Glass tennis team rallies in memory of Nelson James

It’s been a season of healing and restoration for E.C. Glass’ boys tennis team, playing in memory and in the competitive spirit of Nelson James.

The former three-sport athlete and No. 3-seeded singles player, who died in a Sept. 27 car crash that also seriously injured fellow senior George Gianakos, left a void in the Hilltoppers’ lineup and in their collective hearts and minds.

“It was obviously a hard hit for the team and for everyone here at Glass,” Hilltoppers first-year coach Tim Matthews said. “We started off this season just wanting to dedicate the entire season to Nelson. I told the guys since the very beginning, we definitely want to play with his passion, play with his aggression, and that’s what we’ve attempted to do this season.”

That common focus and purpose has bonded the team together as tightly as brothers this spring, as the reigning Western Valley District champions head into today’s Northwest Region team semifinal at Gar-Field.

“Nelson definitely had a lot of passion on the court and he’s definitely a huge inspiration,” said Gianakos, a four-year starter at No. 1 singles and doubles. “We’re not forgetting at all about Nelson. I think about him every match I play.”

Fittingly, Nelson’s younger brother John James, a sophomore first-year starter at No. 4 singles who also teams with Patrick Brown at No. 2 doubles, has filled the void to some degree, living out his brother’s legacy.

“He has the same drive, I think,” Matthews said of John. “(Nelson was) a great leader on the team and he brought a lot of personality on the team. He was a heckuva guy to have around.

“(John brings) a lot of the same characteristics — same personality, same leadership ability and same ability to prove himself on the court, and just a great personality.”

“You can’t fill Nelson’s shoes,” added Jill Murray, Glass’ girls coach and director of tennis. “(But) having John on the team has been an inspiration there also. He’s an athlete just like Nelson was and plays with a lot of the same qualities that Nelson did. He’s amazing.”

John caught his classmates off guard one morning when he came to school driving Nelson’s Toyota 4Runner, which wasn’t involved in the accident.

“I remember the day that John got his license and he drove in in Nelson’s car,” Murray said. “The girls were kind of like, ‘John’s driving Nelson’s car.’”

But it was perfectly appropriate.

“Everybody thinks I have close to the exact same personality that he has,” John James said. “Some people are reluctant to see me out there because I’m so much like him, but they’re really happy to see me riding around in his car.”

Gianakos has made a remarkable recovery from the accident, which broke his left ankle and his left, non-swinging, wrist. He is now playing at nearly the same level if not better than he was as a junior, despite sitting out the entire winter indoor season of tournament play and nearly the entire preseason of conditioning.

“He really didn’t have that much of an offseason at all,” No. 1 doubles partner and No. 2 singles player Derek Gale said. “He literally just had to start picking up his racket and getting out here. Everything he’s done since he’s come back out is just trying to get back to last year and I think now, he’s finally starting to get everything clicking and playing really well.”

His lateral mobility is back, though he still feels the wrist injury when hitting his patented two-handed backhand.

“It was harder to hit a backhand at the beginning of the season because my wrist was very weak,” said Gianakos, who will attend UVa next year but doesn’t plan to play tennis for the Cavaliers. “I’m pretty much fully back right now. Nothing’s really bothering me.”

“It was a little struggle for him to begin with, and now I think he’s coming back into his own and playing a little bit more like he was playing last year,” Murray added. “It’s a good time to do it, a great time to do it.”

Gianakos qualified for the Group AAA individual singles state tournament on Monday and teamed with Gale on Tuesday to defend his Northwest Region individual doubles title and advance to the state doubles tournament.

Today at 2 p.m., Gianakos and the Hilltoppers will attempt to earn a return trip to the Group AAA team tournament with a win at Gar-Field, the Commonwealth District runner-up.

“I think he could definitely make some noise at state if he keeps this up as well as he’s playing,” Gale said. “Individually, team, doubles team, it should be good. I’m looking forward to it.”

“We’re more than excited,” James added of today’s match at Gar-Field. “Definitely. We’ve gotten our match toughness in, playing matches throughout the season built us up mentally, and we’re playing our best tennis right now, especially George.”

“He’s, by far and away, unbelievable,” Gale added. “I’m just out there trying to help him through this. I’m there trying to help him win.”

Murray, who has watched Gianakos develop throughout his career, was particularly in awe of his accomplishments in this week’s Northwest Region individual tournament.

“Seeing what George has been able to do after seeing him that morning (Sept. 28) in the hospital to being able to play two straight days of three matches per day, it’s an amazing thing,” she said. “We really didn’t know to what capacity we’d have George back. And it’s, not a miracle, I guess, but it’s a great thing that he’s got the mindset to do it and the physical ability.”

Gianakos has had to overcome emotional as well as physical wounds, dealing with the loss of one of his closest teammates and best friends.

“Knowing that they fought over who was going to sit in the front seat, and he got the back seat, having to deal with that on a day-to-day basis is unreal,” Murray said.

“We’re extremely proud of George, to have to overcome so much and as a player to come through,” Matthews added. “He’s George — extremely cool under pressure, and just his ability to not show his emotions on the court.”

John James, meanwhile, has received a tremendous outpouring of support from his teammates and classmates.

“The whole senior class has adopted him,” Murray said. “All of Nelson’s friends have now kept John under their wing.”

He has helped them deal with the tragedy as much as they have helped him move on without his brother.

“First of all, it was a huge loss to our team,” John James said. “For us to understand our losses and be able to do the best we could with what we had was the goal. We knew we wouldn’t be as successful or as happy as a team as we would be with Nelson there, but we tried to carry on and persevere through it.”

The Hilltoppers have surprised themselves with the success they’ve achieved on the hardcourts.

“We’ve had a very remarkable season and it was not very expected,” James said. “We’re playing a lot better than we thought we’d be. (Nelson’s legacy has) motivated us to try harder, work harder.”

“These boys have taken care of business on the court and they’ve done so with good sportsmanship and hard-driving tennis,” Murray added. “I think a lot of that is owed to Nelson’s memory.”

Glass is in the process of building a terrace overlooking its 12-court tennis center, complete with a pavilion and a plaque in tribute to Nelson.

“Nelson’s initials are ENJ,” Murray said, noting his first name was Edwin. “So on the bottom of the plaque, it’ll say ‘ENJOY,’ to kind of personify his life and the fact that we will always remember Nelson and he will be part of the tennis program here forever.”