. So it's great to have this culture, how close we are within the team."

Andrea Cervantes Bustamante, a sophomore on the women's team from Mexico, equated the team to one big family.

"It's kind of like looking at a big family with people from around the world," Bustamante said. "We have highs and lows, like a family."

Like most student athletes, the tennis team, united in their goals on the tennis court, also have their own individual goals related to academics and career paths.

"A lot of your grades depend on whether you play or not, whether you can perform here on the court," Tevez said. "Sometimes when you're out of town playing, you're stressed about practices and all of that and your body physically sometimes has a big toll on you. So it's definitely not easy. It's definitely hard to keep yourself on top of things, but it's worth it for us. I don't think any of us would give up our sport."

Molefe agreed.

"It's challenging, but we like it," Molefe said. "We like the challenge. It's what keeps us going. Late nights studying, you have a match in the morning, we have practice in the morning but we still have to go."

Kowatsch can be reached at 208-848-2277, tkowatsch@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @Teren_Kowatsch.