Officials with the Northwest Mississippi Tennis Association (NMTA) Thursday, Jan. 27 presented the Lake Cormorant High School tennis program with a $400 donation. The funds are used to buy a ball basket and hoppers for the growing team coached by Wylie Maddox.
President Joe Kusek and Vice President Eddie Reed made the donation to Maddox on the high school courts Thursday morning.
For a team that last year had 18 players but already has 26 on the roster before the first match is played this spring, Maddox said the ball basket and hoppers will help make practice time more productive.
“We had one but we needed more because we had a lot of kids come out,” Maddox said. “We’re trying to make practices as efficient as possible. The more of these we have the better practice will be.”
Kusek feels people wanting to get outside after being inside with the COVID-19 pandemic is helping grow the sport.
“USTA (United States Tennis Association) restructured for the pandemic and they set up rules and tennis is a socially-distanced game anyway,” Kusek said. “You’re more than six feet away (on the tennis court).”
“The association is here to support local tennis programs and that’s what we do,” Reed said.
For more information, go to the Northwest Mississippi Tennis Association Facebook page.
From left, Eddie Reed, Wylie Maddox, and Joe Kusek. Reed and Kusek are with the Northwest Mississippi Tennis Association, which donated the ball basket and hoppers to the Lake Cormorant High School tennis team. (Bob Bakken/DeSoto County Sports)
Bob Bakken provides content for DeSoto County News and its social media channels. He is an award-winning broadcaster, along with being a reporter and photographer, and has done sports media relations work with junior and minor league hockey teams. Along with his reports on this website, you will find this veteran media member providing sports updates and high school football play-by-play on Rebel 95.3 FM Radio.
