Boys Tennis Player of the Year: Wheeler's Ha gets the last laugh

Consistency is a trait that is sought after and wanted in athletes. Athletes with consistency produce day in and day out, not only for themselves but for their teammates as well.

A player who showed consistency and leadership throughout the year was Wheeler's Kile Ha, who was named the 2022 Cobb County Boys Tennis Player of the Year by the county's coaches.

“It means a lot because it shows the hard work that I put in, and the work I put in as being a leader on the court,” Ha said.

Wheeler had a good start to the season as it defeated North Cobb with a 4-1 win. Then, the Wildcats competed in the Warrior Invitational, where they defeated Lowndes, Kennesaw Mountain and Alpharetta, winning each match 3-0.

“He has an incredible work ethic and he's an intense player, but, at the same time, he's a calm player. He sees through the shots,” Wheeler coach Nicole Ice said of Ha. “He doesn't get agitated too bad and he is pretty good about working through whatever's going on in the court. He really sticks to it and doesn't quit.”

Ha had a good showing at the Warrior Invitational, winning his singles matches and following his quintessential routine.

“Some people listen to music, but I stay in complete silence and am good to go,” Ha said.

The routine worked throughout the season as Ha suffered only one loss in Region 6AAAAAA play and propelled Wheeler to the region final against Pope.

“Our toughest match was against Pope," Ha said. "They've been our rivals since I came into the school, and the first time we played, we managed to beat them. We met in the region final. We lost, but we learned a lot from it.”

Ha played every match this season and credited the importance of physical and mental health to his ability to stay healthy on the court.

“Physically, you have to make sure you're always in shape so that you're not injured. You have to stretch, you've got to hydrate before and after matches,” Ha said. “Mentally, what I do after every match is journal what happens to make sure that I'm always learning. And then I always feel mentally prepared to go back out on the court again.”

Wheeler's season continued into the state playoffs as it swept Winder-Barrow in the first round. In the second round against Lakeside-DeKalb, the Wildcats fell into a 0-2 deficit, then rallied with singles wins from Ha and Joe Thottungal to tie the match before ultimately dropping the decisive point.

“He knows how to play the game, and he's a very intelligent player,” Ice said. “He can easily identify anything he needs to correct himself. He has all the shots and thinks intelligently through the game and how he wants to play.”

Now, Ha has his sights set on what is to come.

“For the future, I see us going further in state and winning region," he said. "I'm definitely looking to increase my (Universal Tennis Rating), increase my rankings. am looking to lead the team more and step into a bigger leadership position. Hopefully, in the next coming years, I can help some of the incoming freshmen and newer players to feel more involved.”