The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Kane-West's journey comes full circle at NCAA Tennis Championships
05.12.2009 | Men's Tennis
May 12, 2009
The end is bringing Jonah Kane-West back to the beginning. Or was it the middle?
Maybe it's just better to say that Kane-West's road to the Texas Men's Tennis program was a long one, and by no means was it traditional. It included stops in New Orleans, and even College Station -- site of this year's NCAA Championships, which begin Thursday -- before Kane-West found his home in Austin with the Texas Longhorns.
Kane-West grew up in Virginia, and, like most children, found himself in love with sports and music. Unlike most children, though, Kane-West found a way to master the game of tennis and the piano.
"I believe that when you really love something, you find time for it," said Kane-West, a Business senior who will graduate this month. "So I was spending five hours a day playing tennis, but still had two to three hours to practice music."
The tennis portion of that passion eventually took Kane-West to Florida, where he finished high school at the elite Bollettieri Academy, which also produced players like Andre Agassi and Jim Courier. Kane-West was the academy's player of the year in 2004.
Instead of leaving the academy to go pro, Kane-West went to New Orleans and Tulane University. He knew the coach, liked the school's academic reputation and also didn't mind that the city happened to be a jazz hotspot.
"I am a musician," Kane-West explains. "I was really into the music scene."
Then, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005, and Kane-West and his tennis teammates were forced from the campus and took refuge in College Station. Though still competing for the Green Wave, Kane-West practiced at Texas A&M's facilities and took college courses on the maroon-and-white campus.
In December, the news was delivered that Tulane was cutting the tennis program.
"None of us really expected that Tulane Tennis was going to be cancelled while we were at Texas A&M," Kane-West said. "We really just thought we would be at A&M for that semester, and then return to Tulane and things would be as normal.
"Then we were pulled together, put in a room and told it was all over. It was just thrown upon us at the last moment."
While some players scrambled to transfer that next spring semester, Kane-West returned to the Tulane campus and began taking classes again. He still played tennis, on his own, while he looked for another school to attend.
"I was never concerned that my tennis career wouldn't continue," Kane-West said, "I was just really saddened that it wouldn't continue with that Tulane family, because I was so close to them."
During that fall semester on the A&M campus, Kane-West actually caught the eye of Texas coach Michael Center. The displaced Tulane team was playing at a regional tournament along with the Longhorns, and Kane-West went up against UT's Hubert Chodkiewicz. Kane-West lost 7-6 in a third-set tiebreak, but Center saw beyond the score.
"His spirit, his attitude is really what attracted me," Center said. "He's so positive on the court, whether he won a point or lost a point. He always had a fighting spirit."
But when Center approached Kane-West about the possibility of transferring to UT, Kane-West initially hesitated.
"It was just that my experience at A&M was such a contrast to New Orleans," Kane-West said. "I was thinking transferring to Texas would be like another College Station."
Kane-West eventually agreed to come to Austin for a visit, and became the first player Center has ever hosted to request a sushi dinner. During that meal, more of Kane-West's uniqueness came to light.
The local community was still reveling in the Football team's victory against Southern California in the national championship game. When Vince Young entered the conversation, Kane-West didn't bite.
"I could tell he had no idea who Vince Young was," Center said. "And he said, `No, I have no idea. I don't watch television. I don't watch sports outside of tennis.'
"I knew he was a little bit different than the average guy."
Which meant that Kane-West was a perfect fit for a city that prides itself on being weird. He liked the restaurants, and the music scene -- and Kane-West is now an active member. He plays with a jazz ensemble and has a weekly show at a downtown restaurant.
Center says it's very rare for someone to be able to play music and sport at such a high level. Kane-West is able to do both, probably because he sees similarities in the two.
"When you are in a band of three or four musicians, you are really feeding off each other," Kane-West said. "In tennis, there is still a power we can gain from each other, even though we are individuals out there. We really have the power to uplift each other when we are out on the court."
