Raiders Boys Tennis Team Gets Ready for Monday Start

Gary Wasserman says building a winning tennis team is a basic, but difficult, task.

"Find chemistry, and find that third point," said the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School boys coach.

The Raiders finished the season 12-9 last year, and return quite a few players from that club this season. The team opens the new season April 5 against New Providence at the LaGrande Park Tennis Courts. Game time is 4 p.m.

The team was still working out its lineup, but as it looks now senior Dan Nizri, who was 12-12 last season, will be the team's No. 1 player. Senior Steve Bello will play at second singles and junior lefty Ezra Klemow is third. Bello was 13-6 last year, while Klemow went 9-8. All three of the youngsters were beaten in the quarterfinal round of the Union County Tournament last season.

"Danny's a good player who knows how to play, Bello has the heart of a lion and Ezra is a really good lefty — small, but a lot of power behind him," said Wasserman, whose team went 11-2 in its last 13 games.

The second doubles team of juniors Eric Leyden and Evan Shlissel has moved up and will be the No. 1 doubles team. That team went 12-10 last year. They will take over for the graduated Eric Heinz and Erick Walker, who went 11-4 at first doubles last season.

"I actually tried to do something new with the lineup, but Eric and Evan wanted to stay together," Wasserman said.

"Chemistry is key; that and able to work together," said Wasserman when asked what made a good doubles team. Wasserman said the team would be holding challenges the next few days to establish the rest of its lineup.

"We have a good bunch of kids, we're not a great team, but on any given day..." Wasserman said.

The coach said the team will be young this year. Last year, the club was subject to a difficult schedule topped by two matches with State Group IV champion Westfield.

That won't change, but the team will now be in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic League with county rivals A.L. Johnson of Clark, New Providence, Governor Livingston, Linden and, of course, Westfield.