There are approximately 7,815 miles between Pretoria, South Africa and Plymouth, MA. If you ask Onkgopotse Mokoka, it is absolutely worth the trip.
“I love being in Plymouth. You can feel a real sense of community here,” said Mokoka, a native of South Africa who is filling in as boys tennis head coach at Plymouth North this season for Kesha Nielsen while she takes a step back for a health-related reason.
Mokoka has also stepped in for the rest of the school year as a marketing and vocational education teacher for the high school. In addition to seeing them in the hallway each day, Mokoka is also familiar with some of his players from his job as a tennis coach with the Plymouth Rec program.
“We are a young team, but there is talent. We’ve had some great competition for spots in the playing order,” during the pre-season, said Mokoka. “We have three home matches in the first week of the season, so we will need to be ready right away.
As for what is his vision of a Blue Eagles tennis team, Mokoka said “I want to see them have respect for the game and have the confidence to lead themselves and solve their own problems” on the court.
Mokoka played tennis, field hockey, as well as cricket in high school back home in South Africa. He brought his tennis skills with him across the globe to UMass Boston, where he was a two-year captain for the Beacons playing both singles and doubles matches, graduating in 2020 with a degree in Math.
His connection with Plymouth was cemented during college when he began dating fellow student Joie Grassi. Grassi was a basketball star at Plymouth North and is the second-leading scorer (1,571 points) in the history of the girls basketball in town. She went on to score 1,162 career points for UMass Boston.
The two have set a wedding date for this summer.
“Having Joie has made getting used to Plymouth very easy for me,” said Mokoka. “Her family seems to know everyone.”
Eagles see some growth
North carried 10 players on varsity last season, earning a 12-7 record and a first round loss in the Division 2 playoffs to Dartmouth. Roster numbers have jumped into the mid-teen’s this season led by co-captains Adam Mott and Bryce Murray. Also returning are sophomores Hunter Cronin, Brycen Kumm, and Xavier Morrison.
“I’m looking for us to have a good season,” said Murray, a junior who moved between third singles and first doubles last year. “We’re young, but I think everyone is going to grow and adapt as we gain more experience.”
Mott likes the compete level that Coach Mokoka has brought to the team during the pre-season. “There’s some very good teams in the Patriot League and we want to be competitive with them all,” said Mott. “We’re bringing in a few younger players who I think are going to be good additions to the team.”
One player to watch is a talented freshman by the name of Paul Miraglia.
“He’s young, but you can tell right away that Paul has played a lot of tennis,” said Mokoka about Miraglia, who plays at the Eel River Tennis Club. “He’s still learning about the game, just like everyone else is, but he is a really talented tennis player.”
The Eagles will see how all the players fit into the overall picture March 31 when Falmouth arrives for the season-opener, the first of four straight home matches to kick things off.