Scott Gerber photographed the action photos and most, but not all, of the state qualifier group photos.

OhioTennisZone.com Interview

THURSDAY, MAY

Recognizing Wellington's Trevor Ball

The third OTZ interview of the year is with Wellington's Trevor Ball. Rather than talking about his tennis goals, he would have no doubt hoped to fulfill them this week at States. Ball's goals were to "win a third team state championship, and bring home Wellington's first singles state championship. I also wanted to have our doubles team win states as well." With all of its key players returning from last year's championship team, Wellington was in a great position to run the table.

Wellington's Trevor Ball
Wellington's Trevor Ball - Click to enlarge

Ball got involved with tennis early. "I started playing tennis when I was about five years old. My father played college tennis and as soon as he put a racquet in my hand I didn't want to put it down. We would be in the driveway and he would toss balls at me while I would launch them into the street."

His father, Dale, played D1 tennis at Edinboro, a college in Pennsylvania, where he had a big forehand. He is a sales executive at the Columbus Dispatch. His mother, Darla, is a human resource recruiter. Ball also has a brother, Princeton (LinkedIn link), who is a 2016 Wellington School grad and a recent grad at Fordham (in Bronx, NY). Ball also has an older sister named D'jovanna.

Ball has not yet made a college choice. "I'm still in process with my college decision due to COVID-19. The colleges I'm considering are Xavier University, University of Dayton, Marquette University and Southwestern University." Ball is ranked 213 in the nation in TennisRecruiting.net and he has a UTR of 10.76. These rankings/ratings would give him an opportunity to contribute on any of the above teams. Ball's interest in college is a degree in business and more specifically in marketing. [Update on June 26, 2020: Ball will be playing for Northern Kentucky University this fall. His UTR ranking would place him sixth on NKU's current roster.]

His favorite stroke is his backhand down the line. His weapon is his serve. "I've been working a lot on it and I am able to get some free points with it. There are so many different variations of the serve and I love to mix it up with topspin, slice, flat, etc." His first serve clocks in at the 105-110 mph range.

Ball was not a fan of distance learning during COVID-19 at Wellington. Wellington held classes at their regular times via Zoom. He would have preferred being with his friends. "I wouldn't say I'm a math, science, or humanities student, my favorite/best subject in school is history. I've always had a fascination with history and it's made me work harder in that subject." Wellington primarily has honors classes so it does not provide any AP's. A recent hobby that Ball has picked up because of the COVID-19 break is learning Morse code.

University School's Chas Norman
GCTA Jr Players of the Yr for 2019 - Click to enlarge

Why play high school tennis? "I love the energy about high school tennis during a match and looking to your left and seeing everyone from your school coming out to watch you and cheer you on is a great feeling. It makes it even better with a winning team. It makes more and more people want to come, watch and cheer. I would say the thing I like best about high school tennis is storming the court after a big win."

As for the obligatory, "What do you use on OhioTennisZone" question which forces players to actually get on and use OhioTennisZone, Ball responded, "My favorite thing to read on OTZ is the daily reports. Especially after a big win from any team, it's fascinating to see the results. I also visit the photos, read through the top Ohio boys and see the different teams in the four districts."

Thanks to Ball's performance last season at States and at the State Team Tournament, he earned the Greater Columbus Tennis Association's Male Junior Player of the Year Award.

As for social media, Ball maintains the team's Instagram account. Unlike many on his team, he is not a Twitter user.

For his high school service projects, Ball commented, "I have been involved with various service projects, including the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. I worked with Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated and we donated food to the food bank and also created packages for senior citizens. I worked with my Dad and his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, on their Annual Turkey Drive where we gave turkeys and side items to families in need in under-served communities". He has also worked in various activities with the residents at the Heinzerling Foundation, a foundation that supports and cares for the severely disabled.

Coach Tommy Haddow shared this about Ball, "I've been very fortunate to have coached such a special talent. Ever since I first met Trevor four years ago, he has brought energy and has always placed the team ahead of himself. As a two year captain, he has led by example with his work ethic and focus as well as vocally supporting his team. Last year he was injured and missed some early matches, and you could see the guys play for Trevor, their captain. When he returned, the whole team elevated their games due to Trevor being back, all the guys worked for each other, following Trevor's example. As an individual competitor, Trevor always gave 100% at all practices and I could always count on him working his hardest during matches. During the off season he works extremely hard and has really dedicated himself to getting better and better. He will have a very successful college career." Ball also worked part-time during the summer, coaching Wellington students in their summer school program.

Since he was injured during his second year in the 16's, Ball has not yet played at at the USTA Boys National Championships in Kalamazoo. Hopefully he will still have an opportunity to win a spot for The 'Zoo at this year's Midwest Closed (which, unfortunately, is still currently canceled).