Ex-Kaua'i High athlete reaps tennis awards at Idaho

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

Kaua'i High graduate Brad Lum-Tucker received so many awards at the University of Idaho's spring sports awards banquet that his coach feared he wouldn't be able to lug them all home to Lihu'e.

Lum-Tucker, a sophomore, won the Idaho men's tennis co-Most Outstanding Singles player award, the Most Outstanding Doubles player award and the Most Valuable Player award.

"I don't think he has a big enough suitcase to bring all that hardware home to Hawai'i," coach Greg South said.

He was right.

"I left it up there," Lum-Tucker said Monday, joking, "It would have set off the airport metal detector."

The honors didn't end at the banquet. On Monday, Lum-Tucker was named to the Verizon Academic all-district second team for his 4.0 grade point average through last fall.

He was one of two Idaho athletes to earn Big West Conference Scholar-Athlete recognition.

"I messed it up this semester," Lum-Tucker said. "I don't have all my grades yet, but I'm pretty sure I got a B in Health and Wellness."

Health and Wellness? "Yeah," he answered sheepishly, "I was concentrating too much on the harder classes."

Full concentration was no problem on the tennis court for Lum-Tucker, who was Hawai'i's 2000 high school boys singles champion.

He led Idaho in both singles and doubles victories. His won-lost record was 21-12 in singles, mostly at No. 3, and 11-7 at No. 2 doubles with Hector Mucharraz of Mexico City.

"Brad is an athlete who is playing tennis rather than someone who grew up playing tennis," coach South said. "He didn't play tennis full-time until a year ago because in high school he also did track, volleyball and basketball in season, and only practiced tennis three months a year. Brad came here largely undeveloped, but very talented.

"In our tennis team fitness testing, he has done a 36-inch vertical jump, run a sub-4:50 mile, a 48-second 400, and run 2 miles below 11 minutes.

"With all that, his athleticism pales in comparison to his intellect and academic accomplishments," South said.

"I've been a head coach for 16 years and Brad is the most extraordinary young man I've ever coached," South said. "I've had better players, some who are out on tour, and some better athletes. But he has the entire package

"He is something special. You have to be around him to see that. He gives his all and the other kids follow him."

Lum-Tucker returns the praise: "The coaches here helped me develop my game a lot and deserve a lot of credit," he said.

In addition to South, Lum-Tucker is coached by Kula Oda, a Lahainaluna High and University of Hawai'i ('97) graduate who previously coached at Hawai'i-Hilo. Oda was a state high school doubles champion in 1991.

When Lum-Tucker passed up scholarship offers to walk on at Idaho in 2000, he said he did it because, "I want to see what it's like to go skiing."

"I've seen a lot of snow, but sad to say I still haven't gone skiing," Lum-Tucker said Monday. "Tennis is a lot more time-consuming than I expected, and I never met the right girl to teach me how to ski ... nobody. But I have gone snow-sledding on pizza boxes on campus."

And he has a tennis scholarship now.

The highlight of the past season, Lum-Tucker says, was playing every college team in Hawai'i on Idaho's biennial trip here. "I won 4 and lost 2 and I got to see my teammates wipe out on the waves trying to surf," he said. He stayed on the beach.

This summer, Lum-Tucker will teach at the Hyatt Regency at Po'ipu, and play in some tournaments on O'ahu.

He figures to play No. 1 for Idaho next season as the Nos. 1 and 2 players finished their eligibility. "My goal is to go for a national ranking, to get closer to that," Lum-Tucker said.