In the midst of the 2015-’16 season, a freshman from Tucson, Arizona, chose to leave his southwest roots and make the move up to Milwaukee to play men’s tennis.
It ended up becoming the best decision junior and No. 1 singles player Greg Anderson has made both academically and athletically.
Without knowing what the effects of the transfer would be, Anderson ended up moving into an extremely different environment. For him it was not only a new college, but also an unfamiliar city, state and part of the country.
“It was the first time I was doing something that bold and big like that,” Anderson said. “It was my first time going to Wisconsin.”
Anderson had always been set on going to Texas Christian University, a team that has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four seasons. Men’s tennis head coach Steve Rodecap described the Horned Frogs as one of the top five programs in the country.
“It was one of the schools where it was on my radar from a young age,” Anderson said. “I knew the coach very well, so it was kind of a predetermined thing for me, and I didn’t really look into any other schools.”
At TCU, Anderson barely got playing time and knew that if his game was to improve, it would have to be somewhere else. Rodecap knew Marquette would be a better fit for him.
“He needed to be in a place where he was going to get in the lineup in order to develop,” Rodecap said. “Because it’s one thing to do it in practice, but to be able to do it under pressure and get out there.”
After playing at Marquette for the past season and a half, Anderson believes he has grown as a player.
“It provides very good structure for me, and I’ve learned a lot on court and from coach Rodecap and (assistant coach Jud Schaufler),” Anderson said. “They’ve been very good mentors and role models for me.”
Anderson’s transfer gave him the No. 1 singles position and a closer-knit community compared to his former school.
“At a school like TCU, it feels like a big school even though it’s relatively small,” Anderson said. “At Marquette, almost every single professor I’ve had good relationships with. I see them in the halls and they know me from a first-name basis.”
Even on court, Anderson has served as an example to younger players on the team, catching Rodecap’s attention in every match.
“He’s a very good competitor on the court,” Rodecap said. “That has a lot of impact on the guys around him. They see how he plays big matches very well, and he’s very good under pressure.”
Serving and volleying will be the next step in Anderson’s progression as he tries to become a more formidable presence at the top of the lineup.
“Trying to get some free points off the serve is going to be important for him to develop,” Rodecap said.
At the start, the transfer seemed difficult, but Anderson does not regret his decision.
“It was challenging, I would say, in the beginning definitely, but was a great decision,” Anderson said. “So many doors have opened up since then.”
