Commitment Profile
Countdown: Husky fan Barnhart joins his Dream Team
by
Ali Jones, 5 April 2012
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Hudson Barnhart had long wanted to be part of Coach Matt Anger's Washington Huskies squad, and in the fall signing season, Barnhart finally fulfilled that goal and became the first U-Dub signee for 2012-13.
"I really didn't look much elsewhere," said the five-star recruit from Wenatchee, Washington. "When I was young I always wanted to go there. It's a lot of relief and really exciting [to sign]."
The incoming Husky enumerated very specific reasons for his choice: the business school (which he plans to attend) is outstanding, the tennis program is amazing, both coaches (Anger and Chris Russell) are world-class, the facilities are incredible, and he knows many of the team members (he will be among his fellow Washingtonians Max Manthou, Emmett Egger, Nicholas Kamisar and Dragos Puscalau).
Another key factor for Barnhart, who has spent his tennis-training years away from home, is that Seattle is only a 2.5-hour drive away from his family.
"I'm from a pretty small town and there's really no one here for me to play with," he said. "If I want to compete at the level I want, I had to travel. That's what I've been doing for the past five years."
When Barnhart was in eighth grade, he moved to Sacramento, California, to board at Gorin Tennis Academy, which had 12 full-time boarding students. He saw his family four times that year.
"It was tough moving, but I knew what I was getting into, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy," he said. "Like I said, I wanted to be the best at tennis, and I knew I couldn't do it where I was living. I had to go somewhere and make that sacrifice."
But if he had to do it again, he wouldn't change a thing.
