Foreigners have upper hand

To be recruited as one of the top young amateurs in your sport
by any school is a privilege. Athletes put forth a tremendous
amount of effort in order to be considered among the top players in
their sports.

But when older and more experienced players are thrown into
recruiting circles, as is the case with the influx of foreign
athletes in collegiate men’s tennis, the odds of high school
seniors earning a spot on an NCAA roster start to work against
them.

Though it’s great to see UCLA ““ and other schools
with successful tennis programs ““ provide such an opportunity
to talented Europeans, there needs to be an age cap to combat the
natural advantage they possess.

If foreign players ““ or athletes from any country, for
that matter ““ want to be a varsity athlete in the NCAA, they
should have to enroll as freshmen when they are 18 or 19 years
old.

Currently, many European players participate in pro circuits
before they decide to go to an American university. Talented
Americans, on the other hand, rarely go overseas to play in the
European pro circuit, so their options are limited to either
playing college tennis or turning pro. That translates into
18-year-old American players competing for spots on college rosters
against seasoned European players already in their 20s.

But why are NCAA coaches even allowed to recruit talents who
have already had experience on the pro tour?

The NCAA bylaws are very specific: “An individual is
ineligible for NCAA competition if they have competed on a team
that is considered professional.”

Mark McCampbell, head director of the Oxnard Tennis Center and
USTA National Zonal Coach, places the blame on a lack of research
into specific players’ histories and loopholes within the
system.

“It’s hard to prove because they are allowed some
expense money,” McCampbell said. “You can play in a pro
tournament as a junior, but you can’t collect
money.”

The NCAA shouldn’t exclude foreigners or draw up rules
that would specifically diminish or exclude European talent from
competing on the American college scene. Foreign players looking to
jump overseas to the States should have a choice: Either enter the
European pro circuit and develop their career from there, or start
their college career before they’re significantly older than
the average freshman.

In this way, coaches are still allowed to recruit foreign talent
while simultaneously leveling the playing field on an international
level.

McCampbell has witnessed firsthand how tough it is for younger
kids to compete against older players.

“I think the age deal is a big difference,”
McCampbell said. “I think that’s where (American) kids
are losing out.”

Even if an American earns a spot on a team, there’s little
guarantee he’ll earn a scholarship (UCLA only gives out 4.5
scholarships for men’s tennis) or see much time on the court.
American talent is notably absent at the most successful
schools.

UCLA’s recent national championship can be greatly
attributed to its collection of foreign talent. In the NCAA final
against Baylor, four of the six players representing the Bruins
were European. And all six players competing for Baylor were
foreign, with only one American appearing on the entire 10-man
roster. Because of the success of these and many other schools,
it’s tough to blame college coaches for recruiting
overseas.

There are some exceptions, such as Stanford, whose roster is
all-American, and Illinois, whose roster is mostly American.

These schools, however, pool the top American talent in the
country, leaving little need for them to even look overseas.

The schools that do recruit overseas not only get players who
are vastly more experienced, but, according to McCampbell, they
also dip into a talent pool that may consist of more motivated
talent.

“These coaches are trying to win. The argument is
sometimes our kids are a little lazier and that the foreign kids
have a better work ethic,” McCampbell said.

Whether this claim has merit is debatable. But what makes the
biggest impact is the age difference. So far, the NCAA hasn’t
addressed the issue and McCampbell feels there might only be one
way for them to consider new policies.

“The only thing that’s going to change this is when
it starts happening to baseball and basketball, which it’s
starting to do,” McCampbell said.

And only through an uproar will the playing field be leveled for
all sports sanctioned by the NCAA.

Brown hopes 25-year-old foreign athletes don’t take
over the college hockey scene. E-mail him at [email protected]
if you’re concerned.