Corona del Mar Freshman Makes Impressive Debut

The more Corona del Mar boys’ tennis Coach Tim Mang talked about spectacular freshman Taylor Dent, the more he realized how lucky he was.

“He’s a fantastic kid,� Mang said. “And you know what, he’ll never be affected by his talent. He’ll never be arrogant. His father did a great job with him.

“What a pleasure to work with him. After 25 years of coaching, that’s probably my greatest reward--getting Taylor on the team this year. What a great kid.�

What a great player. Dent lost eight sets during the regular season as he battled nagging injuries, but he finished with a run that might never be matched by a freshman. Dent won all 12 of his sets during the team playoffs and then won the Southern Section individual singles title with two incredible days of tennis.

When notified he had been picked as The Times Orange County player of the year, Dent reacted as if he were expecting someone else to win the award: “Wow, that’s pretty neat.�

But even though Dent’s regular season had been shaky, he didn’t expect anyone else to win the section individual title.

“I’m supposed to win anything I play,� he said. “I went in there with the mentality I can win it. I knew I could play better than I was playing. As soon as it finally clicked for me, I didn’t worry so much about the matches, but how I was playing.�

Dent had a lot to worry about in the finals against San Marino sophomore Andrew Park. But down a set and a few rackets, Dent kept his poise.

“What he did will never be done again,� Mang said. “It was just incredible. He’s playing with a cracked racket for two games, then playing with his dad’s racket, strung a lot looser than his. I don’t know how he did it.�

Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t do a lot more before he leaves Corona del Mar.

“I don’t think this is the end,� Dent said. “I have a lot more to do, a lot more to play. This is a nice steppingstone for me.�