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Letter to the editor

College courts pose few problems

By NANCY MORGAN, Times Sports Correspondent
Published August 26, 2007

Belleair's George Navas Tampa Prep was sold on attending the University of Michigan before he even set foot on campus. His freshman year proved he made the right choice in the classroom and on the tennis court.

"I had two buddies from Florida at Michigan - Andrew Mazlin and Scott Bruckman - and they talked to me about going there," said Navas, 20. "I actually committed during Kalamazoo at the junior hard court nationals. I had looked at other schools, but I liked the coaches and head coach Bruce Berque has a good reputation."

Two-time Hillsborough County Player of the Year, Navas broke into the Wolverines' starting lineup his first season last year, collecting a 17-14 singles record and was 23-9 in doubles.

"We were very excited George chose Michigan," Berque said. "He's a great fit with the guys, a good student and has a great family. There's no question George is a great athlete because you can see that from what he accomplished as a junior player.

"Any time a freshman is a starter for a team ranked in the top 21 in the country, that's a good accomplishment. We believe there's still a lot of room for development and we're expecting a lot from George his sophomore season."

Navas was recognized for his performance in the classroom be receiving the school's athletic-academic award for achieving at least a 3.0 GPA in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts.

Navas' first experience in tennis came under the tutelage of local teaching professional Gail O'Connor when his mom signed her 8 year old up for once-a-week tennis lessons at a local recreation center. From the age of 10 to high school graduation, Navas was trained by Maria Cercone, tennis director at the Bardmoor Golf and Tennis Club.

Navas had an impressive junior career, earning a national ranking as high as No. 9 in singles and No. 1 in doubles. Navas was a high school state champion as a junior and runnerup his senior year.

"This summer, I stayed in Ann Arbor to practice and play tournaments," Navas said. "I did okay, but my main goal was to get a lot of competitive matches. I played 23-24 matches in about six weeks. I'm working on finding my game because I tend to adapt my game to my opponent. I need to try to get them to adapt to me and find my own identity."

Among the tournaments Navas competed in this summer was the ITA Midwest Summer Circuit where he finished second in one event and won another. Over the season with the Wolverines, Navas collected a .579 winning percentage.

BASEBALL: Stetson's David Burns (St. Petersburg Catholic) collected a 1.83 ERA and a 5-2 record for Winter Springs in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. At Stetson, the left-hander posted a 4.76 ERA in 14 appearances.

- In seven appearances with Winter Park in the Florida Collegiate League, St. Petersburg College's Aaron Tullo (St. Petersburg) claimed a 2-2 record and a 5.06 ERA.

- In his first summer with the Leesburg Lightning in the Florida League, Casey Allen (Gibbs) averaged .224. The Lightning won the league championship. The outfielder collected a .255 average for the Savannah School of Art and Design.

- Stetson left-hander Ian Thompson (Boca Ciega) was 1-0 for the Lightning in four appearances. At Stetson, Thompson earned a 8.79 ERA in 16 appearances.

- Tampa's Nolan Brannon (St. Petersburg/Hillsborough CC) was second in hitting average (.323) for the New Market Rebels in the Valley Baseball League. Connecticut infielder Dale Brannon (St. Petersburg) was fifth in hitting (.255).

News for this column may be faxed to Nancy Morgan, 445-4119; e-mailed to namorgan@tampabay.rr.com or sent to 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756.

[Last modified August 25, 2007, 22:26:25]