Men’s tennis team at Yeshiva University bring out the best in each other
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (BVM) — Dating back to 2014, the men’s tennis team at Yeshiva University have been nothing short of dominant in the Skyline Conference, competing in Division III of the NCAA. Since then, the team has gone 40-1 in conference play along with capturing six-straight Skyline Conference championships.
For any college sports team, a big part of success starts with their recruiting process and the talent these incoming players bring to the table.
“What first helps to win is recruiting and getting good players,” Yeshiva head coach Jon Rubinstein said. “Having good players certainly helps.”
Rubinstein is entering his sixth season as head coach at Yeshiva and has been with the college for their last five Skyline championships. Although these skilled players are an instant boost to the team, the two time Skyline Conference Coach of the Year knows that a collective effort from his players can go a long way in building a successful program.
“The fact that we’ve had success frees them up to be accepting of more coaching and they see how quickly they improve,” Rubinstein said. “My goal very early on is to get the bottom players to be good enough to practice with almost anybody on the team.”
With players having an open mind to Rubinstein’s coaching, it gives players of all skill levels an opportunity to play and it directly benefits the team as a whole.
“Guys are willing to go out of their comfort zone to change things and that gives me a lot of flexibility,” Rubinstein said. “As long as they’re healthy enough and they come to practice, everybody gets into matches.”
It may seem like smooth sailing for the Maccabees, but they have had their share of bumps in the road every season. These challenges include no courts on campus, night classes and inability to play from Friday night to Saturday night. As obstacles stand in their way, it speaks volumes on what it means to balance their academics and commitment to playing tennis.
“There are kids that literally go from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. with no more than an hour break,” Rubinstein said. “The student athletes that we’re getting are used to the hard work and effort you have to put in.”
Along with his 20 years of coaching at three different schools, Rubinstein also played on the Division I team at the University of Delaware in 1996. Keeping this in mind, he understands the importance of keeping all players on the team involved.
“You want to contribute someway to the team,” Rubinstein said. “Even if you’re not the one who’s on the court in the Conference championship, you got us there because you subbed in and gave someone a rest day or gave them a good practice.”
Due to the pandemic, Yeshiva’s quest towards a seventh consecutive Conference championship in 2020 was cut short. However, they managed to play one-third of the season and the players are now preparing to the best of their ability for this upcoming season.
“We’re not going to do anything in the fall in terms of being on the court together,” Rubinstein said. “Half my team is international, so to be together is not really all that possible. The trainers gave them an exercise program that they can do, but is not required in the offseason.”
With a greater level of competition across the Skyline conference, there’s less of a talent gap compared to previous seasons and Yeshiva’s streak of no losses in five seasons of conference play is in greater jeopardy than ever before. The team will look to use this as motivation in their 2021 campaign.
“I think the guys are taking the conditioning part a bit more seriously,” Rubinstein said. “They know the talent gap between us and the next best team has shrunk significantly. We don’t have the guaranteed wins we used to have.”
