Demetri Bush '19 Recruiting Profile

Tennis has helped me in every aspect of my life - from discipline to learning how to be focused - I have tennis to thank for all of it. Through the game I found myself, who I really was and what I could accomplish. It was the little things - controlling my emotions as I matured;  practicing early in the morning before school; challenging myself in tougher tournaments and at more challenging levels knowing those experiences would ultimately benefit me most - that have made me into a better player and person. I was very fortunate too. During my freshman year an amazingly gifted coach helped to establish both my strokes and mental game, and gave me guidance - and later on another talented coach and former Division 1 player further inspired and offered to help me towards my goal of playing for a college team.

None of it has been easy, for sure. I've had some struggles along the way. The biggest obstacle I had to overcome was starting later. But, in a very short span of time I was playing in the Minnesota state tournament, and moving up to USTA sectional and national tournaments with much more to come the remaining two years of high school - winning the Minnesota State Tournament my senior year as well as other USTA tournaments. I was also a hockey player for nine years - a sport that really makes you tough both physically and as a competitor. Another challenge was school. I started out at a very difficult college preparatory school and had to work really hard to keep up with their advanced curriculum. There again, the stresses of matches have helped me deal with the stresses of the classroom, enabling me to become a better student.

The quality of my preparation and these experiences, together with the skills and lessons I’ve learned through them, have given me the qualifications to be successful for your team, and make an immediate contribution to your program.