A CHAMPION'S PERSPECTIVE; OCC TENNIS COACH TELLS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A NATIONAL CHAMP.(Sports)(Interview) - The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)

Byline: Lindsay Kramer Staff writer

Onondaga Community College tennis coach John LaRose recently walked across campus and wondered why he saw a student apparently mumbling into the thin air.

Turns out, the student was using a hands-free cell phone device. LaRose, 66, doesn't have a cell phone, so he wasn't too familiar with that.

Last year, a student pointed to a foreign object on LaRose's desk and asked what it was. It was an electric typewriter. On occasion, LaRose prefers to use it instead of his computer.

'I try to listen a lot more today. I'm not afraid to ask,' LaRose said of working with a younger generation. 'They'll talk about something. I say, 'I don't understand that.''

LaRose may have a bit of a vintage feel for some things, but the man clearly still has the trendy touch when it comes to tennis.

Last month, LaRose coached the OCC men's team to the NJCAA Division III national championship in Plano, Texas. It was the first such title for LaRose, who started the women's program at the school 21 years ago and the men's team 18 years ago.

LaRose, who has taken the OCC men to 13 national tournaments, and the rest of his team will be honored at a ceremony at the school today. Wednesday, he volleyed back-and-forth a few thoughts about the team's accomplishment:

Q: Will you wear your championship ring or keep it stored away?

A: The kids and the coaches will be getting a national ring. Wow. It will probably be like getting married, when you slip that ring on.

It takes about six weeks to make them and ship them. I'm not a jewelry person. I wear two rings now. I'll be glad to take off the one ring I wear now for cosmetic reasons and put on a national championship ring.

Q: How do you build a championship tennis team underneath the cloudy, wet spring skies of Central New York?

A: We do get some good players, but (also) some players that are OK. We've taken some lower-level players and gotten them to be All-Americans. I think we've established enough of a program so that kids look at OCC now. The secret? It's just hard work and dedication.

It's hard a lot of times, particularly this year. We had a lot of cold weather, a lot of wet weather. They are just used to it. So many of the kids are from this area, they know the weather is not good.

Q: Will winning a championship expand your recruiting base a lot beyond Central New York?

A: One of the coaches who won a couple of years ago was down in Texas. He said to me that winning a national championship is going (to make it) easier to recruit. You'll find eventually that kids are going to want to come here.

I'm not going to wait for that to happen. I'm still going to actively recruit. I have a couple of kids coming in from the Rochester area. I'm working now with a Russian agency to see if we can get some Russian students. We can give them a good program, so that's pretty good right now.

Q:Are today's athletes a lot different than the ones from two decades ago?

A: Oh yeah. The sense of dedication, the work ethic is there. But unless you are really into the sport, it's harder to motivate them. There was a lot of self-motivation years ago. You have to provide more ways of motivating kids now.

But if they are true tennis players, they are going to rise to the occasion.

Q:How do you relate to today's players?

A: I think they respect me as an older person, a coach, and a mentor. They know I am here to help them. I do more than talk about tennis. Their personal problems, they open up to me, which I like. They'll come in and sit and talk, and ask questions.

I've grown, because I've worked with them. That's what's kept my mind younger. I'd be really lost if I wasn't teaching or coaching.

Q:Have you gotten a cell phone yet?

A: No cell phone. But I think it's coming. I'm almost bending to pressure. I have to call one of our guys and say, 'OK, for tomorrow's match we are going to wear our green shirts.' They all laugh and kid me about it.

Lindsay Kramer can be reached at 470-2151 or lkramer@syracuse.com.

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PHOTO

Submitted by Charles Wainwright

ONONDAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S men's tennis team won the NJCAA Division III national championship this season. Team members are (top, from left) coach John LaRose, Ryan Sadowitz (Faith Heritage), Myles Knipper (Mynderse Academy), Ryan Everett (Jordan Elbridge), Ken Schiefer (Liverpool), assistant coach Jeff Lonczak, (bottom, from left) Jeff Kurtz (West Genesee) and Mason Drastal (Skaneateles).