Dynasty
What else do you call Punahou’s national record-breaking run of 20 consecutive state tennis titles, 17 under coach Rusty Komori? And he coaches with just two team rules: listening and lateness
By Chad Pata
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development? How can other pros add to it? It’s hard for one pro to be there all the time. If we all share this philosophy then all the players can flourish.”
Once the physical work-out for the day is done, he likes to leave players with championship thoughts such as “Challenges make life interesting, overcoming them makes life meaningful.” And this one from Arthur Ashe: “You never play an opponent, you are playing yourself and your own highest standards.”
Ashe’s words ring especially true with Komori as he has to remotivate himself every year to stay hungry and keep the streak alive.
“Every year it seems like someone is saying, ‘You have to beat this record or that record,’” says Komori, who passed Cal Lee’s record two years ago for the most consecutive state championships. “It’s a lot of pressure, but only you can give yourself pressure and you can feed on it, channel it - and suddenly it becomes exciting.”
Upon winning its 20th straight title this spring, Punahou officially passed a high school in Colorado for the longest streak in the nation. But even with all the success, there are still matches lost, and Komori always examines them against his own litmus test.
“When we do lose an individual match, I look at two things: the player’s attitude and their effort,” says Komori. “I want to see a great attitude and I want a 1,000 percent effort. If my players go out there and they do those two things and they get beat, then as a coach I can’t expect anything else, and I am proud of them. But if they lack in either area, then that’s when it is unacceptable.”
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No one exists above that standard. Each year all 12 spots are open to the best 12 players who prove it on the court. Seniority and tenure mean nothing in the Komori program.
“If I’m a freshman and I am good enough to be on the team, why should I be denied the experience?” says Komori. “It means a lot to the players because you have to really earn it. It’s up to you as an individual to be as good as you want to be.”
Once on the team, players can’t expect undue praise or criticism, for Komori has found neither to be productive when a player is in the heat of battle.
“They realize I don’t give good or bad feedback. I give honest feedback, and when I do that they hear me more in the pressure situations,” says Komori. “They know I am not just telling them what they want to hear, but what is going to allow them to perform at their best at that moment.”
Unfortunately for high school tennis, the pressure is not just on the courts these days. The cutbacks in public high school athletic budgets have reduced the number of participants from four individual players to three, and four doubles teams to three from each school.
Even more punitive is the size of the field for the state championship, which has been sliced from 64 to 32.
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“That’s half the students getting to experience the most pressured tournament of the year,” says Komori. “You can play all the other tournaments you want, but it’s not the same feeling as a state championship.”
But Komori keeps the faith, believing in another of his adages: “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” He currently is keeping his team at 12 players despite the restrictions on participation, hoping for the state’s eventual economic recovery.
“I want them to have the best experience possible,” says Komori. “Participation is the biggest thing. That’s why we still have 12 players on the team.”
So the team marches on with expectations of bringing home another trophy for that overcrowded mantel, and while Komori appreciates the accolades he has received, he readily acknowledges that these records do not belong to him.
“They belong to the school, the students, their parents and everyone involved,” says Komori before giving a nod to his longtime assistant David Lam.
“I’ve always said the secret to being a good doubles player is getting a good doubles partner. Same with coaching. If you want to be a great coach, have a great assistant coach, and I have one in David.”
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