By Kyle LoJacono
Courage Okungbowa said one of the best things about playing tennis is how simply it breaks down.
“I really like the individuality of it,” Courage said. “Everything is on you. You take the wins and losses because of what you did.”
For the Wiregrass Ranch senior, wins have come much more frequently than losses.
Courage, a Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) signee, has compiled a 54-2 record since his family moved to Wesley Chapel from Virginia before his sophomore season. Both of those losses were during the state tournament, with the lone defeat last year coming in the Class 4A singles title match.
“Last year, it was really exciting to get to the championship match,” Courage said. “I beat the No. 1 seed to get there. I went in trying to play my game. I saw my opponent, big player like 6-foot-5, and it was a bit intimidating. I did the best I could, came up a little bit short, but hopefully I’ll have a better result this year.”
The drive to claim the ultimate prize has pushed Courage during the offseason.
“It’s a lot of motivation,” Courage said. “I got to the final last year, so hopefully with all the practice I’ve done I will take a run at a state championship.”
Courage has won all 14 of his singles matches this year by perfect 6-0, 6-0 scores. He said he’s tried to stay with the methods that have gotten him into state title contention while working on his largest weakness.
“I’m a grinder, baseline player,” Courage said. “I like to stay in the point and then wait for my chances. I’ve been working on my serve and transition to the net. Those are coming along nicely. My second serve is the thing I’m trying to improve the most.”
Courage picked up tennis at age 9. He dabbled in football, basketball and soccer while in middle school, but nothing captured his attention like tennis.
“When I was at 11 or 12, I started seeing a lot of improvement,” Courage said. “That’s when I really decided that tennis was my sport.”
Courage said his family moved from Virginia primarily to let him and his brother Foresight receive better tennis training.
“Florida, Texas and California are the biggest states for tennis, so we decided that we would move here because of the tennis academies, and the weather is great all year long so you can always play,” Courage said.
Wiregrass Ranch coach Dave Wilson, who is also the school’s athletic director, said Courage has helped bring the program to another level.
“Having a player of his caliber, every time his teammates hit with him they get better,” Wilson said. “That makes the team depth better. They also see his demeanor on the court, and he doesn’t change his expression or get upset or loud. When he wins he wins graciously, and when the younger players see that they know they don’t have to act like an idiot. He wins, shakes hands and moves on. He stays composed whether he’s down or up, and that’s translated to the other players.”
Pushing to get to Courage’s level is a goal for all of his teammates, even if that means looking for small victories.
“In my total career I’ve taken three sets off him and beaten him in a match once,” said Foresight, a sophomore. “He’s got about 500 on me.”
Sophomore Alejandro Feliciano said Courage’s consistency at the top spot takes pressure off the rest of the squad.
“We never have any doubt about him winning his match,” Feliciano said. “That’s one we never have to worry about.”
Players of Courage’s ability tend to miss high school matches for practice or high-level tournaments, but Courage has managed his schedule in such a way that he played in all of Wiregrass Ranch’s contests since joining the squad.
“I really like to come out and play high school tennis,” Courage said. “Even if I miss some of my practices I feel like it’s a good experience.”
His winning percentage is eye-popping, but Courage said the most frequent question he gets isn’t about his play.
It’s about, of course, his first name.
His father Stanley named him Courage to remind him that he has to have courage in everything he does.
“When I was 13 or 14, my dad told me about why he named me Courage,” Courage said. “It’s obviously a different name, but I really like it. When teachers see my name for the first time they always say they like it. That puts a smile on my face.”
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
