Columbia High School tennis player Jacob Brown helped kick off his senior tennis season with an exciting opportunity: Signing Friday to play at Southwest Community College.
He’ll join a new program as Southwest restarted tennis this year after not having teams for several years.
Columbia High tennis coach Anna Morris said Brown has a great attitude on and off the court.
“Jacob is always positive and a team player. Jacob is the one who ‘breaks it down’ for us at the end of practice,” she said.
When Brown was in middle school, several of his friends tried to convince to give tennis a try, saying he would love it once he did. Taking a chance on tennis led to him earning an athletic scholarship.
“I never regret that day where I gave in. I remember going to play and thinking, ‘This is a lot of fun. I want to do this.’ Never in my mind did I think, ‘Oh, I’m going to go to college doing this,’” he said.
Brown said his dad, David, also went to Southwest and has told him a lot about the school. Brown has attended several band clinics at the Summit campus and liked the atmosphere.
“I just had a good feeling about Southwest. I enjoyed going there, loved the campus and loved the people there,” he said.
Brown and partner Jason Ball were undefeated in the regular season last year, before their first loss at the district tournament. Brown and Ball played together at a preseason tournament on Feb. 16 and won all four matches they played.
Brown said his first tennis coach helped him become the player he is today.
“I want to give a shout out to my first tennis coach, coach James Harvey. Sure we may not have got along sometimes and had our differences, but he was my first ever tennis coach and I was proud to have him,” he said.
There were a couple others Brown singled out that helped reach where he is today: Bryce Livingston, who was always willing to give him tips and pointers; Cody Vaughn, who gave Brown tennis lessons and helped him get better; and his current tennis team, who encouraged him to take a chance on Southwest, much like he did when he first picked up a racket.
“They were the ones who were telling me, ‘You got this. You can make Southwest’s team. We believe in you,’” he said.
The team’s regular season began Monday against Oak Grove.
“I look forward to seeing what Jacob is going to do this season. I have lots of confidence for a very exciting season for him and the rest of the CHS tennis team,” Morris said.
Pictured Above: Columbia's Jacob Brown signs with Southwest alongside his dad, David, and mom, Anita. | Photo by Emily Raybourn/CHS
