DeCagna, Buono Team Up for Outstanding Tennis Season

When the boys' tennis season began, all senior captain Derek DeCagna knew was that he was the only upperclassman on a team filled with potential. Little did he know, on the first day of practice, that he would team with a promising freshman to form one of the top doubles teams in Union County.

Enter Danny Buono. 

"In the beginning of the season when teams were being picked, Coach (Richard) Goldstein approached me and asked who I'd like to play with and I remember seeing Danny in the pre-season," said DeCagna. "I liked his fundamentals, his ground strokes, he had good technique. And even though I knew he was a rookie, I knew you could mold somebody that has good technique rather than somebody that's a little shaky, and then we paired up. I think I've given him some good tips along the way."

At first, Buono wasn't sure he would even make the varsity squad. For that to happen, he would have to climb his way up the ladder and beat potential teammates until the final seven were selected.

"It was really special for me because I barely made varsity," said Buono. "It was a really close match between me and someone else that's on JV, so I expected to be second doubles, so when Derek picked me, I was actually ecstatic, because I knew we had a really good shot at beating the other two and I could be first doubles freshman year. Plus, I knew that having a senior as a partner as opposed to a sophomore, I could learn a lot from his experiences and learn a lot from him, which I have."

The combination obviously worked: The two ended the season with an 11-3 record.

"It was a fantastic run for them," said Goldstein. "Derek stepped up to the plate as a senior. Since he was first doubles, I wanted him to choose who to play with and he chose Danny. He chose him because he saw the skills he had on the court, he saw the personalities were very well matched with each other as well and he made the right choice. It was like a big brother, little brother relationship."

"I did my best not to let him down this season," said Buono. "I did my best and had an open mind to learn, and I came out a better player."

"It probably took us about three matches or so to get used to each other, and then from there we started to mold together," said DeCagna.

Buono said the education from playing at this level has been second to none and that it's the little things that often count the most.

"You just have to always stick in there, even if you're down, you can't get negative, you always have to stay positive," noted Buono. "A lot of my strokes have gotten better, and I learned a lot strategy-wise. If it's not working, you have to change it, and in warm-ups, you can see the other people and scout them out. I've learned how to do that and done well."

Goldstein saw the benefits from this combination very early on.

"I really think Danny looked up to Derek being a senior on the team. He's been around, he's got the experience and I think that Derek was able to motivate him to be a better tennis player this year," Goldstein noted.

"I feel a lot better mentally than my actual game," said Buono. "I feel like my game went up a little bit but not as much as my head. When I used to play tennis, I'd get really down, and I've learned to stay up no matter what. And that's really helped me a lot and I'm sure it will help me this summer."

Buono will head to Pennsylvania where he will play up to four tournaments in the next few months.

"I've done fairly well in most of them. I'm looking to do even better this year, especially with the knowledge I've learned."

Goldstein has always been impressed with DeCagna's positive attitude and maturity, which played well with a very young squad.

"I knew Derek from class and on the court as well and that's definitely one thing he has, the maturity, he's responsible, he's respectful, he definitely has the drive to make everybody want to be successful and want to be motivated to win."

"I can definitely see myself going into coaching when I'm older," said DeCagna. "I showed Danny a lot of things that I learned over my four years here so I gave him the spark notes on how to do things. I think it made a difference."

DeCagna will be attending Trinity College in Connecticut next year, one of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation.

Next year, Buono will have his sights set on becoming one of the best tennis players in Union County.