“He’s a pretty laid-back guy,” Austin said. “I think he kind of keeps things loose. He’s, you know, sort of a quiet guy, but he’s always sort of in a good mood.”
“Chill, yeah, I’d probably use the word chill,” he repeated with a smile.
Rassow-Kantor, a junior, was not always a Badger. Two years ago, he was at Georgia Tech playing tennis for the Yellow Jackets. However, Rassow-Kantor had trouble making it through his freshman year.
“Mainly, I didn’t like the school as much,” Rassow-Kantor said. “Outside of (Georgia Tech’s tennis program), it wasn’t my type of school. At the end of (freshman) year, I wasn’t enjoying it that much.”
Rassow-Kantor is, in fact, very quiet. His voice is low and metered, adding to a humility visible when he shyly chuckles at questions about his best tennis attributes or what he thinks he brings to the team. Rassow-Kantor is also careful not to put down his former school, but there is conviction in his calm voice when asked what made Madison his final choice in the transfer.
“I like the campus a lot,” Rassow-Kantor said. “I like (Madison’s) big college-town feel. State Street was real cool, and then I met the team, the guys, and I thought they were a great bunch of guys, that I’d get along with them a lot.”
Rassow-Kantor is now part of a Badger team that has been moving up recently. Wisconsin, ranked No. 24 in the nation, just came off of two weekend victories against Michigan and Michigan State. Saturday the Badgers downed the Wolverines to a tune of 4-3, and Sunday the Spartans were steamrolled 6-1. Rassow-Kantor contributed in both wins, taking a doubles match from Michigan and Michigan State with his partner Michael Muskievicz.
“I think Luke’s a great doubles player,” UW men’s tennis head coach Greg Van Emburgh said. “He’s got a lot of potential in his singles game right now. He’s struggled a little bit as (of) late, but I think he’s going to regain his form real soon and (become) real strong.”
Van Emburgh said he first heard of Rassow-Kantor while the player was still a high school player in New England. Rassow-Kantor reached a ranking as high as No. 72 in the country in singles play and No. 54 in doubles. From there, Rassow-Kantor moved on to Georgia Tech, where he garnered a 7-12 doubles record and 14-17 singles record in his freshman season, the only season he spent at Tech.
“I got wind from one of Luke’s coaches that he was looking to transfer, and we were definitely interested in him,” Van Emburgh said. “I just showed him what we could do for him here, academically and athletically, and I though we’d be a real good fit.”
Dealing with a transferring athlete is not necessarily a tricky proposition, but Van Emburgh stressed it isn’t something college coaches actively seek out as a part of their overall recruitment plan.
“You don’t really look to recruit a transfer,” Van Emburgh said. “But, we looked into (Rassow-Kantor), and you always have to look into why the kid is unhappy and why do they want to transfer.”
Following his transfer, Rassow-Kantor improved his play in his first year as a Badger. His singles record leveled out at 13-13 overall, and his doubles record improved, and he finished the year off at a respectable 18-16, including an even 5-5 clip during Big Ten matches.
“It was pretty easy for Luke to (work well with his team) because he knew some of the players from juniors,” Austin said. “He’s really an easy guy to get along with; he’s so laid-back that it made the transition pretty easy.”
“We all get along great,” Rassow-Kantor said of his new team.
Aside from accomplishments in tennis at his second school, Rassow-Kantor is finding success in the classroom.
“Academically and as a person too, I think I’ve matured,” Rassow-Kantor said. “There are a lot of places to just go and relax. The people here with the academics, the tutors, are real helpful with the classes that are hard.”
Rassow-Kantor seems to have found a good fit in Madison and as a junior, he is looking to become a fixture next season. Although his singles play is still catching up to his doubles prowess, Van Emburgh asserted his belief in his former transfer.
“Luke’s a senior next year, so we’re looking for opportunities for him to continually step up,” Van Emburgh said. “He’s got a type of game that when he comes out, and when he’s really competitive and knows what he wants to do, he can play with some really good players.”
