OP_051018

40 | May 10, 2018 | The orland park prairie Sports
opprairie.com
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
10 Questions
BOYS TENNIS
Maratea for two: opposing coach and son enjoy tennis
with Joey Jenkot
Joey Jenkot is a senior swimmer/
water polo player who is heading
to Marquette next year.
Which sport do you like
better, swimming or water
polo?
I like swimming and water polo
both but for different reasons. I like
swimming because I like to race
and compete. But the practices are
brutal and the season feels like it
goes on forever. I like water polo
because of the team aspect. Everyone
needs to be working together
for the team to be successful and I
like the reliance on teammates. If
you’re lacking they can pick you
up, and vice versa
What goes on under the
water that people don’t see?
Under the water is the most brutal
part. There is so much punching,
kicking, grabbing, scratching,
and kneeing. There is times you
will get out of the pool with huge
gashes the length of you ribs.
What are you majoring in at
Marquette?
I will be majoring in engineering.
Why did you pick that?
Engineers have the ability to
build a new world, and I hope to
help build that.
Do you have a favorite
pregame pump-up song?
My favorite pregame song is
“Whatever it Takes” by Imagine
Dragons
JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
Do you have a hero, or
someone you look up to?
I have a few people I look up.
My brother (Jake) is currently a
Naval Flight Officer, and my father
(Jerry) is a retired police officer,
so they are role models to me.
Is there a movie you could
watch over and over without
getting bored with it? And
Why?
“Saving Private Ryan”. I love
World War II movies and this is
one of my favorites. It has a great
cast and story line. Also it has one
of the best battle scenes of all time
in the beginning.
Any superstitions?
Before most of my races I do
the same thing behind the blocks.
I would do jumping jacks and slap
my chest.
If you could have dinner with
anyone — living or dead —
who would it be with?
Definitely Ronald Reagan. He is
one of the greatest presidents that
the US has ever had and someone
I truly admire and would love to
hear speak.
If they made a movie about
your life, who should play
you?
Tom Hanks. He has some fantastic
films and I know he can do
the job.
Interview conducted by Sports Editor
Jeff Vorva
PHIL ARVIA, Freelance Reporter
For his 64th birthday, Mike
Maratea got a reprieve.
At least, that’s the way his oldest
son, Nick, felt about it.
“I was looking forward to giving
him a loss on his birthday,” Nick
Maratea, a Sandburg sophomore,
said of his father, the Andrew boys
tennis coach.
Nick was scheduled to play
No. 1 singles Thursday, May 3,
for the Eagles against his father’s
Thunderbolts, but a heavy shower
and more threatening skies forced
postponement of the match until
Monday, May 7, after this paper’s
deadline.
On Thursday, the family —
Mike, wife Julie, Nick and younger
brothers Luke, Jacob and Zack
— headed to Miller’s Ale House in
Orland Park for a celebratory dinner.
At least this way, everybody will
be happy at dinner.
“Last year was tough,” Mike
said. “Nick lost at No. 2, and we
lost to Sandburg.
“I’m hoping this year will be the
opposite — Nick wins at No. 1, we
win the match.”
Regardless, an Andrew/Sandburg
battle will be a special event
for many reasons. Like Mike,
Sandburg’s coach, Brian Ostrander,
is a Bremen High School graduate.
He played for Maratea’s Prairie
State Games squad in the early
‘90s, then got into coaching as an
assistant under Maratea at Mother
McAuley in 1994.
Maratea started in coaching in
1979 with the girls team at Oak
Forest, went from there to McAuley
in ’91, has coached the Andrew
girls since 2004 and picked up the
boys job in 2012. He also had a
stint as an assistant to Ostrander
(Mike’s brother, Dave, is now on
Ostrander’s staff) and is an assistant
at Moraine Valley.
“It’s always fun when Mike is
around,” Ostrander said. “He’s
very energetic — younger than his
years. It was very easy to gravitate
into what he was doing because it
looked like a lot of fun.”
Mike (left) and Nick Maratea share
a passion for tennis. Mike is
Andrew’s coach and Nick plays at
Sandburg. The Andrew/Sandburg
match scheduled for Thursday,
May 3 was postponed. JEFF
VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
Tennis has always been that for
Maratea, despite growing up in
Midlothian — not exactly a hotbed
of tennis in the 1960s. Or ever.
“I lived a half-block from the
tennis courts,” Maratea said. “We
were messing around there one
summer, and I found out I was better
than all my buddies.”
In 1971 and ’72, Maratea led the
only two state-qualifying teams in
Bremen history, winning the district
singles title both years. He
played one year, with eventual
touring pros Tim and Tom Gullickson,
at Northern Illinois.
“I had the fire in the belly,” Mike
said. “And I was patient.
“Nick’s technically a lot better
than me. I was just tougher.”
Nick took his lumps playing
mostly first singles on the Sandburg
varsity during his freshman
season. He’s bouncing between
doubles and singles this season,
but was slated early at No. 1 for
the Andrew match.
“That’s kind of a show of respect,”
Ostrander said before invoking
Mike’s nickname. “The
Wolf demands respect.”
Nick’s game is beginning to do
so as well.
“This is the first year Nick has
taken on an identity,” Ostrander
said. “He has really started to improve.
He’s gotten a lot more competitive.”
While Mike preferred a steady,
defensive style, Nick’s game is different.
“He tends to take a lot of risks,”
Mike said. “He’s got a big serve,
a great backhand...of course, ever
since he was 2, I was feeding him
backhands, because he could only
hold the racquet with two hands.
“His forehand needs work, and
he needs to learn patience.”
To the degree that a 16-year-old
can, Nick agreed with his father.
“He’s a lot wiser and calmer,”
Nick said. “I like to hit the ball
hard and get to the net. He’s more
about making the point.”
If he plays singles in Sandburg’s
own sectional later this month,
Nick would have a tough path to
the state tournament, given the top
four finishers in last year’s sectional
were underclassmen. The
doubles draw might be more open,
considering the state qualifiers last
season were two pairs of seniors.
“For this year, I hope to do well
in conference and sectional, but
it’s really hard to make it to state,”
he said. “Stagg and Marist are really
tough. But eventually, I want
to get to state.”
A member of the student council
who also played on the freshman
basketball team, Nick was unwilling
to concede Mike’s fire burns
hotter than his.
“Not at all,” he said. “I get really
angry.
“I’m just not exactly the same
as him. Back in the day, they did
things a little different.”
Granted, on-court behavior at
all levels has mellowed somewhat
since Ilie Nastase begat Jimmy
Connors begat John McEnroe.
And Mike conceded, given his
full-blooded Italian ancestry, “I get
a little animated.”
He wanted to keep that to a minimum
for the Sandburg match.
“I try to abide by the 100-foot
rule,” he said. “Nick says he hears
the small comments I make no
matter where I am.”
And Nick doesn’t mind.
“I’ve always loved tennis,” he
said. “I was always into it.
“That’s something me and my
dad share — a passion for tennis.”