Cleveland State senior tennis player, Jay Tee, takes a time out for a Q&A session with the Horizon League

Sept. 27, 2005

Why did you decide to attend Cleveland State University?
It was kind of a last minute thing. I was waiting until after the Iowa High School Tennis State Tournament before I decided where to go. My brother Mark was making a trip to the University of Findlay for a graduate tennis position interview and I got a call from the coach in Cleveland and made the trip to visit the campus. That night we stayed near the lake and went to an Indians game and I knew that I wanted to live in a big city instead of a field in Iowa.

How difficult was the transition to CSU being from Iowa?
It was a bit tough at first. I was eight hours from home and didn't know a single person here, even the coach who recruited me was gone. The toughest part was trying to fit onto a team that had been together for a couple years and being the only freshman on both teams.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment throughout your collegiate career on the field and in the classroom?
My biggest accomplishment individually was my being named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year in 2002. I had worked so hard for so long to play Division I athletics and then be selected for that award by the league's coaches was a great honor.

What is your main goal for this season athletically? Academically?
My goal for this year is for our team to win our conference and make it to the NCAA's. It will be tough but we have a group of guys that are willing to put in the hours training to become league champions. Also, I would like nothing more than to BEAT IOWA. Academically, I'd like to return to the dean's list and become and academic all-american for the first time.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge you have faced thus far in your collegiate career?
I've been fortunate in that I have not faced many of the challenges that a lot of people my age have faced. I did have back surgery last august to remove a herniated disc but that only set me back a few weeks and I felt even better when I came back.

What have you gained from being active in SAAC and what would you like to see accomplished this year?
SAAC has been great to me in the last three years. It has given me many opportunities that other students do not have. The other representatives and I have gotten to had a helping hand in improving CSU, seeing exactly how a Division I athletic department and conference work, as well as working with the community of Cleveland and really gaining a perspective on what we have as student-athletes.

What do you look forward to after graduation?
Not waking up early for exams and not having to write research papers.

What do you do, both individually and as a team to prepare right before a meet?
Individually I like to listen to The Doors and calm my muscles and nerves as well as throw around a football or baseball to get loosened up and clear my mind. A lot of people like to get really pumped up before they play but that tends to make too intense. As a team we all get together and each say something about the upcoming match as a way to focus and get ready to battle.

What TV show would you most like to appear on and why?
Sportscenter. I want to be the guy in the stands of the baseball game that catches a homerun ball while trying to balance a hotdog and a beverage in his other hand.

What is your best non-athletic talent?
My sister has a monopoly on those talents, I'm a little jealous. All I got was athletics.

If you could be any reality TV star, who would it be and why?
The Miz from all of the Real World shows. The guy has made a career out of being a moron on TV. It's something I think I could really excel at.

Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
I've had a few. First is my dad, he's the one who started me playing and pretty much taught me everything I know. Another is Phil Hendrie, a coach at Newk's Tennis Academy in Texas. The guy really instilled in me a great work ethic and had a lot to do with how I mentally and physically developed into a college player. The third is my current coach, Brian Etzkin. He's really helped me develop into more than just a good high school player, he taught me what it took to win at this level and wouldn't let me settle with just being an average player.

If you had to choose one song to be your theme song, what would it be and why?
"I Ain't No Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani, for obvious reasons.

If you found a blank check signed by Donald Trump on the side of the road, how much would you write it for and what would you buy?
I'd make the check out for about a trillion dollars. Then I'd buy the Yankees and the Indians, disband the Yankees and sign a few of their players and make the Indians the best baseball team the world has ever seen.

If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
Have an individual championship tournament in the Horizon League.