We here at The Blog always strive to bring you the best. The best articles, the best predictions, the best bracketology, basically just the best! Today, as a special treat, we’re bringing you THE BEST. Please welcome the best DIII player of all time, Mr. Matthew Seeberger! You all know the laundry list of accomplishments, but Matt won 3 NCAA Singles titles, 3 NCAA Doubles titles, and won the Team National Championship twice. In fact, Matt won the vaunted Triple Crown, sweeping the Singles, Doubles, and Team Championships TWICE in his career! Matt took part in our Bracket Challenge this year, and he would’ve won the whole damn challenge if he had gotten his bracket in on time! He scored more points than anyone else, edging Mr. Arnaboldi by a single point, but because he was a few minutes late we felt he had to share the limelight, just this once! Before we get to the hard-hitting stuff, I’ve asked Matt to answer a few little questions. You know, just to let you all know that Matt is a human being just like you and me. I’m going to ask for some of the same information that I’ve asked our other writers in previous Player of the Week articles and here’s what he had to say. Also, D3West will get to it, but check out Matt’s choice in weapon these days…
Who was your DIII Tennis idol?
Mark Odgers. Greatest forehand in the history of college tennis.
What is your favorite sports movie?
Rudy
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Fighter pilot
Who is your celebrity crush?
Leander Paes
Perhaps more importantly than any other question you will be asked all day, WHO is your Mario Tennis character of choice?
I only play Super Tennis on snes. And my character of choice is Matt. I’ve never been beaten in that game.
Ok, I have a few comments here. Obviously there are no wrong answers if the questions are opinionated, but some answers here are worth noting. To this day, Leander Paes has the nastiest hand I’ve ever seen, that’s a great answer. While I’m a bit disappointed that Matt doesn’t play with Donkey Kong, Super Tennis was an amazing game that largely been forgotten by today’s DIII landscape. If you’ve never heard of it, check this out. http://www.thepixelempire.net/super-tennis-snes-review.html.
Moving forward, because Matt is still such a big name in the DIII tennis world, each writer wanted in on this “interview”. I’ve given each regional writer my permission to ask 5, 3 Sir, 3 questions to Mr. Seeberger.
D3ASOUTH
1) How do you think you’d hold up in today’s DIII landscape?
I’d like to say I would crack the starting lineup for the CMS team, but who knows. I’m pretty old now and these kids hit so hard. Slicing forehands for days only gets you so far with the current generation.
2) If you had to pick a GOAT that wasn’t a team you played on, who would it be and why?
Middlebury 2010. They had a warrior mentality that surpassed most teams I’ve seen. Talent wise, it’s hard to distinguish the greats, so I go to the intangibles. And these guys were tough.
3) Who was your favorite writer of the year? Definitely ASouth, right??
I still have a soft spot for the original D3tennis, sorry!
D3CENTRAL
1) How much do you still follow the DIII Tennis world?
It’s off and on. I love seeing new teams rise up through the rankings though, especially from schools I have never heard of. Just shows you the power a coach has on a program.
2) Who was your toughest opponent you played against while in school? Both team and individual.
Mike Thoeresz (Redlands). He had a filthy running forehand, incredible returns, and competed tooth and nail in every single outing.
Toughest team was always Emory. No question. They brought a level of confidence and presence, striking fear in our hearts, much like Team Iceland from The Mighty Ducks.
3) What would you say to a kid that is considering D3 tennis vs. a D1 program?
Number 1 priority: go to a school where you connect best with the coach, teammates, and academic setting. That can be found anywhere, in any division. Make sure your level will allow you to either crack the lineup, or at least have a sniff at it. It is tough seeing talented kids go to top D1 programs hoping they will make it, and then seeing them fail and quit tennis because it was too steep a hill to climb. It is so important to find a program that fits from the beginning.
D3NE
1) Everybody’s been talking about it, what were your thoughts on how the team tournament played out this year? Did you expect Amherst to go into CMS and win?
I expected them to play in the final, and for CMS to win it. But Nationals is a different beast. You can’t take anything for granted and I always found it easier to go after the favorites rather than to be the favorite and perform as expected.
2) We saw Joey Fritz come within a couple doubles sets of the triple crown. How do you think the challenges of trying to pull off that monumental task have changed since you were a player?
The depth of the field is absurd now, which means every single match during nationals is a battle. But Joey is a phenomenal talent. Being able to post scores like he did through the week definitely puts him into a different category. Someone will get it soon though.
3) What is the best single piece of advice you ever got as a player?
So many matches are won and lost based on strength of second serve and second serve return. Train to maximize both those shots and you’ll jump a level.
D3WEST
1) Excluding yourself. Who’s on your DIII Mount Rushmore?
Eric Butorac, Thomas Oechel, The Pottish/Goodwin combo, and Justin Coupe.
2) Since you’ve proven yourself to be a great prognosticator, who you got next year? I want Final Four teams, a champion, a singles champ, and a doubles champ if you’re feeling really frisky.
CMS, Middlebury, Chicago, Amherst. CMS champions. Warren Wood singles. Doubles, yea right!
3. Why didn’t you play with a 120 sq. in. racquet strung at 30 lbs at Cruz like you do now? (Or maybe just why are you using that thing?)
It’s 137 square inches, not 120…come on man. I’m going to play the Nadal card on this one and keep my reasons close to the chest. Though, I will say this – it has been a game changer. Opens up a new world.