The father-son duo of Andy and Chris Brandi has spent the last couple of years building the LSU men’s tennis program into a position where they can compete in the monstrous SEC. The team is completely theirs now; the last remnants of the previous coach’s tenure have graduated. It will be interesting to see what progress this young team has made in the offseason.
The remaining members from last year’s roster include two juniors and four sophomores (with some players having been granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19), and they have added a couple of fresh faces to fill out the rest of the depth chart.
Two fifth-year graduate transfers, Vlad Lobak and Gabriel Diez Pierre are expected to make an immediate impact on the team this season. New recruits, Dakotah Bobo and Will Cubitt could be the building blocks for this team’s promising future.
The Tigers had three leaders— Rafael Wagner, Joey Thomas and Malik Bhatnagar—who all graduated after last season, so they certainly need someone new to take on the leadership role. When talking about new leadership, coach Chris Brandi made sure to mention the graduate transfers.
“[Lobak and Pierre] have a ton of experience and they’ve done a great job giving their input on things and leading by example,” Brandi stated. “They’ve done a great job since they’ve stepped foot in here. They’re definitely going to have a big impact and they already have. Some people are going to really have to beat them out if they’re going to want to play.”
Regarding leadership, he considers junior Nick Watson and sophomore Ronnie Hohmann as candidates too.
He also spoke highly about each freshman, believing that Bobo has a chance to earn a spot on the court immediately and Cubitt has the potential to make an impact once he gains more experience.
“[Bobo] is actually pushing for a chance to play this year, and he’s already beaten some of our guys in some local tournaments,” Brandi said. “And Will [Cubitt] has a lot of potential too, he’s just got to get in a little bit better shape.”
The situation that’s worth the most focus, however, will be the progression of the four sophomores this season.
Ronnie Hohmann, who was granted an extra year because of the pandemic, has already shown copious amounts of potential, especially last season. He has clearly earned his spot as the player to man Court One for the Tigers, but he is just one player. He will need all the help he can get if the team is going to win matches.
When asked about which players could provide that help this season, Brandi cited Joao Graca’s progression as something worth keeping an eye on this season. Graca showed flashes of potential last season, holding his own against strong SEC opponents while still lacking in terms of experience.
His only problem is consistency, a common obstacle that every young player has to overcome at some point, and Brandi made note of that.
“Joao Graca has got a ton of potential,” Brandi said. “He’s played some over the summer and had some great wins and some not-so-great wins, so he’s been an inconsistent guy.”
Brandi also made note of Graca’s greatest feat of last season, where he and Joey Thomas defeated the eventual NCAA champions in a doubles match versus Tennessee.
“I was there, and Joao Graca was the best player on the court by a lot,” Brandi stated. “So that shows you the ability as when he’s focused and his mind right. If he plays at a high level, I think we can be really good. But if he’s inconsistent, it’s going to be tough, because someone else is going to have to step up and compete with these guys in the league.”
Graca has the potential to make an impact in both singles and doubles this year, but that all depends on his progress. If he improves the same way Ronnie Hohmann did last season, look out for the LSU Tigers.
The Tigers will have their first chance to prove themselves next weekend, with the team participating in the Alabama Four-in-the-Fall event and select players (Ronnie Hohmann and Boris Kozlov) attending the Milwaukee Classic.
It’ll be interesting to see the progress this team has made and what they can do.
The remaining members from last year’s roster include two juniors and four sophomores (with some players having been granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19), and they have added a couple of fresh faces to fill out the rest of the depth chart.
Two fifth-year graduate transfers, Vlad Lobak and Gabriel Diez Pierre are expected to make an immediate impact on the team this season. New recruits, Dakotah Bobo and Will Cubitt could be the building blocks for this team’s promising future.
The Tigers had three leaders— Rafael Wagner, Joey Thomas and Malik Bhatnagar—who all graduated after last season, so they certainly need someone new to take on the leadership role. When talking about new leadership, coach Chris Brandi made sure to mention the graduate transfers.
“[Lobak and Pierre] have a ton of experience and they’ve done a great job giving their input on things and leading by example,” Brandi stated. “They’ve done a great job since they’ve stepped foot in here. They’re definitely going to have a big impact and they already have. Some people are going to really have to beat them out if they’re going to want to play.”
Regarding leadership, he considers junior Nick Watson and sophomore Ronnie Hohmann as candidates too.
He also spoke highly about each freshman, believing that Bobo has a chance to earn a spot on the court immediately and Cubitt has the potential to make an impact once he gains more experience.
“[Bobo] is actually pushing for a chance to play this year, and he’s already beaten some of our guys in some local tournaments,” Brandi said. “And Will [Cubitt] has a lot of potential too, he’s just got to get in a little bit better shape.”
The situation that’s worth the most focus, however, will be the progression of the four sophomores this season.
Ronnie Hohmann, who was granted an extra year because of the pandemic, has already shown copious amounts of potential, especially last season. He has clearly earned his spot as the player to man Court One for the Tigers, but he is just one player. He will need all the help he can get if the team is going to win matches.
When asked about which players could provide that help this season, Brandi cited Joao Graca’s progression as something worth keeping an eye on this season. Graca showed flashes of potential last season, holding his own against strong SEC opponents while still lacking in terms of experience.
His only problem is consistency, a common obstacle that every young player has to overcome at some point, and Brandi made note of that.
“Joao Graca has got a ton of potential,” Brandi said. “He’s played some over the summer and had some great wins and some not-so-great wins, so he’s been an inconsistent guy.”
Brandi also made note of Graca’s greatest feat of last season, where he and Joey Thomas defeated the eventual NCAA champions in a doubles match versus Tennessee.
“I was there, and Joao Graca was the best player on the court by a lot,” Brandi stated. “So that shows you the ability as when he’s focused and his mind right. If he plays at a high level, I think we can be really good. But if he’s inconsistent, it’s going to be tough, because someone else is going to have to step up and compete with these guys in the league.”
Graca has the potential to make an impact in both singles and doubles this year, but that all depends on his progress. If he improves the same way Ronnie Hohmann did last season, look out for the LSU Tigers.
The Tigers will have their first chance to prove themselves next weekend, with the team participating in the Alabama Four-in-the-Fall event and select players (Ronnie Hohmann and Boris Kozlov) attending the Milwaukee Classic.
It’ll be interesting to see the progress this team has made and what they can do.
