IU second home for 2 Czech tennis players

Oftentimes, teams boast players from the same state, maybe even the same city, but not usually the same foreign country. The Hoosiers do that in claiming two players from the Czech Republic with freshman David Bubenicek and junior Jakub Praibis.\nBubenicek, a native of Kromeriz, Czech Republic, was mainly drawn to IU for the opportunity to play tennis at a Big Ten school. The education that IU offers was also a factor, as there are many quality programs here that helped persuade Bubenicek in becoming a Hoosier. Though his time on the court has been limited due to injury, he made the most of his only singles appearance of the season in a key victory against Middle Tennessee State Jan. 24, which helped the Hoosiers to a 4-3 victory.\nLitomerice, Czech Republic, also provides the Hoosiers with their No. 1 singles player in Praibis. In his three years at IU, he has compiled a 38-17 record, 8-1 in the 2004 season. Praibis became a target of the Hoosiers when former assistant coach Andre Holik scouted Praibis at a tournament. Praibis made the decision to come to IU in 2000. Besides the accomplishments on the court, Praibis has been able to be just as impressive off, as he was named Academic All-Big Ten during the 2003 season.\nFor some college students, going an hour from home is tough, but Praibis and Bubenicek both decided to go over 14 hours and 4,500 plus miles away from their native Czech Republic. So the idea of coming to IU to attend school, playing tennis far from home and living in a different lifestyle was a challenge, Bubenicek said.\n"It wasn't easy at first, but once you are here you have to adapt," Bubenicek said. "Every beginning is hard, you just have to adapt to it."\nBeing able to get two players from the Czech Republic wasn't as hard as it might seem. Though the factors of having to play tennis far from home, cultural differences and homesickness would be considered opposing factors, the Hoosiers did have a couple of advantages -- one was former assistant coach Holik. \nHolik who was a native of the Czech Republic gave IU an upper hand in landing both Praibis and Bubenicek. He was not only able to help the two Czechs by being able to break through the language barrier, Holik was also someone they could trust in his recommendation in coming to Bloomington. \nThe Hoosiers had an additional weapon in getting Bubenicek to come to IU -- Praibis. Praibis and Bubenicek had known each other 10 years prior to them attending IU. The long lasting friendship was a factor in Bubenicek taking the step and coming to Bloomington. Praibis was able to convince an additional player to play for the Hoosiers in Petr Novotny, who graduated last year.\nGetting the right blend of person to go far from home can take some convincing, Praibis said.\n"It's not easy to find good players that are willing to study and are potentially good students," Praibis said. \nFor many players from Europe and the rest of the world, getting to play tennis beyond their late teens involves sacrifice.\nOftentimes, players in this situation are forced to make the decision -- school or tennis? As in many of the situations, if they want to attend college, they won't be able to miss class for a tournament, and likewise, if they are playing in tournaments, they won't have time to attend class. The Hoosiers second advantage came here, as IU could offer both the opportunity to attend college and play tennis at a high level.\nSo when Praibis and Bubenicek saw what IU had to offer, they knew it was good opportunity, to do both, said IU coach Ken Hydinger.\n"It's a great opportunity for everyone," Hydinger said. "For all of these kids playing college tennis to get to study at a place like this, play tennis and get court time, shoes and racquets. It's a great deal."\nThe addition of players like Praibis and Bubenicek has been beneficial for the team because of the fact that they bring a different style of play from the Czech Republic. Players oftentimes play on a clay surface, which forces them to be more patient and construct points better. This brings a different dimension to the team, especially since many of the players on the team are from America, Hydinger said.\nBoth players are pleased with their decision to come to IU and play tennis for the Hoosiers because of all the opportunities they have been given, not only in tennis, but also the opportunity to obtain a college education in the U.S.\n"I'm glad that I came to IU," Praibis said. "It's a good experience, it's a different life and it is always interesting to try and live a different life."\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.