Hello, everyone. It’s been quite a busy time for me as the company I work for deals with implications from the coronavirus, as many of you parents are probably dealing with right now. Fck the coronavirus. That’s all I have to say about that. But, if you were wondering where I went after posting an awesome Studs and Duds Indoors article, that’s where I’ve been. Dealing with some real life stuff. You’ll notice that I have been using this excuse more often lately. And that’s because when you’re almost turning 30, you start to (or should have already started to) have different priorities than a DIII Tennis Blog. However, that does not mean I’m quitting this thing, but sometimes you’ll just have to cut me some slack (which you have!) on posting articles and twitter updates. I’m trying my best out here. Anyways, if you want to know my identity, I clarified it here.
https://twitter.com/d3AtlanticSouth/status/1232669172406063105
Also, please note the following article from D3RegionalNEC, which was quite fantastic. I should write something similar about my playing days at some point. Again, I’ll get to that eventually.
https://twitter.com/d3regionalnec/status/1233598277003698178
Anyways, back to the title of this article, the Emory Eagles. They are always a topic of conversation on the Blog, in the comments, and on the national scene. Because of the aforementioned circumstances, I was unable to give Emory the season preview treatment this year. This officially marks the first time I haven’t finished my season previews, so basically I’m still ahead of NewD3Central. Since I wasn’t able to write a season preview for the Eagles, we went into Indoor Nationals not really knowing how Emory would come out and play. Not like my words say much, given that I don’t know the inner workings of the Eagles team, but it would have been something. Anyways, here we are after the Eagles Indoor Championship and I have barely spoken a word about them all year on the actual website. That’s about to change. In this article, we’ll talk all things Emory, down to even the readers’ complaints. Let’s see how you like it.
First off… INDOORS CHAMPS
You had to know that I’d start this article with at least some paragraph on Emory’s recent victories at Indoor Nationals. To recap you all, Emory took out GAC in the first round, Brandeis in the semifinals, and then CMS in the finals. This may not sound like a gauntlet of teams, but looking back on it this was actually quite a tough path that I think set the Eagles up well. Here are the box scores from those matches
https://www.emoryathletics.com/sports/mten/2019-20/files/ita4.htm
https://www.emoryathletics.com/sports/mten/2019-20/files/ita6.htm
https://www.emoryathletics.com/sports/mten/2019-20/files/ita9.htm
Now, everyone is going to want to talk about the CMS match, of course. But, I think we should talk about the match against Brandeis first. Emory was playing against a team that had nothing to lose. Brandeis basically had a positive tournament once they beat Wash U. Speaking quite generally, they are a team that everyone seems to have pegged as the up and comers and I am sure the closer and closer this thing got, the more confident they became. But, Emory and their senior (not sure if they do captains on Emory) Rex Serituk completed the 5-4 win in the third set. This is a guy that hasn’t played a meaningful match ever. This was probably the first year where I could have legit said that Emory had question marks up and down the lineup. I think everyone knows Cassone is not necessarily going to be a top 3 player at his position, which Emory isn’t used to. Mora is moving up from #4 to #2 singles. Esses from #5 to #3. Sverdlov is a talented player who took a year off after the juniors and may or may not love tennis (which happens more often than not by the way). Serituk and Kenawi are clear question marks. For this team to gut out a win against a team with nothing to lose is quite impressive. But, that’s what the Eagles do. We’ve talked about their final against CMS, so I won’t need to delve too deep into that. I do want to point out that Emory’s doubles has been much improved over the years. This is a complete team (at least from what we have seen so far). If you think the Eagles aren’t going to be in the conversation to defend their championship, think again.
Expectations
It’s clear that Emory is a title favorite or at least in the top 3 this year. We weren’t quite sure how these players would mesh, but the season has started off in the best way possible. They have an assistant coach (Rafe) who has been there done that. They have a few things to figure out with the personalities of their #1 and potentially their #4 singles guys, but the fact of the matter is that they probably have nothing to worry about with Mora, Esses, Serituk, and whoever plays #6. All those guys know how to get down to business. No qualms about them. In doubles, Emory has become one of the better doubles teams in the country over the past few years without anyone really talking about it. They routinely have entries into the All-Blog team at the end of the year. Overall, if you want to beat Emory, you’re really going to have to bring some strong positions. They will not lay down at any spot in the lineup. I’m excited to see how teams play them this year especially in NCAAs. I think the best is yet to come given that the Eagles are so young, with two sophomores and a freshman smack dab in the middle of the lineup. Anyways, we’ll see this team in the Final Four. Pretty easy for me to say now, I know.
See You Later
If you think that I’m going to be talking about Emory a lot the rest of the year, think again. Emory’s schedule after Indoors is essentially going to be two more big weeks. First, they’ll go out to the Stag-Hen and participate in that tournament. I’d be shocked if they didn’t play at CMS in the Finals and probably take a lump and lose. Honestly, this might be a good thing for a young team like the Eagles. You have to lose sometime. Asst. Coach Mosetick might not think so, but that’s true. From there, they’ll play against Middlebury @ Middlebury, late in the season. A tough task against one of their rivals, for sure. Emory’s schedules have almost always been set up in this way – play Indoors, have success, then play a couple big matches to keep the kids fresh while preparing for the UAA and NCAA Tournament. Can’t say that I can question the strategy given the success they’ve had, but it’s something worth calling out. So yea, I won’t be writing much about a team that I know we’ll see in May from this point on, other than topics such as….
The Blog’s Coverage of Emory over the Years
We’ve recently received a lot of callouts that we’re too soft on Emory and have been soft over the years. I was specifically on the receiving end of these complaints. For those of you that have put me under the microscope, I’d argue that you aren’t looking closely enough. There are two teams that I give a hard time – Case Western and Emory. You may just not notice since I do praise the Eagles given they are in my region and also, you know, win, but it happens. I try and call out the times that I see a bad call and definitely call out the ridiculous antics of some of their current and former players. Ask Josh Goodman how many times I mentioned some of the BS he’s yelled over the years. I called Eric Halpern the Richard Sherman of DIII Tennis. Trust me, I didn’t mean that as a good thing. I know a decent amount about this team, past and present, and I try to give as objective an opinion as I possibly can on them. I appreciate being called out if I am totally wrong, but honestly I think a lot of you are just missing the point. Part of that is because I think some people are upset that Emory just won something. I’ve noticed that there is definitely an influx of complaints when that happens. When it comes to Emory, I think it’s important to note this – yes, they are douches sometimes and some players specifically. But it’s also important to note that the team is made of 12+ players that are all different. I really haven’t heard anything bad about 90% of them on the current team. Everyone needs to relax. And maybe, just maybe, read a little closer when I criticize them. I’m supposed to write about team’s successes and failures, whatever they may be. Quick side edit – if any Emory coach punched another team’s grandpa, we’d be hearing a lot more about it. Just saying.
Drama @ Indoors
I won’t get into too much detail, but here are some of the things that happened at Indoors since we want to talk about Emory crap.
#1 Rex Serituk at 6-5 in the third set made a very questionable call on a ball that seemingly looked on the line. I wasn’t at the match, so I will not say whether it was in or out. What I will say was that it was close. The lines judge confirmed the call. Again, I don’t know what he/she saw, but that’s what happened. Everything that I’ve heard about Serituk prior to this has been good. So, I’m inclined to give him a pass. If he wants to comment, he can do so if he wants.
#2 There was a lot of drama in the finals, specifically involving Hayden Cassone and Jack Katzman of CMS. Lots of accusations on both sides, which leads me to believe that not one person is at fault here. I’m aware of Cassone’s reputation. I agree with most of the things said about him. Not the most pleasant person to be playing on the court. I’d hope he’s better off the court, but that’s not my place at this point. The only thing I can say is that I wish him the best of luck and whatever he does in life is his choice. I’ll let life determine that for him. Anyways, while Katzman was apparently jawing with Cassone, he lost the third set to Antonio Mora. There seems to have been some post-match verbal sparring between Katzman and various Emory-affiliated people. Again, don’t know what was said, but the situation probably was not handled well by both sides. Who knows!
Opinion: Coach Browning
A lot of people like to get on Coach Browning on the way he handles his players and how he may or may not be developing his players into becoming better people. What I can tell you is this – Coach Browning seems to value hard work, dedication to the craft, and being better prepared than your opponent. These are all quality skills to have as a person! On the other hand, Coach Browning does seem to let his players be themselves. Some of these players are intolerable. For the most part, they’re just fine. I know some of the Emory alumni decently well – all have been respectful and proud of their time at Emory. I don’t agree with the way JB handles some of the players that go through his program, but I am also not the Emory Head Coach. So, feel free to voice your opinions in the comments. Maybe I’ll even ask to do an interview with Coach Browning and crowdsource some questions. That’d be fun, right?
That’s All Folks
That’s it for me on Emory. Wanted to respond to some of the things being said in the comments with a post, while also giving Emory their time of day about their team. Given their schedule, I guess I’ll see the rest of you Emory fans when we start talking about Stag-Hen. Until then, enjoy. ASouth, OUT
I think my favorite Thanksgiving Dish which combines cooking of the Midwest and South, has to be anything with sweet potatoes…OR is it candied yams.
Yam vs Sweet Potato?
Are they the same?
Serious questions of the day.
Mainly disagree. From personal experience with coach Browning, lackluster court behavior and sportsmanship is certainly something that is not only tolerated, but reinforced. And that’s sad to me. It seems that the goal winning trumps the goal of respect and reputation. Is that something that should be commended by the community? It’s hard for me to imagine behavior such as Cassone’s existing on a team coached by Settles of CMS or Tee of Chicago or really any other perennial top ~5 team. It’s embarrassing to watch and hear about. Let’s not forget the situation with Williams last year that included an Emory family member instigating a situation that escalated to a physical altercation. It’s a culture that has clearly manifested into the Eagles team and shouldn’t be tolerated by anyone. These kids are lucky to be playing at the collegiate level and the way they treat their opponents and represent their program doesn’t reflect a whole lot of gratitude. Sad.
I agree that Browning doesn’t do a great job with his problem players and he clearly takes a passive approach when it comes to them. I think it’s incredibly unfair to judge a whole team and program based on one really bad player. We LOVE to put headlines on things in today’s society and it’s ridiculously unfair to say everyone on the team is terrible just because they play for Emory.
Also, the fact that you are blaming the Williams / Emory situation from last year fully on Emory is absolutely ludicrous and shows your bias. I doubt the Emory family member was 100% innocent, but punching a 70+ year old man over a tennis match is ridiculous. It’s like you are blaming Emory for someone on another team losing their cool.
I’d encourage you to stop making blanket statements about every kid that’s entered Emory’s program and focus on the few that are true issues.
By the way, I have 4-5 years of personal experience with Emory as well. Playing against them.
I think the big picture, and something that you pointed out unintentionally, is the repeated behavior of Emory players. I believe it’s something that is coached and recruited.
Also, the call that was made was on the baseline near the opposite sideline of the ref. I didn’t see the ref confirm the call but I am not sure how he could fairly overrule it being so far away.
@Joe some people will do anything to win. Most people don’t win all the time so you’re remembered by how you act and treat other people.
@ rodrigo
– Paragraph 1: Bold statement. I don’t have enough experience to comment. I’ve had enough personal contact with Coach B to state it was positive.
– Paragraph 2: Agreed
– Paragraph 3: TOTALLY Agree. However, if you want to win you have to beat WHATEVER comes at you from the other side. If you get a bad call, play better so you don’t lose as a result of that bad call. If somebody’s trying to get in your head, figure out a way to counter that within the rules of play, let it motivate you or disregard it altogether. You can only control what YOU as a player or team can control, was my initial point about getting to the top. There are some good apples up top, as well as bad. You can still be one of the good ones, it just takes a little more to do it the right way.
I’m not naïve to how some win. That said, you still gotta take them out. If you do it the right way, you’ll feel that much better and as you stated, you’ll be remembered for it.
1. So the 1 player every 3-4 years means that it’s something that’s coached and recruited? I think Emory gets a few bad eggs and Browning doesn’t do much about it. This is a flaw, but to say to generalize about all of them is unfair.
2. Sure. But that’s what refs are for. Either way, have you met Rex Serituk or know anything about him? He’s a pretty stand up guy. Ask your peers about their experiences with him. Mistakes happen sometimes, I’m willing to give him a chance based on his reputation.
3. Sure – but it’s important to keep an open mind instead of relying on biases and blanket statements to form your opinions.
It really isn’t 1 player every 3-4 years… this is a cultural problem with the Emory program that starts at the top with Browning.
Recently graduated from D3 tennis so will only speak to players I have personally seen act in the Emory way – Rafe, Goodman, Jemison, sometimes Josepher, Hayden. It’s more like 3-4 players every 1 years.
Of course this isn’t to say there are not good people who have come through the program like Manji, Bouchet, etc. but it is my opinion that Browning encourages egregious behavior on court
The fact that you are anonymously posting on a blog calling out people you don’t even know personally, on a Saturday night at 11:51 pm as a working adult, kind of crushes your credibility. I don’t mind you calling out players but leave Browning of out it. Hugs and kisses. I wish you all prosperity and enough peace of mind to stop being such worry warts.
This article is garbage lol
Hi lol (if that is your real name),
Thank you for the feedback! Glad you come back to read the site even though our journalism is not up to your standards.
So I can improve for you, the reader, can you please spell out for me what makes this article the quality of disposable waste? I may be stupid, so I am trying to understand what you didn’t like.
And hey, if it’s the fact that you can’t formulate feedback better than a 6 year old, that’s a good reason too! Like they say, no question or comment is a stupid one.
Thanks!
D3AS
Overall a bit on defense, but sometimes that’s a position we must take to move forward.
Emory is a top team. If you want that spot, you gotta take them off their perch. Doesn’t matter how they act, the calls they make or how they’re coached.
One disagreement…’Judges had nothing to lose.’ That sentiment is applied to teams or players that don’t belong in the fight. They do. A more accurate statement would’ve been, ‘Judges had something to prove.’ They did.
tomato, tomahto 🙂