MSU commit, Portnoy, cementing himself as one of best prep tennis players in Michigan
OKEMOS, Mich. (BVM) — Josh Portnoy has been on the radar of college tennis programs for some time. But last year, after taking a year off from playing at Okemos High School — where he had already won team and individual state championships — Portnoy gained even more attention.
After being offered to play at Michigan State University, the 17-year-old quickly jumped at the chance to become a Spartan. But he still has unfinished business at Okemos, where he has rejoined the team to finish off his senior year.
Growing up in Michigan, Portnoy has always been a big snowboarder. But when the snow is not on the ground, you will find the Okemos senior out on the tennis court, playing the sport he has grown to love.
Both of Portnoy’s parents have an athletic background, with his father being a former soccer player, and his mom competing in tennis in high school. They first decided to take their son to the courts when he was 4 years old. From there, Portnoy began taking lessons, and his career would quickly take off.
Now, Portnoy has become a top-five high school player within the state of Michigan, and is ranked No. 76 nationally in the Class of 2021 by tennisrecruiting.net.
When he was 11 years old, Portnoy got a new tennis coach which led him to become more serious within the sport. The now 17-year-old continued to enter into more and more high-level tournaments, and with some strong finishes, he recognized tennis was a sport he may have a future in.
In a sport where individual performance reigns supreme, Portnoy is still very focused on the team aspect of tennis. In fact, some of his favorite memories from his youth career include playing in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Zonals — a multi-day team tennis competition. Portnoy’s teams actually won the competition in back-to-back years during his youth.
Portnoy maintained that team-centric attitude into the first two years of his high school career at Okemos. In 2017 and 2018, the senior helped lead the Chiefs to back-to-back MHSAA Division 2 state tennis championships.
“I knew we had a very strong team at the beginning,” Portnoy said about his freshman season at Okemos. “With all the hard work we put in as a team, we definitely deserved to win state.”
While Portnoy continued to help his team, he was making waves individually as well. As a freshman, Portnoy made it to the state final for singles players in Division 2, only to fall short. But as a sophomore, he got revenge, winning an individual state championship over Anish Middha of Midland Dow.
“I was really proud of myself,” Portnoy said about winning an individual state title. “I really felt joy but also relief with not having to deal with the stress of losing in the finals again.”
Portnoy had a chance to become a back-to-back individual state champion while also helping his team to a three-peat last season. However, he, along with two of his Okemos teammates — Ben Letzer and Ozan Colak — decided not to play high school tennis in 2019, instead focusing on playing in more highly regarded junior tournaments.
Letzer, Colak and Portnoy have been competing on the court together for several years, and in return, have formed an inseparable bond with each other.
“We’re as tight as you can get,” Portnoy said. “We used to spend every day of the week together. We are really close and fully support each other in our accomplishments.”
In high school tennis, there is often not a lot of recruiting taking place at matches. So, the decision by the trio was made in order to get more attention from schools at the next level.
“Last year, I decided to play more USTA tournaments to help my college commitment,” Portnoy said. “More college coaches could come watch me that way and look at my results. I feel like it was really beneficial.”
The 17-year-old played several of his USTA tournaments down in Texas, where he garnered significant college intertest. But one of the biggest schools that came calling ended up being just minutes from Portnoy’s home.
Portnoy had a good amount of college offers, but on the first day of official recruiting for the 17-year-old, he got a call from Michigan State University (MSU). The talks never stopped, as Portnoy officially committed to become a Spartan this summer — a dream come true for the local tennis star.
“The fact that it’s five minutes from my house, I can still be with my family, knowing the team pretty well, and having that bond with the coaches sold me on Michigan State,” Portnoy explained.
While at MSU, Portnoy hopes to play high in the team’s lineup and play well in the Big Ten tournament. He hasn’t thought much yet about his college tenure, in large part because he has unfinished business to take care of yet at Okemos.
This summer, Portnoy decided to rejoin his Okemos team for one more chance at a title, and has enjoyed having another year with his friends and his brother, who is a freshman on the team.
“I wanted to spend my last year of high school tennis with my friends and my brother,” Portnoy said. “Last year, I know my team was upset that I didn’t play and they fell short of the title. I just want to get that title back.”
As it has been anywhere, the fall high school tennis season has had a different feel in Michigan than in past years. However, Portnoy and his team are enjoying a smooth and successful season.
With the team and individual state championships on the horizon, the five-star tennis recruit is looking to earn his second individual state title, while helping his team to their third state win in four years.
When all is said and done, Portnoy hopes he left his mark on the Okemos program, and has been honored to be part of such a successful team over the years.
“It’s definitely been special to play with this team,” Portnoy said. “We’ve been so close our whole lives and have all trained together. We just really have a special bond as a family.”
And while you might think some of his personal accomplishments or state championship wins would be Portnoy’s favorite memory from his high school career, it is instead once again being with his team.
“My favorite memory was honestly the bus rides,” Portnoy said about his high school tennis career. “Just being with the team and having fun on the way to and the way back from matches was fun. It is special to be part of a team and a family.”
Portnoy does not yet have pro tennis aspirations. However, a bright future awaits him at Michigan State, and if he plays as well as a Spartan as he did as a Chief, that narrative could very well change in the near future.
