Anteaters Reap Benefits of Cheney Family Tree

It was almost like being at home.

Andrew Cheney, a sophomore at UC Irvine, was standing at center court at the Los Angeles Tennis Club in November, waiting to play the doubles final in the Southern California Intercollegiate championships. The photos on the club’s wall could have been blow-ups from his wallet.

There was Thomas C. Bundy, the club’s founder. Although Cheney knows him better as his great-grandfather.

There was May Sutton, two-time Wimbledon singles champion. Great-grandmother.

There was Dodo Cheney, 1938 Australian Open champion. Grandmother.

Not pictured, but in attendance, was Brian Cheney, his father, who was a three-time All-American at Arizona.

Such is the bloodline that Cheney brought to Irvine last year.

“I didn’t know about any of that when I started recruiting Andrew,” Irvine Coach Steve Clark said. “When he told me, it was like, ‘Your great-grandmother won what?’ Then I found out about Dodo and Brian and I thought that was real unique.”

It’s merely all in the family for Cheney, at least his family.

“It’s a lot of fun because everyone in my family plays,” Cheney said. “But it seems like each generation there is only one who plays seriously.”

Cheney carries that torch for Generation X.

He and Irvine teammate Thomas Bohun rolled through the field before losing to UC Santa Barbara’s Ross Duncan and Corey Guy in the final at the Los Angeles Tennis Club. It was hardly a surprise. Cheney, after all, was ranked No. 4 in the nation as a doubles player in junior tennis two years ago.

But to Clark, Cheney’s appeal went beyond raw talent.

“There are a lot of guys who are top 10 or top 20 players, but they have no desire,” Clark said. “Andrew is a worker. He’s the type who says, ‘Hit me a few more balls,’ or ‘Coach, can you work with me before practice.’ He just wants to get better.”

The improvement is noticeable. A year ago, Cheney came to Irvine and was immediately put in his place. He learned that tennis on the collegiate level is a lot more intense than the junior circuit.

“It’s a different caliber of tennis,” said Cheney, who played at Chandler (Ariz.) Dobson High School. “The first week, I had a challenge match with Bohun, who was also a freshman. He beat me, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. I came in thinking I was a decent player and that match made me realize I had a lot to learn.”

Cheney, the Anteaters’ No. 5 singles player, competed in his first tournament at 9, but he had grown up with the sport. His father was a club professional and would bring Cheney to work. The family also had a grass court in the backyard. Playing seemed more natural than forced. It was what his family did.

In 1905, May Sutton was the first American to win Wimbledon. She captured the title again two years later.

At last count, Dodo Cheney, 80, has won a record 275 USTA titles, according to her grandson.

Brian Cheney played briefly on the tour, including Wimbledon, during a time when the money for young players wasn’t readily available. He quit the tour after starting a family. He did, though, play team tennis for the Phoenix Rockets from 1977-79.

Andrew Cheney followed in those footsteps but never felt pushed down that path. Even with the family tree looming over his shoulder at the Los Angeles Tennis Club.

“Actually, it was really inspiring to see those photos,” Cheney said.

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Baker’s Square 1: Picking up the pieces after Saturday’s debacle against Cal State Fullerton is easy, at least to men’s basketball Coach Rod Baker.

Baker said, “We’re back to Square 1,” after the Anteaters were routed by the Titans, 89-57. Yet, Monday, things looked a little better to him.

“We didn’t go into practice [Monday] as if the sky is falling,” Baker said. “I would be hard pressed to find a greater significance in Saturday’s loss than any other of our losses.

“It was a step backward, but we haven’t fallen off the horizon.”

Only because the world isn’t flat.

The Anteaters played much like they did in December, with unforced turnovers, poor shot selection and several defensive letdowns. They had avoided all those mistakes in a 76-74 overtime victory over Nevada on Thursday.

In that game, Irvine committed seven turnovers in the first half, leading Baker to say, “If we had seven turnovers earlier this season, it would have been called a big breakthrough. You would have thought we found a cure for cancer.”

Turned out to be only a placebo. Irvine had 17 turnovers in the first half against Fullerton.

Said Baker: “We will approach this week like always. We have games on Thursday and Saturday that we have to win.”

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Title Town? Twice this season, Baker has said the team’s goal was to win the Big West Conference.

After losing by 33 points to San Francisco, Baker said of his team’s 0-9 start, “If we win the conference, who is going to care if we’re 16-9?”

After the Nevada victory, he said, “Getting one win is not our goal here. We want to win the conference.”

A noble goal. On Monday, a little reality took hold.

“[Nevada] was big because it was our first victory,” Baker said. “But it was one victory. No matter how much we tried, I don’t think we were going to be able to run the table.”

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On the bright side, freshman center Andrew Carlson has improved to the point where he is occasionally a force during games. In back-to-back possessions against Fullerton, he turned offensive rebounds into three-point plays. It kept the Anteaters from an early collapse, cutting a 18-10 deficit to 18-16.

Carlson finished with nine points and six rebounds.

“Andrew is still a young player,” Baker said. “He has a lot of growing to do. So it’s those glimpses, where he gets rebounds in bunches and scores points in bunches, that let you know he is going to be a good player.”

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Michael Mucino, the soccer team’s leading scorer last season, has been included in the pool for the United States’ under-20 team. He is one of 29 players who are competing for a spot on the 18-man team that will play in the World Championships in Malaysia in June. Mucino scored 10 goals for the Anteaters last season.