A resurgence of tennis at Hillside High School

Photograph: Irwin R. Holmes (center) with left to right: Craig Page, Rep. Larry Hall, Ulis Malloy, Dennis Corbitt, Bonnie Logan, Joe Austin, Mike Spears, Ivan Harrell and coach Ike Barnes.-COURTESY OF IRWIN HOLME

A resurgence of tennis at Hillside High School
N&O BY BONITTA BEST-JUNE 20, 2016

Hillside High boys’ tennis coach Ike Barnes stopped by the office last week to discuss the future of the program.

But before you know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been, as the saying goes. Barnes brought home that fact with some fascinating tidbits of Hillside’s tennis legacy.

Tennis legends Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson played in Durham tournaments, and the first North Carolina Black High School State tennis championship was won by Hillside in 1953. Student Joe Alston won the singles’ title that year.

“Those who love tennis and appreciate its rich history in Durham recognize that Durham was always at the forefront for attracting tennis legends such as Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe to the area for tournaments,” he said.

Under the leadership of tennis coach Carl Easterling, Hillside was the Serena Williams of tennis in those days.

Other Hillside champions over the years includes Richard Malloy, Charlie Brown, Irwin Holmes, Joe Williams, Mike Ruffin, Bonnie Logan and John Lucas Jr.

Holmes was the first African-American to attend North Carolina State University. He earned a spot on the Wolfpack tennis team and was even team captain.
Hillside and North Carolina Central alumnus Joe Williams was the 1963 NCAA singles tennis champion.

Girls had game, too.

Logan was undefeated in singles for three years as the National Interscholastic Girls champion. As a Morgan State University freshman, she was ranked No. 1 in singles and doubles from 1967-71, and was the first woman in conference history to win a CIAA men’s tennis title!

Logan had a phenomenal career:

▪ North Carolina State Closed Tennis women’s champion (1967, ’69),

▪ American Tennis Association women’s black national champion (1964-70), and

▪ the first black woman to play on the Virginia Slims Tennis Tour (1972-73).

Integration brought another tennis phenom named John Lucas Jr..

Lucas went undefeated in three seasons at Hillside en route to winning three straight North Carolina High School Athletic Association state singles championships from 1970 through 72. He went on to become a star tennis and basketball player at the University of Maryland, where he was a two-time ACC tennis champion and basketball All-American.

The era produced other such notable Hillside tennis alumni such as attorney Curtis Brown, a former F-16 pilot; Dr. Benjamin Page; U.S. Navy Commander Alfred Brown; professional tennis player Dennis Corbitt; District Court Judge Drew Marsh; and many more.

Barnes said he’s looking to add more names to the Hornets’ tennis legacy.

“The success of past Hillside tennis players and the program serves as inspiration for the future,” he said. “The future generation looks very good. Equally impressive is the GPA for all the current crop of tennis athletes playing at Hillside.

“The spirit of coach Easterling and the Hillside legends of tennis would love to see the resurgence of the high-caliber program, as well as witness the principals and traditions recaptured that became legendary.”

Source:https://www.newsobserver.com/.../dn.../article84886787.html