By Joseph Staszewski
Eric Rebhuhn wouldn’t believe it until he saw it for himself.
The St. John’s men’s tennis coach was told by senior Erick Reyes over the summer that he would need to miss the entire fall season after surgery to remove nine benign cysts that were restricting his circulation, and take out veins from his legs.
“I really thought it was [rubbish],” Rebhuhn said. “But when he showed me what the doctor pulled out of his body, it was like these bloody muscular pieces that were preventing the circulation.”
Reyes played through it a year ago, despite risking his long-term health. He led the Red Storm to its first Big East men’s tennis title since 1991 and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. He and St. John’s repeated this season and visit No. 3-seeded Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament this Friday.
Reyes refused to let his teammates down and postponed dealing with the aliment. He described it as a time that could mentally break you, but one he had to push through.
“It was painful for me,” Reyes said. “I was suffering on the court trying to play. At the end I tried to do it. “
After doing so, he returned to his family in Bolivia and had a 4 1/2-hour surgery to fix the hereditary problem, which also afflicted his grandfather. Reyes was away from full tennis activities for five months and stressed how much he needed to be patient. The way he handled himself was a glimpse into the type of person he is.
“He has a world-class backhand and a world-class ability to fight when everything is down,” Rebhuhn said.
Reyes began this spring at second singles in hopes of easing himself back into the top spot. Lucas Hejhal has played so well that he’s stayed there, but that has in no way diminished the effect Reyes has had on the Red Storm’s success.
“He exudes leadership without any need to talk,” Rebhuhn said.
Reyes, who said he is battling a hip flexor problem, won his doubles match with partner Vaidik Munshaw and rallied to take his singles contest in comeback fashion (5-7, 6-3, 6-1) to seal St. John’s 4-2 win over Marquette in the Big East Championship match on April 26. He refused to miss any of his final collegiate matches and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
“To come back and win the title with the guys is really amazing,” Reyes said.
The foundation for his success was laid at a young age. Reyes, who will be 24 this June, began playing tennis when he was six years old. He came to the U.S. at 20 and first enrolled at Wichita State in Kansas. Reyes transferred to St. John’s for his junior season, looking for a fresh start to his career and a chance to experience life in the big city.
He is part of a very diverse roster for St. John’s. Munshaw is from India and Hejhal is from Austria. The Red Storm also features players from Curaçao, Spain and South Africa.
Reyes wants to end his career and his team’s season in a big way. It will be difficult for St. John’s to knock off Virginia in the NCAA tournament. Like Reyes, the Red Storm are going to give everything they have toward trying to do that.
“We are not just going to show up,” Reyes said. “We are going to play really hard. We know if we all play our best we can have a chance and it would be nice for me to play one of my last matches and have a victory with St. John’s.”
