Commitment Announcement
Fall Signing Week '15: Hady Habib Heads to Texas A&M
by James Hill, 11 November 2015
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Hady Habib, a Blue Chip Recruit, plans to become a member of the Texas A&M University men's tennis team.
Habib, who hails from Houston, is ranked fourth nationally in the Head Class Rankings and No. 1 in Texas. The 17-year-old Habib also is sporting an RPI of 91, and he holds a No. 102 ranking on the ITF boys list. His highest ranking in the ITF has been No. 77.
All the numbers aside, Habib is regarded as a scrappy and tenacious tennis player who will bring explosive energy to Aggieland in College Station, Texas. Habib also considered rival schools Baylor University and the University of Texas, but he decided on becoming an Aggie after speaking with A&M head coach Steve Denton.
"I trust that coach Denton, a former pro player, can be a great coach for me," Habib said. "I chose A&M because of the conversation I had with him. We talked about where he sees me in the future and how I can develop as a tennis player. I hope to win as many matches as possible to get my team closer to a championship. I also wanted to attend a Texas college near my hometown."
Denton earned All-America honors at Texas in 1978. He won the U.S. Open Doubles Championship and went on to capture 20 pro doubles titles. Denton was ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in doubles and 11th in singles. In 2006, Denton was appointed head coach at A&M. This past May, the Aggies advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the second time in school history and finished fifth in the Oracle/ITA rankings. Denton's top assistant is Bob McKinley, a former Trinity University All-American and coach.
Habib gained invaluable international experience last July - in the Davis Cup, no less! He was a member of Lebanon's team in the Group II Asia/Oceana Relegation Play-Off, held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The host nation won the overall match 3-2, but Habib made his presence known. He went 2-1 overall, including a five-set singles win over Sharmal Dissanayake. Habib and Giovani Samaha also won a five-set doubles matchup over Harshana Godamanna and Dineshkanthan Thangarajah.
