LAURINBURG —The Scotland boys tennis team has one clear advantage heading into the 2025 campaign that they did not have in 2024: they have their head coach identified heading into the season. Last year, Rod Riley stepped in as the head coach around the time of when their first match was supposed to be against Hoke County (Feb. 29), meaning the first match for the team ended up being two weeks later on March 14 against Pinecrest.
While the Scots would go winless in their eight matches, they would come close to beating Lee County on two occasions as both matches ended in a 5-4 final. With now a full year of experience under the belts of both Riley and some returning pieces on the court, Riley is optimistic about the direction Scotland could be headed in with their guidance.
“I think it’s going to help a lot,” Riley said. “The four players who played last year and are returning will be a great assistance to the new players who are just now coming.”
The four players returning from last year for Scotland are sophomores Owen McRae, Jackson Hernandez (last year’s most improved player) and Andrew Medlock as well as senior Tri Duong. That said, there are a healthy number of changes from 2024 as three players graduated from last year’s team: all-conference team members Ricky Zhang and Eli McRae as well as Kishawn Pate while the new pieces for Scotland this season include Noah Evans, Darius West and Mark Labib.
Of the new guys, Riley mentioned Labib as one he is especially intrigued to see how he fares with a racket in his hand. Labib was on the Scotland varsity swimming team during the winter and is someone Riley sees with a lot of athletic potential but will have to learn the game of tennis quickly.
“Mark was on the swim team and he’s a very good athlete, but he is still learning how to play tennis,” Riley said. “I expect the four guys that played last year to be a little bit better this year. They won’t be as nervous, they will have played and understand what’s expected.”
Of the returners, Duong and Medlock are the ones with a win under their belts from last season (the match breakdowns against Lee County are not available on MaxPreps). They were able to win a doubles match together against James Bedwell and Porter Stout of Pinecrest by a score of 9-7. With a good mix of returners with more poise and new players with potential, Riley wants to see some improvement in 2025, starting with getting a win under their belt.
“We want to win a match,” Riley said. “I’m going to challenge them to go out there and play with the stuff that we’ve worked on in practice.”
Scotland will start their season at home on Thursday afternoon against Southern Lee. The contest is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.