Commitment Profile
Countdown: Big Blue Nation Welcomes Hussey
by James Hill, 14 October 2014
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Austin Hussey, a five-star recruit from Edgewood, Ky., has decided to become a member of the University of Kentucky Wildcats men's tennis team.
Hussey, ranked No. 1 in the Blue Grass State, will make the short 75-mile journey to Lexington in the fall. He made the commitment to Wildcats head coach Cedric Kauffmann last January.
"I got to know a lot of guys on the team," said Hussey. "I really look forward to going to battle with them. I picked Kentucky because I feel they have the best coaching staff in the country. They've proven to be one of the top teams every year, and I want to play for titles."
Hussey is ranked No. 1 in Kentucky, 21st in the Southeast, and is 70th nationally in the Athletic DNA Class Rankings. He is sporting an RPI of 128. Hussey stated he was recruited by "other top-10 programs," but, after meeting Kauffmann and the coaching staff, he was ready to commit to Kentucky.
Kauffmann accepted the offer to become Kentucky's head coach on July 25, 2012. Two days earlier, Kauffmann and his wife, Caroline, had welcomed their fourth child to the family! He served as assistant coach from 2005 to 2009, and then was promoted to associate head coach, under 30-year veteran Dennis Emery.
Continuing a legacy established by Emery, Kauffmann has led the Wildcats to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the past two years. Kentucky was ranked ninth in 2013, and No. 13 last season.
Speaking of legacy, Hussey became interested in the sport of tennis because of his family.
His mom, the former Kara Molony, was a top-ranked WTA player. She competed for four years at the University of Cincinnati, and is the winningest player of all time at the school. Molony-Hussey also was a Kentucky state high school champion at Notre Dame Academy. She is also a member of the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Northern Kentucky High School Athletics Association Hall of Fame.
