Potvin to play for Yellow Jackets Hampden star gets scholarship

HAMPDEN – Eliot Potvin has established himself as one of the top junior tennis players in the country, and he’ll soon get a chance to continue developing his game at the Atlantic Coast Conference level.

Potvin, the two-time defending state singles champion from Hampden Academy, recently signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Georgia Tech in Atlanta beginning in the fall of 2007. He will join a Yellow Jackets tennis program that traditionally ranks in or near the top 25 in NCAA Division I.

“Eliot is very athletic and talented and has a strong all-around game with an incredible amount of potential,” said Georgia Tech coach Kenny Thorne. “He has become a top player in the U.S. with limited training opportunities.”

Potvin made his official visit to Georgia Tech in early September, the same weekend the Yellow Jackets’ football team hosted Notre Dame.

“I had met the coaches during the summer, and Georgia Tech has one of the best coaching staffs in the country,” said Potvin. “That definitely affected my decision.

“When I met the guys on the team, I liked them, and the ACC is the toughest conference for tennis. That was also an up side.”

Potvin was recruited by numerous Division I programs and also considered attending Wisconsin, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Virginia before deciding on Georgia Tech.

Potvin will forego his senior season of tennis at Hampden Academy. He currently spends much of the week living and training at Bosse Sports, a tennis center located in Sudbury, Mass., as well as playing in top junior and international tournaments around the country.

Potvin said his training regimen includes three days a week in which four hours is devoted to tennis along with 21/2 hours of off-court training and two days a week with 21/2 hours of tennis and one hour of off-court training.

He has played tournaments in South Carolina and Kentucky this fall along with two of his training partners, top junior players from India and South Africa. That tournament schedule increases soon with the start of the indoor season.

“The coaches at Georgia Tech want me to play a lot of tournaments,” said Potvin, “because I haven’t had as much tournament experience and match experience as a lot of the other guys.”

He also is taking the final English course he needs from Hampden Academy to graduate with his senior class next spring as well as taking online courses in physics and advance placement calculus.

“It’s working out really well,” said the 17-year-old son of Paul and Connie Potvin of Hampden. “I’ve gotten a lot physically stronger, and I’m in a lot better shape physically, that’s been one of the biggest benefits. I’ve really improved my court coverage.”

Potvin went undefeated during his final two seasons of high school competition after placing second in the state as a freshman.

Last spring he overcame partially torn tendons in his left wrist – which forced the righthander to hit a one-handed backhand instead of his typical two-hander – to cruise through the state singles tournament without losing a set.

Potvin became the first two-time boys state champion since Ian Robinson of Brewer won in 2001 and 2003, and the first boys player to win back-to-back titles since Eric Blakeman of North Yarmouth Academy won four straight from 1987 through 1990.

He also has established himself as one of the top junior players in New England and beyond, with current national rankings of third in New England and 38th nationally, according to the Tennis Recruiting Network.

Potvin is one of two scholarship players recruited to Georgia Tech for next year. He will be joined by Ryan Smith of Marietta, Ga., the No. 2 player in that state and 44th in the national rankings.