The South Mountain 2A/3A Athletic Conference boys tennis coaches recently released the 15 members of the 2011 all-conference squad.
Shelby, led by Player of the Year Ray Webb Parker, led the way with four selections.
Freedom, which finished in second place behind the Golden Lions, earned three members while Patton added two in the mix.
Patriots coach Wayne Giese was named league Coach of the Year.
“Being voted on as coach of the year is an honor,” Giese said. “I respect the coaches from the opposing teams and the efforts they have and are making in the lives of the student-athletes. There are so many good life lessons that can be learned in athletic competition.
“In tennis, one has to accept responsibility for their own level of play in singles, and in doubles, they need to learn how to work together as one unit. This will translate into their future work environments and serve them well.”
Giese acknowledged the reward in working with the Freedom tennis program.
“For me, just to be a small part of that overall equation gives me personal satisfaction. To see these guys develop their skills, have good camaraderie and develop their individual character is so rewarding.”
Freedom’s three All-SMAC selections were junior Matt Weider, senior Drew Rhodes and senior Casey Shade.
“Matt carried the big racquet throughout the season,” said Giese. “He is a focused player and he runs every point down. In his leadership role (at No. 1 singles), he understands that he sets the overall mood of the match for his teammates and is more than willing to do so.”
Rhodes received the Coaches Award for his overall leadership at Freedom’s spring awards banquet Monday.
“Drew plays consistent points, with his favorite shot being the backhand buck kick. He goes for accuracy and can vary his pop on the ball,” Giese said.
Shade, meanwhile, was selected by his tennis teammates as the Patriots’ MVP.
“Casey is one smooth operator with a highly competitive nature,” Giese added. “He is a baseliner who can rally successfully for extended periods of time, which exposes his opponent’s patience.”
Patton’s two selections were seniors James Watson and Aaron Pittman.
“Having James and Aaron make all-conference sums up what these two young men have meant to this program this season,” said Rob Gregory, Patton's head coach. “Both were as steady of players as a coach could have wanted. I never questioned if I was going to get 100 percent out of either of them.”
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