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06/16/2016 12:00 AMZachary Zito was a tall kid even as a freshman at East Haven High School and so he was naturally a good fit to play for the Yellowjackets’ basketball team. It was Zachary’s involvement with the tennis program that surprised many of his peers, yet Zachary wound up enjoying that experience, too, throughout his four years at East Haven.
“My neighbor Anthony Perrotti was a big influence on me. He was a year older and played as a freshman. He was telling me how much fun tennis is,” says Zachary, who recently graduated from East Haven. “I figured, ‘Why not give it a try?’ and it was a great sport. I love playing and going to practice every day. That’s what made me better.”
Zachary saw some playing time with the varsity basketball squad in his freshman year. Zachary always played his heart out and that effort impressed both his teammates and the Yellowjackets’ coaching staff.
“My freshman year, I came in a little nervous and scared because I had big shoes to fill and didn’t know what to expect playing against a bunch of upperclassmen,” says Zachary. “I got more and more used to it, had a good game against Cross, and started against Branford. That really built my confidence up for the upcoming seasons.”
One person who’s had a big influence on Zachary in both of his sports is Rob Manghnani, who’s the current head coach of East Haven boys’ tennis and was also head coach of freshman basketball when Rob played for that team.
“You can’t teach a tennis player to be an athlete, but you can teach an athlete to be a tennis player. Without efforts from my past basketball guys such as Zachary, our program would be very hard-pressed to find participation numbers go up each year and also to even have enough guys to run a program,” says Manghnani. “I always ask them after our end-of-the-year meeting, ‘Did you guys ever think you would play high school tennis?’ They always answer, ‘No, but I am sure glad that I did.’”
Zachary’s freshman season with the tennis team marked the first time that he even held a racquet. Zachary quickly realized that the skill level required to succeed on the tennis court was much greater than he imagined.
“Freshman year was first time picking up a racquet. I definitely thought it’d be easier than it was. I mean, how hard could it be to hit a ball back and forth?” says Zachary. “It’s a lot more difficult to do it and there are so many different techniques. I was a little overwhelmed at first, but then it just came naturally after awhile.”
Zachary’s played both singles and doubles for East Haven, but feels that his skill set is better suited for singles play and Coach Manghnani agrees.
“Zito’s style is more of a baseline approach where he uses his patience and reach to consistently and effortlessly hit the ball deep into his opponent’s backcourt and taking chances at approaching in whenever is necessary to win the point,” says Manghnani. “Regardless of his opponent, Zito would utilize this tactic and was able to be a little more impactful this year.”
Zachary believes that one of the biggest reasons he succeeded in singles was because he was able to use his size to his advantage. Zachary was East Haven’s No. 3 singles player this season.
“I think when my opponents see a 6-foot-3 guy coming to the net, they’re intimidated,” he says. “I’m tall and they see my reach, so it’s hard for them to place the ball because they’re assuming I can get to anything. Their best option is to lob it, but I’m able to get back in time. That’s why I have more confidence coming to the net on certain plays.”
Zachary was also one of the tennis team’s captains this year and knows that he gained a lot from the leadership experience.
“I liked having authority and acting like a second coach. A lot of the younger guys look up to you and respect you and it’s a great experience,” says Zachary. “I was able to do well because I stayed positive through everything. I came into practice with getting better on my mind. The coaches believed I can do well and I definitely did. The highlight for me would be the overall fun of everything and being on a team, interacting with everyone, and traveling. That made it fun for me.”