With 30 percent of Ball State University men's tennis players coming from Puerto Rico, Cardinals' coach Bill Richards has made use of the country's talent pool.
Tuesday, Richards announced the signing of yet another Puerto Rican recruit, Eduardo Pavia from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Playing in the United States Tennis Association, Pavia is ranked as the No. 1 player in Puerto Rico according to tennisrecruiting.net and has climbed as high as No. 42 in the United States in 2007.
Richards said he's excited to sign a player of Pavia's caliber.
"He's definitely one of the better recruits we've had in recent years, at least on paper," Richards said. "I'm always cautious to say that about recruits because they have to prove their worth once they get here. But I've seen him play a lot and he certainly has talent."
The other three Puerto Rican players on the Cardinals' roster are sophomores Jose Perdomo and Jorge Rodriguez and junior Daniel Vidal. Pavia said the wealth of Puerto Rican talent on the club was one of the major factors in his decision to become a Cardinal.
"I felt comfortable with the team when I visited the campus," Pavia said. "That was one of my main reasons I decided to go to Ball State. I talked with [the Puerto Rican players] when I visited and I got along with them well."
Pavia's affiliation with the USTA brought him to the United States for several tennis tournaments. Richards said he expects it to be relatively easy for Pavia to adjust to the American culture because of the amount of times he's been in the country for tennis purposes.
"It is a little more difficult for players who are from foreign countries to adjust," Richards said. "But Puerto Rico is a United States holding and Eduardo has played in the states a lot as far as events go. So I don't think it will be too much different than if a guy was coming from California or the West Coast."
Once Pavia arrives at Ball State next season, his game should override any nerves of being in a new environment, he said. The last two years, Pavia compiled a 40-12 record in the USTA.
"I'm very confident in my game," Pavia said. "I've played in a lot of tournaments and I'm very excited to start my college career."
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