Little did Mike Moorewood know, the key to corralling a group of teenagers is to give it less structure and encourage it to be louder than it already is.
What a revelation.
Moorewood, the coach of the Los Alamitos boys tennis squad, today will lead the Griffins into the CIF semifinals, where a matchup with top-seeded University awaits. And if the Griffins have any hope of pulling off an upset, they will have to employ some of the same unorthodox strategies that have gotten them this deep into the playoffs.
“We’re flexible, and that’s been our greatest strength all year,” Moorewood said. “We realized that we couldn’t come into every match with the same lineup, and I think that’s helped us win some matches we probably shouldn’t have won.”
In high school and college tennis, lineup changes aren’t considered rare, but as with any sport, coaches and players usually find comfort in maintaining a consistent lineup.
Moorewood, however, operating with a squad consisting of seven freshman and no seniors, hasn’t placed major emphasis on keeping things the same. He has given significant playing time to several freshmen, all of which Moorewood said have answered the call, making his life, surprisingly, a bit harder.
“It’s harder to coach when you have talent,” he said. “The more kids you have to deal with, the more parents, and there is just more of a balancing act. The expectations are higher from everyone. Trying to find playing time for all the guys is really tough. My job is a lot harder than it was three or four years ago.”
In addition, because of the youthful nature of his squad, Moorewood has instructed his boys to incorporate a constant stream of chit and chatter into their practice routines, as well as on game day.
“With the young guys, we were able to keep the enthusiasm up. There is a lot of cheering and chatter amongst us.”
Moorewood said that in high school, upperclassmen who do not have aspirations of playing collegiately tend to check out, focusing on graduation and prom, among other things.
“Having a young team can be good and bad, but it’s helped us because we have some talent and they have energy all the time. They’re excited to come to practice every day,” he said.
One of Moorewood’s young stars is sophomore Riley Smith, the son of current USC men’s tennis coach Peter Smith, a Long Beach State Hall of Famer who was the school’s best player of all time and then became head coach in his early 20s. Smith runs the Southern California Tennis Academy in Seal Beach in addition to his USC duties.
Smith won the Sunset League singles championship earlier this month, knocking off defending champion John Lieu of Fountain Valley High, before beating top-seeded Reese Stalder of Newport Harbor High in the finals.
Smith also was named the Sunset League’s Most Valuable Player, as he helped lead the Griffins to their third consecutive league title.
If the Griffins hope to have a chance against University, which already has defeated Los Al three times this season and is the four-time defending CIF champion, Smith will have to be the catalyst.
“I’m very lucky to be on such a good team with such good teammates,” Smith said. “That confidence that we have as a team carries on to my individual play.
“We have no pressure,” Smith said. “We can play really free. They’re expected to win. They have that against them.”
The Griffins last made it to the CIF semifinals in 2004, and Moorewood, who came on in 2008, is making his first semifinals appearance as Los Al’s coach.
“I think it will be an uphill climb for us, but if we come out and play our best, I definitely think we have a shot,” Moorewood said. “We match up well with them at the top end of the lineup, but towards the middle and the bottom is where we will struggle.
“We have to play perfect tennis to beat them.”
Contact the writer: bwatson@lbregister.comTwitter: @brantley_watson
