Tyler Stice has dreamed of playing for Auburn University his entire life. The five-star freshman out of Atlanta, Ga., is now living that dream. Stice has been a major contributor to Auburn's 9-3 start in the 2020 spring season as a regular in the singles lineup and pairing with Matteo DeVincentis at No. 1 doubles. Stice was also named SEC Men's Tennis Freshman of the Week for his play against Florida State, Georgia Tech and The Citadel.
"I think it brings a little bit more significance coming to Auburn," Stice said. "Growing up as a big fan, obviously, I wanted to play here my whole life. Now that it's actually happening, it's pretty awesome.
The first time he was on the Auburn campus "I was about 10 years old when Cam Newton was still playing. The atmosphere was amazing. That's really when I first fell in love with Auburn's campus.
"I still love rolling Toomer's Corner and throwing the toilet paper when we win games. That's probably my favorite tradition that we do here. I just think it's so cool.
"I think my parents wanted me to at least lean towards Auburn when I was being recruited. Now that it has all actually happened, I think it means a little bit more to them, because not only did I want to go to Auburn, they wanted me here, too."
Having that connection to Auburn and growing up as a fan has provided Stice with an advantage in incentive as he represents his favorite team each time he takes the court.
"Cam Newton was my favorite college player, but in professional tennis, it was Roger Federer who inspired me to start playing. And I'd have to say Kobe Bryant was one of my favorite basketball players. I grew up admiring guys who were hard-working with an I-want-to-kill-you mentality in competition."
Coach Bobby Reynolds has known and watched Stice since he was a kid; although separated by a few years, they shared the same coach in Juniors, Jason Parker.
"Even before I got the job at Auburn, I've known Tyler since he was 10 years old because he had worked with some of my coaches," Reynolds said. "He always had an Auburn hat on. I think it's a neat story that, if you believe in fate or destiny, now he's here at Auburn. The intensity, work ethic, enthusiasm and the fight he brings while he's on the court has been great."
Stice was ranked as high as the No. 5 American prospect in the Class of 2019 by TennisRecruiting.net and the schedule he faced had an RPI of No. 2 nationally among that class. A product of the Ginepri Performance Tennis Academy, Stice, who holds a UTR of 13, most recently won the Wildcard Challenge at the BB&T Atlanta Open during summer, 2019.
"Tyler's strength is that he plays every point with the same discipline," Coach Reynolds said. "He succeeds by making his opponent play a point over and over and over until they miss. He's a great young man who is a good fit for our team culture. His work ethic is exceptional and he has excellent conditioning and training."