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Sunday, June 08, 2003

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Dan Hackett picked up a racket for the first time after graduating from South Hills Catholic High School in the middle of the tennis boom of the '70s. His 30-year love affair with the game still is going strong.

"I got bit by the bug. I got hooked," he said. "I've been a player and fan ever since."

He remembers the thrill he got watching rising stars such as Vitas Gerulaitis, Peter Fleming and Eddie Dibbs when they played in the National Collegiate Clay Court Championships at the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center.

"The quality of tennis is what attracted me," said Hackett, 46, a CPA/financial adviser who graduated from Robert Morris College. "I was just a beginner at the time."

He never thought that one day he would be the director of the tournament.

"It never occurred to me at that time," he said. "It never occurred to me until Don [Mercer] retired."

Mercer was forced to step down for health reasons after eight years. Hackett, the treasurer of the tournament the past two years, took over March 1.

"When I realized [the tournament] might not happen if someone didn't volunteer, I raised my hand," Hackett said. "Why did I do it? Because I love tennis. My game's not that good, but tennis is a lifetime sport and you're continually improving."

"Most of my time has been keeping the ship going forward. I've been coordinating the simple things. Next year we may do some different things, maybe a pro-am. Who knows?"

The Future's/National Collegiate Clay Court Championships will play their tournaments simultaneously, July 1-6. There will be a qualifier for the 32-player main draw of the Futures with 64 players vying for eight spots, June 28-30.

Admission for both tournaments is free and Hackett plans to stage a feature match each night.

"The college part of this event has gone down in stature," Hackett said. "It used to get a gold ball from the United States Tennis Association emblematic of a national championship, but the USTA stopped giving gold balls a few years ago. The level of the college play as declined in recent years."

Hackett stopped, then added, "There's still a circuit for college players to play but it's not like it used to be because so many of the college-age players are turning pro."

Although the college tournament may not be what it once was, the Future's brings in many of the young male players on the way up who are ranked between 200 and 400 in the world. The players compete in singles and doubles for a cut of the $10,000 purse and ATP points that will help them get entry into the $50,000 Challenger events.

What's happening

There still are openings in the tournament at Renzie Park in McKeesport, June 21-25, with open competition in men's and women's singles, senior men's singles (55 and up), doubles and mixed doubles. There also is a "Mixed Nuts" event in which each doubles team must total at least 100 years in age. The entry fees are $8 for open singles and $5 for senior singles and $12 for doubles.

The registration deadline is June 19. For more information call, Jim Brown at 412-675-5068.

Last year's champions were Lenny Davis in men's open singles, Collen Gzyer in women's open singles, Robert Gibbs in senior men's singles and LaVeda Booker and Howard Booker in mixed doubles.

Pro Tom Fleming will oversee junior tennis clinics this summer at Settler's Cabin Courts for boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 19 for three days a week -- Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday -- starting June 17 and running through Aug. 16. The skill levels are beginners at 9 a.m., pre-intermediates at 10 a.m. and intermediate/advanced players at noon. Pre-intermediates and advanced must take a tryout lesson. There also will be a series of clinics Saturdays. For more information call, 412-928-8241.

Campus courts

Slippery Rock senior Ella Reilly received the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference "Spring Top Ten Award" for the second consecutive year and is one of 15 women eligible for the "Scholar Athlete of the Year" honor awarded later this month. Reilly, who has a 4.0 grade-point average as a sports management major, was 18-5 in singles and 26-5 in doubles this season and was the MVP in leading Slippery Rock to the PSAC team title.