DALLAS (SMU) – On Wednesday, SMU men's tennis announced the signing of six new highly-sought-after commitments. The first class under head coach Grant Chen includes some of the top names in the 2019 class with the six coming from all parts of the country. Both Huntley Allen and Eddie Ross from South Carolina will be joining the squad in January, while the rest of class is set to begin their SMU careers in the fall of 2019.

"Today is a great day for these six recruits and for SMU tennis. I could not be more proud and more excited about our very first recruiting class at SMU," said head coach Grant Chen. "For us to bring in six Americans from around the country is really exciting for our program and the direction we are headed in. We have two that will be joining us in January, Eddie Ross and Huntley Allen, both well rounded student-athletes from terrific families. And four who will be joining us next fall, Kyle Sillman from Manhattan Beach, Kyle Pham from Newport Beach, JJ Bianchi from Orlando and Jordi Redelijk from Windermere, Florida. This is an excellent recruiting class, and the future of this program is very bright."

 

SMU 2018 National Signing Day Class

Jordi Redelijk              Windermere, Fla.

Kyle Sillman                Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Kyle Pham                   Newport Beach, Calif.    

Eddie Ross                   Charleston, S. C.

Huntley Allen              Charleston, S. C.

Juan Jose Bianchi       Orlando, Fla.

 

HUNTLEY ALLEN

Huntley Allen's commitment to SMU gives the Mustangs one of the best players in the country and a five-star recruit. Allen has risen to 3^rd in his state and 55^th in the country according to TennisRecruiting.net. His ranking among his class has improved each of the last four years proving him to be a consistent riser with a high ceiling. Over the summer, Allen had an incredible performance at the Southern Close 18's Championship, winning the title without dropping a set. Huntley comes from a strong tennis background as his step father Randy Pate runs the Live To Play high performance tennis academy.

Chen on Allen

 "Huntley Allen, from Charleston, South Carolina, will be joining our team in January 2019 and will be eligible and ready to play right away. This is going to be a huge impact player for us as he is going to have a significant presence in both singles and doubles. We are excited to have him join us. He's a well-rounded student (from the area) with a wonderful family. He's been training at the LTP academy and we're really excited to have him to join our program."

 

JORDI REDELIJK

Jordi Redelijk committed to SMU as the 12^th ranked player in the nation by Universal Tennis. A consensus five-star, Jordi jumped all over the opportunity to play at SMU as soon as the Mustangs hired Grant Chen, changing his plans and committing all his focus onto being a Mustang. Jordi boasts an 846 ranking in the International Tennis Ranking, one of two members of the SMU 2018 class who have risen to top-1000 world status (Bianchi 1000). Redelijk is the 74^th-ranked recruit in the nation as well as 18^th in the tennis hotbed of Florida in the latest TRN rankings. The rising senior has a UTR of 12.13. Recently in doubles play, Jordi made a run to the semifinals of the Newport Beach ITF Tournament and a quarterfinal run at the Grade 3 Costa Rica Bowl in doubles.

Feature on Jordi's SMU Committment

 https://www.tennisrecruiting.net/article.asp?id=275053087 
 

Chen on Jordi

 "I'm very proud to announce that Jordi Redelijk has committed and signed with SMU.  He had a great official visit and a few days later, he called and committed.  That was something very exhilarating. The team and I are over the moon to have him.  He comes from a long line of tennis family. Both his parents played in college.  He's going to be part of the future of this team.  He's going to be a tremendous asset for us.  I love his all-around game.  He's got a beautiful one-handed backhand and is someone that I know is going to absolutely take off in college and really be able to develop. So, I'm excited for Jordi Redelijk from Windermere to be part of our team next fall." 

EDDIE ROSS

Eddie Ross is a 3-star recruit from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina with a strong family connection to SMU Tennis. Ross has a UTR of 10.41 and his HEAD national ranking is 375; 105 in the southeast, and 13 in South Carolina according to TennisRecruiting.net.  He completed his senior year of high school at the International Connections Academy hosted at LTP Scholars/Randy Pate Tennis Academy in SC. Eddie's dad, Ed Ross, and his uncle, John Ross, were both standouts with SMU Tennis and even combined as doubles partners to achieve a national collegiate ranking of 15th.  His Uncle John was an All-American and a quarter-finalist in the NCAA singles tournament. With the Ross brothers, SMU Tennis had one of their strongest eras and made back-to back NCAA semifinals while also spending time as the top-ranked team in the nation.

Chen on Ross

 "SMU is all about family and Eddie Ross is one who belongs in the SMU family.  His father, Ed Ross, played here. His uncle, John Ross also played here and did some amazing things for the Mustangs.  So, we are really excited to have Eddie Ross. This is someone who has really worked on his game.  He graduated high school in the summer and spent the last fall training and working hard up at the LTP in Charleston working on his game and playing lots of ITF's.  He has really developed, and he will do a great job at SMU. I really look forward to working with him in the next few years."

KYLE PHAM

Kyle Pham comes to the SMU program after a standout career competing in one of the most tennis rich parts of the country. Pham does his training at Woodbridge Tennis Academy, coached by Chuck Brymer and Chris Lewis. Pham plays for Corona Del Mar High School, under head coach Jamie Gresh, where he helped the Sea Kings win CIF Southern California Regional title in 2016 and reach the quarterfinals in 2017 and 2018. Pham honors include 2018 Orange Country Dream Team and Player of the Year as well as 2018 Daily Pilot Tennis Player of the Year. He also reached finals of Yamasaki Level 2 doubles in 2017 and third place at National Level 3 in Las Vegas. A standout off the court as well, he helped create the SCTA court monitoring service that has benefited countless junior tennis players in Southern California. Pham has racked up just about every off the court award that is possible, forming a clear consensus of the quality of Pham's character.

Chen on Pham

 "Kyle Pham is another Southern California product who will be a joining our team and an NLI to play for SMU beginning in August.  Pham is a very well-rounded student athlete who has done exceptionally in academics.  He has represented Corona del Mar High School for four years to the utmost success.  They've done so many great things while Kyle was there.  I look forward to seeing him his senior year do some more wonderful things for Corona del Mar, and afterwards to take all of that from Newport Beach to the Hilltop."

KYLE SILLMAN

4-star recruit Kyle Sillman hails from Manahattan Beach, Calif. He attended Mira Costa High School where he led his team to the final four the State Regionals, uncharted territory for the program competing in the Division 1 playoff. Kyle anchored the No. 1 doubles line for the impressive program. Kyle boasts a HEAD national ranking of 163, 45^th in the Southwest, and 40^th in California. Kyle won the ITA Summer Circuit doubles titles title event in Dallas back in July with current team member, Michael Smith.  Kyle was Coach Grant Chen's first recruit to commit since coach joined SMU.  Kyle is a powerful right-handed player with success in both singles in doubles as he combined to win many Bay League titles in doubles. Sillman also boasts championships at the High School Bay League Doubles and the CIF USTA SoCal Championships. He was also a finalist at the L2 National Consolation and So Cal Sectionals Doubles. 

Chen on Kyle Sillman

"I'm so excited to be able to add a player like Kyle.  This is a young man I've known for many, many years, being a SoCal kid from Los Angeles. I've been able to see him grow and mature and develop his game over the last 10 years.  I'm so excited to have him join our program here in Dallas.  He comes from a great family and really looking forward to seeing his game blossom.   He will be a true asset in singles and doubles and is going to do a terrific job for us."

JUAN BIANCHI

Juan Jose Bianchi is a 4-star recruit from Ocoee, Florida.  Standing at 6-1, Bianchi has a current national ranking of 118 with a southeast ranking of 37. He is the 24^th-ranked player in the state of Florida. Bianchi has earned his fair share of accolades during his career, including being named Athlete of the Year by Spectrum in 2017 and while also earning Orlando Sentinel Athlete of the Year in 2017. Last season, Bianchi went 18-1 in singles for Olympia High School as their team captain. Bianchi anchored the squad that earned a regional championship in 2018 making it all the way to the quarterfinals at Florida's highest level of competition. Bianchi also finished third at Florida State Class 4A tournament in 2017. His father, Juan Carlos played college tennis and also represented Venezuela in the Davis Cup.

Chen on Juan Bianchhi

"JJ really rounds out this spectacular class. Not only does he have an impressive academic resume, he has tremendous tennis upside with his strong athletic frame. Our team felt an immediate connection with him when he came on his official visit and he will fit seamlessly with our program. He possesses a huge aggressive all-court game built around his one-handed backhand. He is very dangerous in doubles and I really look forward to see him flourish in college.

Chen's Final Thoughts

"In closing, to be able to bring in and sign six recruits on November 14, is something our program and coaching staff to be really proud of.  To bring in two 5-Star, three 4-Star and a 3-Star and to be able to have them all contribute and making immediate impacts in the program is great. They will be joining a young roster that currently only has one senior. The future is very bright and we really look forward to the direction we are going as a team.  I can't wait for all 6 of them to join us here at the Hilltop and be part of the Mustang program for years to come."'

The Mustangs begin the fall season on Jan. 17 in double-header action against Prairie View A&M.