The Red and Black

Issue date: 5/1/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: SARA GUEVARA Junior Travis Helgeson is the No. 2 singles player at the University, going 18-2 overall and 9-0 in the SEC.

Imagine being Mark Richt finding out another school's star player is interested in transferring to Georgia and joining your team during the off season.

Sounds far-fetched, right?

Well, for men's tennis coach Manuel Diaz and Georgia men's tennis, a situation of similar unlikeliness became reality prior to the Fall 2006 semester.

Travis Helgeson was a two-time All-American at Texas and the Big 12 Player of the Year in 2006 but decided it was in his best interests to join another program. Georgia was at the top of his list.

"Talking to others, it seemed like it was more of a team here. They were more united," Helgeson said. "They worked together better, and the way coach sets it up - he runs a program that just seems like it produces players at the end."

Helgeson said getting used to the move from Austin to Athens was tough, but his teammates made the process much smoother than he originally feared it would be.

"It was a tough transition coming from Texas here as a junior," Helgeson said. "But it's been nice. The guys have really been helpful and great. They really embraced me at the beginning."

And his impact on the team? Well, according to his coach, it couldn't have gone much better.

"Fantastic," Diaz said. "He's just a really positive, hard working guy. He's really team-oriented and just everything you want in a student-athlete."

Aside from the added camaraderie, Helgeson's play has not disappointed either. He is No. 11 in the country and has a 32-5 singles record.

Helgeson and his teammates, having won the SEC regular season and tournament titles, now have just one goal on their agenda: a national title. A pursuit, Helgeson said, that is all he could have hoped for when transferring to Georgia.

"It's a one of a kind type of opportunity to be on a No. 1 caliber team, and all your opponents are just looking to try and beat you guys. It's pretty special."

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