Bangoura, Van Overbeek Named to USTA Men's Summer Collegiate Team
Thursday, June 17, 2010 | Men's Tennis
The United States Tennis Association announced Thursday that Florida's Sekou Bangoura Jr. (Bradenton, Fla.) and Bob Van Overbeek (Boca Raton, Fla.) have been named to the men's 2010 USTA Summer Collegiate Team, administered by the USTA and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
“It's very good for us to have two guys that young get that exposure on a national team,” head coach Andy Jackson said. “It will be a great experience for them.”
The team, which is made up of 13 players on the men's side, is an elite training program for the top American collegiate tennis players. The program, funded by the USTA, is designed to provide college players with valuable exposure to the USTA Pro Circuit in a team-oriented environment over the summer.
In addition to competing on the USTA Pro Circuit, USTA Player development will host a Pro Tour Transition camp June 21-24 on clay courts in Boca Raton, Fla., coached by USTA National Coach David Dilucia.
The Gators are one of four schools nationally to have multiple players selected to the team, joining Virginia, Southern California and Tennessee. The Southeastern Conference leads the way with five players on the team, while the Pac-10 earned three spots, the ACC and Big Ten placed two each and the Big 12 claimed one.
The team will be coached by Baylor assistant coach Chris Brandi, who also coached the squad in 2009, and Alabama assistant coach Bo Hodge.
The top six American players from the season-ending ITA national singles rankings are eligible to receive automatic selections. The remaining players on each team were selected by USTA Player Development staff in conjunction with USTA National Coaches, and current collegiate coaches.
During the 2010 season, Bangoura earned ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year honors for his freshman season, posting a team-high 21 dual singles wins. He also achieved national ranking in doubles play, reaching as high as No. 34 alongside Joey Burkhardt (St. Augustine, Fla.) while posting an overall 16-11 record.
Van Overbeek tallied a 16-6 singles record this spring, including 9-1 in SEC dual matches, as he achieved a league-best four SEC Freshman of the Week honors and was named to the SEC All-Community Team. Van Overbeek finished the season on an eight-match win doubles streak with Daniel Cash (Oslo, Norway).
Both Bangoura and Van Overbeek earned All-Tournament Team honors at the SEC Tournament in Lexington, Ky., in April.
Among current pros who were members of prior teams is former Gator Jesse Levine, who currently ranks No. 115 in the world.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level – from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with 740,000 members, it invests 100 percent of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the U.S. Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.
2010 USTA Men's Summer Collegiate Team
Sekou Bangoura Jr., Florida (FR, Bradenton, Fla.)
Chase Buchanan, Ohio State (SO, New Albany, Ohio)
Drew Courtney, Virginia (SO, Clifton, Va.)
Jarmere Jenkins, Virginia (FR, College Park, Ga.)
Steve Johnson, Southern California (SO, Orange, Calif.)
Evan King, Michigan (FR, Chicago)
Bradley Klahn, Stanford (SO, Poway, Calif.)
Austin Krajicek, Texas A&M (JR, Brandon, Fla.)
Daniel Nguyen, Southern California (SO, Oxnard, Calif.)
Eric Quigley, Kentucky (SO, Pewee Valley, Ky.)
Tennys Sandgren, Tennessee (FR, Gallatin, Tenn.)
Bob Van Overbeek, Florida (FR, Boca Raton, Fla.)
Rhyne Williams, Tennessee (FR, Knoxville, Tenn.)
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