The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men’s Tennis signs trio to National Letters of Intent
11.18.2014 | Men's Tennis
Longhorns add top recruits from Canada, Kansas and Texas, respectively.
AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Men's Tennis head coach Michael Center announced the signing of three high school seniors to National Letters of Intent on Tuesday -- Liam Caruana (New Branunfels, Texas), John Goodwin (Mission Hills, Kan.), Harrison Scott (Calgary, Alberta, Canada).
Caruana and Goodwin are the top recruits in their respective home states, while Scott is the top-ranked recruit out of Canada.
“All three will be great team competitors and student-athletes,” head coach Michael Center said. “We will be graduating a lot of talent this spring, but I feel we added a group that will be a terrific fit for this program for years to come.”
Caruana is a TennisRecruiting.net blue-chip prospect and holds rankings of No. 8 in the USTA B18 (18-and-under) and No. 280 in the ITF world juniors poll. The New Branunfels, Texas, native is attending Laurel Springs School. Caruana won the Texas Grand Slam B18 championship in College Station in 2014 and was singles finalist at the ITF G4s in Queretaro, Mexico and Claremont, California, respectively.
“Liam is a tremendous all-court player with college-ready versatility,” Center said. “His game continues to improve and, as he adds strength, look for him to reach higher levels. Liam loves to play the game and will be one of our best workers. His results in the last six months demonstrate that he is on an upward path.”
Goodwin is a TennisRecruiting.net four-star prospect and is the top-ranked player in the state of Kansas. He is a two-time Kansas Class 3-2-1A state singles champion, and is coming off an undefeated 30-0 season last spring. The Kansas City Christian School prospect is a three-time Kansas City Star All-Metro performer and the 2014 Kansas City Star High School Player of the Year.
“Johnny is a outstanding athlete who continues to put up improved results,” Center said. “He fared very well this past summer against college players. He loves to practice and brings a terrific work ethic to Texas. There is no doubt that his best tennis is in front of him.”
Scott is the two-time reigning Boys U18 Canadian Champion and holds an ITF juniors ranking of No. 197. He was a member of Canadian U16 Junior Davis Cup Team in 2012 and 2013. The Alberta, Canada native was the Flag Bearer for his home province at the Canada Summer Games in 2013 and won Gold in singles at his age group.
“Harrison brings a very aggressive baseline game to Texas,” Center said. “He really attacks the ball off both sides and over powers his opponents. He is working hard on his fitness and adding strength. I look for Harrison to develop into a fine college student-athlete and I feel lucky to have him join our program.”
The Longhorns return to action when hosting the UT Invitational from Jan. 9-11, 2015 in Austin, followed by the first dual match of the season at Tulsa on Jan. 16, 2015.
Texas Men's Tennis 2015 recruiting class
Liam Caruana (lee-am CAR-ee-ah-nah)
New Braunfels, Texas
Laurel Springs School
Birthdate: Jan. 22, 1998
John Goodwin
Mission Hills, Kansas
Kansas City Christian School
Birthdate: Dec. 30, 1996
Harrison Scott
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Birthdate: March 12, 1997
