It’s a winning racket
There is winning. Then there is winning with grace. Ferris High School tennis player Whitman Hough has managed to do both of them well this season for the Saxons.
The Ferris junior calmly capped an unbeaten season within the Greater Spokane League with a victory at No. 1 singles at last weekend’s district tournament as he prepares for regionals this weekend.
“He stays real positive on the court,” said Ferris coach Brian Sachse. “You don’t see any behavior issues out of him. He never blows up or shows a fit of anger. I think that’s a tribute to everybody he’s involved with.”
Hough comes from a tennis playing family; his father Charlie, older brother Ben, who played at St. George’s School, and younger brother William, all swing the racquets. It was his dad, who played at Washington State, who got his sons into the game.
“We used to play every Monday night,” said Hough. “He would come home from work about 4:30, and we would hit and rally. He would hit balls to all my brothers. Through all the years, he would take us to tournaments. He coaches us. He’s been through juniors with Ben, me and now my little brother. He knows a lot about the game. He’s been a good influence and has good words of wisdom for us before and after we get on the court. The one thing I really like in what he does, is some coaches or parents get really angry with their kids if they lose. He’s really patient and tells us what we did wrong if we lose and give us some pointers. He’ll just wait patiently for us to come to him because sometimes after matches you can be angry. He’s got good patience.”
“They hit together,” said Sachse. “They talk tennis all the time. I think he’s his mentor. He’s the one he looks to for advice. If there’s a technical flaw in what he’s doing with his strokes or a strategical thing he needs to change, I think Whitman respects him immensely.”
Hough, who finished sixth in No. 1 singles at the state tournament last year, took steps to improve his game this past off-season with work at the Spokane Racquet Club. It was there he met former Cal-Irvine coach Steve Clark, who reshaped Hough’s game.
“When I first watched him play, he’s 6 foot, 6-foot 1’ish and he’s on the baseline,” said Clark. “I’m thinking, ‘What in the heck are you back here?’ He has a big serve and he loves the game, but he didn’t really volley all that well. I figured, ‘Heck, he’s pretty good as is.’ I’d played his brother (Ben) and seen where he was at, and that he really liked to come to the net. I just know Whit had a lot of upside.”
Clark worked with Hough on his serve-and-volley game and the results were immediate, as Hough has suffered only two losses all season.
“My volleys have got so much better that I’m able to come in on short balls and just put it away immediately,” Hough said. “It’s really helpful. I’m pretty athletic so I can get to the net pretty fast. I’ve got long arms so I can really get to the ball, too. He’s (Steve) been a good influence. He’s been good.”
Hough’s adaptability is also seen beyond his tennis skills, too.
“He’s a great listener,” said Sachse. “He takes the constructive criticism you give him and he does something with it. It’s something most kids don’t have. It’s a real plus in his favor, and something I really appreciate as a coach.”
The Saxon junior not only leads Ferris with his performance on the court, but with his ability to pick up his teammates.
“As soon as he gets to practice, he’s on the court hitting,” Sachse said. “He’s never out there doing anything other than hitting balls. If he’s not hitting with somebody, he’s talking to somebody and saying, ‘Hey, have you tried this? Why don’t you do that?’ That’s really a plus.”
“I’ve been encouraging to my teammates and trying to coach them,” said Hough. “I have a lot more experience than a lot of them and I’ve had a lot of coaching. I try to help them out in practice and I try to bring a lot of intensity to practice, so they can really drive off me.”
With the season coming to a close, the Ferris junior is hoping to improve upon last year’s finish at state.
“I got sixth last year, so I’m hoping to get first, second or third and place up there pretty high,” he said.