Commitment Profile
Countdown: Andrew Gu to Santa Clara
by Keith Kropp, 28 October 2014
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As Andrew Gu began to explore the option of playing tennis collegiately, the promising junior standout ideally hoped he would be able to play at a university close to home. As his search intensified it turned out one school he identified as a good fit also had its eye on him.
The 16-year-old Gu is a lifelong resident of El Cerrito, Calif., a Northern California city located on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay. The prestigious Bay Area is not only home to strong Pacific-12 Conference teams like
Stanford and
California, but also several other universities with solid programs.
As Gu narrowed down his search he learned one of those nearby those schools, Santa Clara, actually had him on its radar for some time. Upon visiting Santa Clara in January of this year Gu became convinced the West Coast Conference school located close to San Jose was a great fit for him.
Gu, who carries a top-20 USTA ranking in Boys 18 singles in Northern California, made only one other visit - to UC Berkeley. The five-star recruit feels comfortable about his choice.
"When I met the coach and the team there was an instant connection," Gu said. "Santa Clara was always one of my top three schools. Everything clicked automatically."
Gu, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 170 pounds, is excited about to play for Santa Clara Head Coach Derek Mills.
"Coach Mills is funny, and to me he is just like another father figure," Gu said. "He's a cool guy."
Gu also recognizes there will be a big difference in playing junior tournaments compared to squaring off against an experienced college player in a crucial dual match.
"This year I've been working hard playing a lot of men's opens and training," Gu said. "I'm almost there. I am working hard to get to that level."
Hard work and good results on the court have enabled Gu to make a lot of strides in the past few years. His all-court game is built around his serve, forehand and ability to play well under pressure.
One person who knows this first hand is Albany, Calif., resident Morgan Shepherd, who has coached Gu for a little more than four years.
