Terrance Whitehurst
I first reported on Terrance and Terrell Whitehurst back in 2010 when the twin tennis sensations were just beginning their freshman year in high school and were playing in the Boys 14s with a ranking of #4 and #8 in the state and #41 and #46 in the country, respectively.
Four years later and I am happy to report that the boys will soon don the colors of garnet and gold having officially accepted scholarships on October 1 to play at Florida State University. Terrance comes in as a five-star recruit, ending the 2013 season with a ranking of #1 in the 18s in Florida and #14 in the country in tennis recruiting. His highest ranking to date has been #300 in the world.
Terrell comes in as a blue chip recruit with a ranking of #3 in the 18s in Florida and #63 in the country in tennis recruiting. In doubles, the boys are currently the highest ranked team in the state and, as such, should contribute to the Seminole squad in the upcoming spring season. With their commitments alone, Florida State is currently ranked #21 in recruiting this year.
The twin’s journey to this point has not been without hard work and countless sacrifices. A typical day for them has involved getting up at 5:30 am for strength and training sessions followed by hours of school work through Florida Virtual School, intense training workouts on the court, not to mention a rigorous tournament schedule to fulfill in order to maintain their rankings.
The twins attribute a lot of their success to their two coaches: Nick Crowell, Associate Head Coach at FSU and Coach of Seminole High Performance Tennis and Morris Brown of Boca Raton. Nick has been working hard with the boys over the past five years and was very instrumental in recruiting them to play at FSU. The twins credit Nick with their choice to play at FSU due to his loyalty, dedication, and professionalism.
Terrell Whitehurst
Morris has been working with the boys in the past couple of years about every 4-6 weeks and has had to rely on the use of a lot of video due to logistical challenges.
In addition to their coaches, the twin’s parents, Tony and Dawn, have made it their primary goal to keep the boys well grounded and on top of their studies despite their hectic on-court regimen. Tony continues to make certain that the boys are adequately prepared for tournament play, while Dawn watches as many matches as her busy work schedule will allow.
The twins will soon need the assistance of their coaches and parents as they prepare for a very demanding schedule in November, playing in three USTA Pro circuit events.
For now, Seminole fans, including myself, will have to wait until the upcoming spring season to watch and root for Terrance and Terrell as they try and play to help lift the Noles to what I hope will be a collegiate high ranking. Go Noles!!!!
