University of Georgia Athletics
`Big' Season For Oosterbaan
May 31, 2016 | Men's Tennis
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
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Paul Oosterbaan is a big man, listed at 6-foot-7. But he hasn't always played "big man" tennis.
"When he came to Georgia," Bulldogs men's tennis coach Manuel Diaz said of Oosterbaan, who just wrapped up a breakthrough sophomore season, "he played too far behind the baseline, a little bit too soft at times -- he didn't really have a whole lot of confidence in his forehand -- and he's now playing a much bigger game.
"He's more willing to take big swings at the ball, even if he's going to miss occasionally."
Oosterbaan had a very good freshman season in 2014-15, playing mostly at No. 6 singles. The 6-7 (or maybe a smidge more) rookie went 13-4 in dual matches, including an 8-0 run through the SEC.
It was good, but it wasn't the Kalamazoo, Mich., native at his best. For a player that towered over many of his opponents, with a wingspan to match, Oosterbaan didn't play like he had a significant size advantage.
To put it in basketball terms -- appropriate since Oosterbaan's father, JP, was a backup on Michigan's 1989 national championship squad -- Oosterbaan was playing too far from the basket. Most power forwards don't need to be playing 20 feet from the rim and most 6-7 tennis players don't need to be hanging around behind the baseline.
Associate head coach Bo Hodge, the former Bulldog All-American, joined Diaz's staff this season after a stint at Oklahoma, and he sent a message to Oosterbaan right away.
"Bo came in and his first day at practice, I actually remember him saying: `You're 6-foot-8 but you play like you're 5-foot-5. You need to change that this year if you want to be good,'" Oosterbaan recalled. "You can only win so much doing that."
Playing like a big man meant hitting bigger serves and groundstrokes and getting to net more, Oosterbaan said, and also "playing more imposing tennis than last year -- taking higher risks and trying to play on my terms and not the other guy's terms."
That he did. Oosterbaan jumped up to No. 3 in the singles lineup, a significant leap in competition, and went 12-5 in the third spot. Overall in dual matches he was 17-7, and for the season he posted a 9-3 record against ranked opponents.
"As the season went on I just started thinking that I should win every match at 3, not just have a chance in every match at 3," Oosterbaan said. "It felt like it was coming for a while, in practice, and I think after a few outdoor matches I started getting more comfortable there and just believing more."
Oosterbaan's strong play helped the Bulldogs advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships last week, in Tulsa, Okla. He won all three of his completed matches in the NCAAs and closed the season playing at a very high level, winning nine of his last 10 completed matches.
"He's a great kid, great family, and just wants to be out there on a big stage and wants to compete for championships," Diaz said. "That's a great thing."
And great things appear to be ahead for the Bulldogs' big man. He left Tulsa last Tuesday just missing out on playing in the NCAA singles tournament -- he was the fourth alternate -- but he's hoping that's the last one he misses. The NCAAs are at Georgia's Dan Magill Tennis Complex next spring and Ooosterbaan wants to experience all of it.
"Hopefully next year I can be in both the singles and the doubles," he said, "But I think I'd prefer a team championship over that any day."
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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