Elliget's dream washed away

Adam Elliget is one of South Carolina's premier junior tennis players. The 13-year-old from Summerville dominated boys' 12 in the state in 2009.

Yet, the South's fourth-ranked 12-and-under player didn't earn a state ranking in his age group for 2009.

He played all over the country. He played Belton and beyond, soaring into the top 20 nationally. He won both singles and doubles at Belton. But he didn't play in his age group in any of the six smaller so-called state tournaments, of which it was a prerequiste to play in at least one to earn a state ranking.

But the mishap is water over the dam now. The No. 1 state ranking that Adam dreamed of owning irreversibly went to someone else.

USTA South Carolina officials admitted to Jim Elliget that a mistake was made by not including Belton as a ranking qualifier, but it's not a correctable one. So, Adam's dreams are empty. There's no top ranking in the state for his 12th year to go with his 10-and-under No. 1 ranking for 2007. All of the hard work and travel went for naught in the state's eyes. Luckily, he has his Southern and national rankings.

Adam always will have to explain that he actually was the state's No. 1 player in boys 10 and 12. He just won't have any proof. And you know how such tall tales can go over years from now.

Of course, there's always next year, especially for a young player such as Adam. He is playing boys 14 now where he almost accidentally qualified for a third ranking in the state for 2009. He has other things on his mind right now, playing high school tennis for Pinewood Prep where he is a seventh-grader. Practice started a couple of weeks ago.

Like so many other outstanding players in the state, Elliget failed to play in his age group in Greenville's state clay courts or state doubles, or Columbia's state hard courts, or tournaments at The Citadel, Hilton Head Island and Sumter. Yet, the 3,937 points Elliget earned were nearly 500 points more than his closest rival in boys 12.

State USTA officials have assured Jim Elliget that the rules will change for 2010 to include Belton as a state tournament. "No further changes can be made to the 2009 final rankings as they were run by the rules the committee passed in 2008," state junior competition coordinator Jessica Amick stated in an e-mail to Elliget.

Cyclones look to repeat

Picking a favorite in SCISA Class AAA boys tennis is easy. You have to look no further than the elite private school that sits just off Charleston harbor between the Ashley and Wando rivers. Defending champion Porter-Gaud may be in a class all alone.

The Cyclones have won seven of the last 10 state titles, and coach Tom Higgins has practically everyone -- at least, the entire singles lineup -- back from last year's unbeaten team, plus two star transfers. Senior Marshall Sanford, the son of Gov. Mark Sanford, was an all-state player last season for Columbia's Heathwood Hall, while sophomore Hunter Mitchell stood out near the top of the lineup for a Hilton Head Prep team that has sandwiched two state runners-up seasons around winning the 2008 state championship.

Lowcountry player of the year J.B. Robards, who went 12-0 last season as the Cyclones' No. 1 player, leads a group of three other juniors -- Johnny Steichen, Charlie Baker and Matt Polletti -- along with tall freshman Thomas Spratt and senior Elliott Sperr as returning singles starters from a year ago. Smallish eighth-grader Seth Pinoski and freshman Payne Hoy, along with Sanford and Mitchell, probably round out the team's top 10 players.

But there's plenty more depth. Several more players on Higgins' 33-player roster could start for most of the other private and public schools in the state.

"In two and a half weeks of practice we've had some of the best practices I've had at Porter-Gaud," said Higgins about his seventh year as the Cyclones' coach.

The only dilemma is coming up with a starting lineup. Since Hoy and Polletti have just joined the tennis team after finishing out the basketball season, Higgins hasn't put together a starting lineup.

But he has to hurry. The Cyclones will open their season March 2 at home against Hilton Head Christian, and two weeks later the Cyclones will visit perennial public school power Waccamaw. The two schools also will square off in April at the Porter-Gaud courts. Most college tennis coaches in this section of the country probably are interested in those dates.

Local notes

● Charleston Tennis Center will take part in the USTA's second annual National Youth Registration on Friday from 4:30-7 p.m. at the Farmfield Avenue complex. The event, part of the Tennis Night in America celebration that is scheduled for March 1, will feature registration for all spring and summer youth tennis programs at the Farmfield complex. Contact city pro Fredrik Andersson (442-5472) or Denise McCracken at the city complex (766-7401).

● USTA Flex Leagues are starting again in the Charleston area. The leagues last 6-8 weeks and allow participants to simply contact their opponents and play at a time and place that best fits their schedules. Registration is available at www.southernflextennis.com.

● The Courting Kids' spring program will start March 6 at the downtown Jack Adams Tennis Center and John's Island's Alan Fleming complex. Contact Courting Kids director Delores Jackson at Charleston Tennis Center (766-7401).

Reach James Beck at jamesbecktennis@gmail.com. James Beck's columns on pro tennis are available at www.ricerca.quotidianonet.ilsole24ore.com/articoli/ubitennis.shtml?keyword=beck