TEMPE, Ariz. -- When Matt Hill took over the reinstated Sun Devil men's tennis program in June of 2016, he understood he would be building the program from scratch.
He didn't have any players. He didn't have any assistant coaches. He didn't even have basic supplies.
"We didn't have balls or ball carts or trash cans," Hill said. "There were old pictures in the locker room. None of that stuff is hard to correct, but it's not about that. It's about distractions that take you away from what matters most, which is getting great players in and developing them. It takes away from your ability keep the main thing the main thing."
After 18 months of detailed work, all of the pieces are in place, including a talented roster. Arizona State men's tennis -- absent for a decade due to financial constraints -- will make its debut on Jan. 13 when the Sun Devils host No. 25 Duke at the Whiteman Tennis Center.
"We couldn't be happier with the group of coaches and players that we have and the excitement within the group and the staff," Hill said. "It's funny to look back over the last 18 months and think about all the things that have gone into this. We're excited for the guys, excited for the fans and excited for all the alumni coming back."
There is symmetry in Hill's decision to open against Duke. The last Sun Devils men's tennis team to take the court was the 2008 edition, whose season ended in an NCAA Tournament loss to Duke. Hill invited that entire team to and a dinner the night before, and the match itself, where team members will be honored.
"I knew a couple of them because when this program closed, I recruited a couple of them to come play for me at Mississippi State," Hill said. "I knew the top guys for sure and then T.J. Bellama lives here locally. He was the captain of that team and he was instrumental in getting in touch with everyone."
The match will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Sun Devils Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson and his wife, Buffie in attendance. The Andersons' $1 million gift helped re-launch the program. Legendary player Stan Smith will also attend the match. His son, Ramsey Smith, coaches the Blue Devils.
With all the hoopla surrounding the event, Hill has worked hard to keep his team's focus on the competition. The Sun Devils still haven't settled on the playing ladder for the match, but senior Michael Geerts and freshman Benjamin Hannestad will play prominent roles, with sophomores Makey Rakotomalala, Pierre Louis Dodens, Thomas Wright, Tim Ruehl and freshman Andrea Bolla in the mix. Bolla just arrived from Italy on Jan 2.
Hannestad won the singles title at the ITA Division I Men's Southwest Regional Championship Tournament at Pepperdine in October. He teamed with Ruehl to capture the doubles title.
Geerts won four matches at the ITA All-American in October, scoring wins over Virginia Tech's Mitch Harper, UCLA's Maxime Cressy, Illinois' Noe Khlif and Wichita State's Marius Frosa, before falling to Wake Forest's Petros Chrysochos, the nation's No. 3 ranked player, 6-4, 7-6. He also teamed with Ruehl to defeat the nation's top-ranked doubles team, Wake Forest's Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim, 3-6, 7-6, 12-10. Geerts had to retire in the semifinals of the Southwest Regional with an injury.
"Having gone to regionals, we got a real good picture of the other teams and their players, and having won that tournament in both singles and doubles was a good sign for us," Hill said. "Obviously, it's an individual tournament so it's not six guys against six guys, but we feel really good about the players we have brought in and their development process.
"There's a different pressure playing for each other vs. being at a tournament in Turkey, but one of the things I like about these guys is they like a big stage. They play better. They raise their level at big times."
Hill has lined up some early-season challenges for the Devils. After they face Duke, they'll host No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 TCU.
"These three matches we start with are against premier teams that have real shots at going deep in the NCAA Tournament," Hill said. "I think it's a win-win situation. There's no reason they can't compete with those teams and if we get the wins like we're planning, guys will be very excited.
"If we take a loss or two, it shows us our needs and holes and areas of concern. Personally, I think that's a better model than the other way of going in light, getting some unrealistic confidence from wins against players who aren't what we're going to be seeing in national championships."
Geerts and his teammates began training again on Jan. 4 after the holiday break. They can't wait for the completion to start.
"Now that I'm here, being surrounded by a team is a nice feeling, just knowing someone is next to you on the courts that is also battling for the same goal," Geerts said. "You're not alone out there. You support each other.
"I hope we can have a big crowd and they will support us."
He didn't have any players. He didn't have any assistant coaches. He didn't even have basic supplies.
"We didn't have balls or ball carts or trash cans," Hill said. "There were old pictures in the locker room. None of that stuff is hard to correct, but it's not about that. It's about distractions that take you away from what matters most, which is getting great players in and developing them. It takes away from your ability keep the main thing the main thing."
After 18 months of detailed work, all of the pieces are in place, including a talented roster. Arizona State men's tennis -- absent for a decade due to financial constraints -- will make its debut on Jan. 13 when the Sun Devils host No. 25 Duke at the Whiteman Tennis Center.
"We couldn't be happier with the group of coaches and players that we have and the excitement within the group and the staff," Hill said. "It's funny to look back over the last 18 months and think about all the things that have gone into this. We're excited for the guys, excited for the fans and excited for all the alumni coming back."
There is symmetry in Hill's decision to open against Duke. The last Sun Devils men's tennis team to take the court was the 2008 edition, whose season ended in an NCAA Tournament loss to Duke. Hill invited that entire team to and a dinner the night before, and the match itself, where team members will be honored.
"I knew a couple of them because when this program closed, I recruited a couple of them to come play for me at Mississippi State," Hill said. "I knew the top guys for sure and then T.J. Bellama lives here locally. He was the captain of that team and he was instrumental in getting in touch with everyone."
The match will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Sun Devils Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson and his wife, Buffie in attendance. The Andersons' $1 million gift helped re-launch the program. Legendary player Stan Smith will also attend the match. His son, Ramsey Smith, coaches the Blue Devils.
With all the hoopla surrounding the event, Hill has worked hard to keep his team's focus on the competition. The Sun Devils still haven't settled on the playing ladder for the match, but senior Michael Geerts and freshman Benjamin Hannestad will play prominent roles, with sophomores Makey Rakotomalala, Pierre Louis Dodens, Thomas Wright, Tim Ruehl and freshman Andrea Bolla in the mix. Bolla just arrived from Italy on Jan 2.
Hannestad won the singles title at the ITA Division I Men's Southwest Regional Championship Tournament at Pepperdine in October. He teamed with Ruehl to capture the doubles title.
Geerts won four matches at the ITA All-American in October, scoring wins over Virginia Tech's Mitch Harper, UCLA's Maxime Cressy, Illinois' Noe Khlif and Wichita State's Marius Frosa, before falling to Wake Forest's Petros Chrysochos, the nation's No. 3 ranked player, 6-4, 7-6. He also teamed with Ruehl to defeat the nation's top-ranked doubles team, Wake Forest's Skander Mansouri and Christian Seraphim, 3-6, 7-6, 12-10. Geerts had to retire in the semifinals of the Southwest Regional with an injury.
"Having gone to regionals, we got a real good picture of the other teams and their players, and having won that tournament in both singles and doubles was a good sign for us," Hill said. "Obviously, it's an individual tournament so it's not six guys against six guys, but we feel really good about the players we have brought in and their development process.
"There's a different pressure playing for each other vs. being at a tournament in Turkey, but one of the things I like about these guys is they like a big stage. They play better. They raise their level at big times."
Hill has lined up some early-season challenges for the Devils. After they face Duke, they'll host No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 TCU.
"These three matches we start with are against premier teams that have real shots at going deep in the NCAA Tournament," Hill said. "I think it's a win-win situation. There's no reason they can't compete with those teams and if we get the wins like we're planning, guys will be very excited.
"If we take a loss or two, it shows us our needs and holes and areas of concern. Personally, I think that's a better model than the other way of going in light, getting some unrealistic confidence from wins against players who aren't what we're going to be seeing in national championships."
Geerts and his teammates began training again on Jan. 4 after the holiday break. They can't wait for the completion to start.
"Now that I'm here, being surrounded by a team is a nice feeling, just knowing someone is next to you on the courts that is also battling for the same goal," Geerts said. "You're not alone out there. You support each other.
"I hope we can have a big crowd and they will support us."