‘I’d have thought you were crazy’ Inside Connor O’Guinn’s run to state tennis

Last year, Connor O’Guinn was simply a spectator, watching his Bloomington North High School boys’ tennis team compete at sectionals. He witnessed his teammate, Nick Shirley, make it to the state singles final and finish in second place. The experience left O’Guinn in awe of the sport and the impressive Park Tudor facility.

“I felt like our season was still going on, watching him play,” O’Guinn recalled.

He’s had success in the past, but when this season began, O’Guinn never imagined that he would be the one leading Bloomington North back to the state singles finals. Now, he finds himself as the last player standing for the Cougars, preparing to face off against Guerin Catholic senior Jake Miller in the quarterfinals at Park Tudor. The winner of that match will go on to play Hank Lin of Columbus North in the next round.

Both O’Guinn and Miller are newcomers to the state tournament. However, O’Guinn has only been playing tennis for four years, making him a relative newcomer to the sport compared to his competitors. Despite this, he has always been a fierce competitor. At the start of the season, O’Guinn never expected to reach this level of success.

“I’d have thought you were crazy,” O’Guinn admitted. “I didn’t expect it at all. As a team, I thought we would go further. But after I beat David (Ciucu of Bloomington South) and we lost as a team, I saw this as an opportunity for me to make a run for it. I faced some tough opponents along the way, but I made it. It’s been a really enjoyable journey. Some matches were close, some were not, but it has all been so thrilling. Just being able to say that I made it to the state tournament is really cool. I already feel accomplished.”

Inside job

Last Saturday’s regional tournament was quite an experience for O’Guinn.

It started off well with a convincing win in the morning. However, due to rain, the final match against Ferdi Bosse of Evansville Christian had to be moved to the indoor courts at Indiana University. This presented a challenge for O’Guinn, who had limited experience playing competitive matches indoors. In fact, two years ago, he had a negative experience playing on indoor courts.

“We had to share the courts with people receiving lessons,” O’Guinn explained. “It was not a pleasant experience. We had to wait our turn, and we ended up losing 5-0.”

O’Guinn was initially concerned about playing indoors again. He also assumed that Bosse, as an opponent from Evansville, would have more experience playing indoors. Additionally, the presence of onlookers, including Shirley and Rogers, added to the unusual atmosphere. However, once the match began, O’Guinn put all these distractions aside.

“I didn’t let it affect me,” O’Guinn declared. “I played some of my best tennis, and my serve was on point. It got a little warm, and I was tired, but I persevered. It was a real test of my abilities.”

O’Guinn’s involvement in the boys’ basketball program at North has exposed him to large crowds and pressure situations. His experience has prepared him to handle the noise and nerves that come with competing at the state tournament.

“It can be nerve-wracking, but those feelings will fade after the first few points,” O’Guinn reassured. “I’ll focus on my game, and the support of my friends and family will help. I’ll be more excited than nervous up there.”

Carpe diem

O’Guinn’s success means that a player from Bloomington North will be competing at the state tournament for the fourth time in seven seasons, following in the footsteps of Shirley and Rogers. In 2014-15, the school had two doubles teams reach the state tournament as well.

“They are all competitors, all intelligent,” praised North coach Ken Hydinger. “Each of them has a different game and background. Mac started playing at a young age, Ray Leonard came from a tennis family, and Nick was also playing from a young age. But they were all proactive and took charge of their own development. They truly embodied the ‘seize the day’ mentality.”

And O’Guinn plans to do just that at the state tournament. While he is happy to be there, his goal is to make the best showing possible.

“It’s a significant step up,” O’Guinn acknowledged. “I just want to play hard and demonstrate that I belong there. These

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