College Commitment Fall Signing Week '09: Katz Chooses the Quakers by
Ali Jones, 13 November 2009
Tennis guru Rick Macci calls his pupil's hands "some of the best hands I have seen in 25 years."
"He is a magician at times," Macci said.
Macci, of course, has seen the hands of tennis' brightest stars, including players with marquee names as Williams, Roddick, Sharapova, Pierce and Capriati. But the magician he refers to is not any one of these athletes.
Macci is describing Zachary Katz, five-star recruit from Boca Raton, ranked 8th in Florida and national high of 52.
After finishing up his senior year at St. Andrew's School, Zach will pack his tennis racquets and head East to play for the Pennsylvania Quakers.
"Penn is a great fit because Zach is very bright and will get a super education," Macci said. "He can be a top Ivy League singles and doubles player right away."
Zach, with that golden touch, describes his style of play all-around. His greatest attribute is his ability to mount sneak attacks up at the net and to make "my opponent feel uncomfortable."
He wanted to play Division 1 tennis, but also in the Ivy League. Penn, whose creation was guided by Ben Franklin's vision "to prepare students for lives of business and public service," was the perfect choice.
"I loved the campus, and being close to a big city was very important to me," the 5'11" athlete said. "I also liked what they were doing with their program, with the future facilities that they are building and the progress the team is making. Attending such a great school, as well as the possibility of enrolling in the world's best business school, lured me to Penn. Most importantly, I really liked the guys on the team, and Coach DeVore and Coach Cohen both really made me feel welcome."
