An Interview with the Head Coach of Men's Tennis, Jim Stockwell
Q. Your men's tennis team played earlier this year when they had scrimmages. You have a few new faces. Can you tell us about them and what your expectations are?
A. Our men's team does have some new recruits, including two freshmen. Nate Neufeld, McHenry High School. He has such a positive outlook, and he helps his teammates (both men and women) with pointers and ideas. He is such a valuable new member. Our other addition is Ben Lagerhausen, another local product with an incredible upside. He is our only left-hander, which means the ball spins differently, giving his opponents one extra item to be concerned about. Like Nate, he is very coachable and plays his heart out on the court.
With those two, we return our captain, Jon Stec, as well as Kevin Rodriquez, Chris Weber, and Collin Braun. We have a great deal of experience because we went through a season together, and they each matured and improved from 2024 to 2025. I think this will certainly be an advantage this year, and their commitment to succeed will make matches even more competitive. We haven't placed higher than fourth in the six seasons I have been the coach; I firmly believe we have a shot at landing in the top three.
Q. I know you get hyped for a season, and I can tell you have high hopes for your "Number 1" doubles team. Tell us more about what to look for from this duo.
A. Yes, building on our expectations, Nate and Jon will play at the #1 slot, and in our scrimmages this fall, they took out two very strong opponents who were a couple of the best combos from last season. The more they play together, the more comfortable they are with one another, the better they play. Jon is probably one of the best doubles players I have ever had the opportunity to coach; his physical skills are fantastic, but it is his understanding of the flow of the game that puts him in spots to win points. He anticipates extremely well and is ready for the response from their opponent.
Nate is just plain awesome. Of the number one singles men's players we have had here at MCC, I believe him to be the most complete. Not taking anything away from some great players that have come before him, Nate has a mental game that is calm and collected. He defeated a sophomore from Oakton (who was a finalist last season) in an epic battle in the fall, and it was because Nate stayed so calm and executed the right moves when necessary.
Together, these guys complement each other wonderfully. I would love to clone Jon for doubles, but I have to say, playing him with Nate is more realistic. I think they will make history this Spring!
Q. When you see sports in the "club" world growing exponentially, like high school club basketball or baseball, where is tennis in this regard? Are you seeing growth in the sport, or are more potential players just gravitating toward other sports? Is there a potential to see tennis grow as other sports like lacrosse have?
A. At the Jr. High and High School level, we are running into space (tennis does need a dedicated space to play it), and the equipment is specialized where players need their own and have to get comfortable with it, so there is an economic concern as well. Private lessons are expensive, and often, players don't get a chance to experience tennis unless they are exposed to it by a family member. It has a loyal following, and with head injuries being more focused on in your traditional major team sports, we might see a shift toward it for safety reasons. I want to expose more basketball players to tennis because the movements are the same, height is an advantage… and players can play for a lot longer.
Q. Tennis is one of the few sports that is often a one-on-one situation or a two-on-two situation where a referee rarely has an impact and a player can only count on himself. It seems like a great tennis player must be very strong mentally to excel. What do you do to prepare your players for the mental aspect of the game?
A. I explain that we can only control two things when playing tennis… getting to the ball and hitting it back in… everything else is uncontrollable. Who cares what the wind is doing, the sun, the weather, the people around you, even your opponent? The only thing that matters is what I call 39 x 26 (the size in feet of one side of a singles court), and once you get to the ball and hit it in, you now have to focus on the next one. If you make a mistake, make an error, or do not win a point, you have to employ Dory, forget it, and focus on the next one. She doesn't remember what just happened, so she is in the moment, where you need to be.
Much easier said than done – because we are concerned about all sorts of stuff during the day, I try to remind them that homework, job, family, food, romance, and anything else cannot be dealt with when playing tennis. We can only take care of the point that we are playing. Text messages, phone calls, and other stuff that intrude on our lives must be put aside and ignored while we play. Those who can do that (and it takes a lot of effort to condition yourself) can be more successful
Q. Many people do not realize that these players you have play year-round, correct? What is the schedule of a college tennis player? When do they train, and when do they have matches? The Men's season is in the Spring, but they are preparing for this endeavor. How and when?
A. Yes, tennis has become a year-round sport, and I love that. There is a phenomenon called "too much of a good thing," but that level is a lot higher than most players are doing, so I don't fear that development. The women get together in August, and the men are welcome to join us then. Many of them do. I often talk to some of the NCAA and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) schools that we play, and we bring both teams for a "Double Dual" where we have both squads play both of their squads. It gives them more playing time, and it helps them prepare for the Spring. I do the opposite in the Spring with the Women joining the Men, and sometimes a NAIA school has a bigger men's team, and I offer my ladies a chance to play them… and yes, those matches have been competitive and fun to watch.
In a nutshell, Women play regular season in the Fall, exhibition in the Spring, Men exhibition in the Fall, regular season in the Spring… Nationals for both squads are in the Spring.
Q. You are a goal setter, and you often have your teams move onto Nationals, so please let us know some team goals or some fun individual goals.
- The men have strung together seven straight years of being named NJCAA All-Academic teams - we need number eight.
- We haven't won a conference title in 31 years… that banner is too dusty.
- We haven't had anyone travel to Nationals on the men's side since I took over the program; I want my guys to get the opportunity to experience that.
- Prairie State dominates; let's make them sweat and earn it by making them play their best tennis. Individually, Nate playing three rounds at the tournament would be awesome, and I want all my other guys to stick around and play three matches, too. Doubles-wise, we know how to play doubles up here, so let's show everyone how we do it.
Q. When I see your teams, I see great camaraderie among these players. They are always positive and often help each other as if they are an extension of your coaching staff. How do you foster such a positive environment? Share some of your secrets as to why they play with joy more often than not.
A. I have to tell you, I am so honored to have this group – both men and women. It is like a great big family. They are always moving in a group; they practice with one another and even did a Secret Santa and Friendsgiving… they are wonderful. I don't take credit for it, they are an amazing group of young people and, yes we keep everyone together for practices, but they bonded because of who they are. The men even came down to the tournament and stayed in the same hotel, the ladies want to do the same.