Rolando Ready to Prove He Belongs

PATRICK HICKEY, JR.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

One look at the Johnny Rolando, the newest member of Brooklyn College’s Men’s Tennis team and you know you’re in for a wild ride.

At 17, the baby-faced Rolando may not have the right to vote like the majority of the people attending the college and may get second looks from the school’s security guards who think he’s a student at nearby Midwood High School, but if the words of Bridges Coach Louis Gonzalez prove to be true, Rolando’s age will only extenuate his path to success this season.

“Johnny’s the future of this team,” said Gonzalez via E-mail. “The kid has the energy to outlast anyone.”

Despite being the team’s new wunderkind on the court, Rolando did admit that it has taken him some time to get acclimated to his new surroundings at Brooklyn College.

“I have a 40-year old woman that sits next to me in my math class,” said Rolando. “So it’s a big difference from High School.”

While the adjustment period it takes for the average person to get accustomed to college is obvious, Rolando feels that he can help the Bridges rebound from a far from prosperous season last year and believes his first season on the court with the college will be a successful one.

“I’m a little overwhelmed; I just graduated from High School a few weeks ago and now I’m playing college tennis, it’s pretty exciting,” said Rolando, who graduated from Lincoln High School before heading over to Brooklyn College this semester. “This team is pretty good and I might be able to be the top player here.”

Armed with a reported serve of over 100 miles-per-hour, Rolando gives the Bridges a player that together with last season’s unsung hero, Metin Noorata, can provide a more than competent one-two punch and give the Bridges an opportunity to change the way the school regards the Men’s tennis team.

As well, despite his age, Rolando was Lincoln’s premier singles player during his first two years at the school, before becoming one part of the schools top doubles team before graduating and has enough experience to hold his own on the court with collegiate athletes that may be close to five years older than him. Showing maturity beyond his years, Rolando understands that expectations may be low considering his age, but that hasn’t stopped him from showing the cockiness and confidence that every tennis player needs in order to be successful.

“Just because I’m 17, don’t think that I’m shy, I want all those colleges out there to know that I’m coming. I get every ball, I hustle,” said Rolando, who’s currently a physical education major with aspirations of coaching one day. “I’m really fast and I have a good serve. Some people say they have a good serve, but they can’t get it on the court,” Rolando added with a smirk, letting everyone know that he has no problem keeping his serve on the court. “I’m ready to help bring the championship to Brooklyn College this year.”

Rolando also feels that the attitude of Gonzalez is much different from the coaching style he was accustomed to at Lincoln and feels that he’s a perfect fit with the team and is ready to take his game to the next level under the tutelage of his new coach.

“Things are much more serious here because Coach Gonzalez is so dedicated to the team,” said Rolando, who compares his game to Rafael Nadal [currently the 2nd highest ranked male tennis player in the world]. “He makes us work out a lot during practice; we haven’t even started playing tennis yet, we’re just running, but I know we’re going to be in great shape. We’re working hard.”