NEW PALESTINE — The list of accolades and accomplishments is extensive.
Four straight county titles. Four straight sectional titles. A perfect 24-0 record in county competition, with a 76-17 record overall.
He has been All-Hoosier Heritage Conference four times, All-District three times, All-State honorable mention twice — with this year still not announced — and is a 2018 Indiana All-Star.
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Now, after an impressive senior season capped off a stellar career, New Palestine’s Matthew True can add Daily Reporter Boys Tennis Player of the Year to his list of honors.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling,” True said. “There’s so many good opponents that I’ve played throughout the county. It was just such a pleasure playing them all and competing against them.”
The past few weeks have been a flurry of activity and honors for True. He advanced for the first time in the state tournament after the Dragons were defeated 4-1 by Fishers in the regional semifinals, then found out he was named to the All-District team for a third straight year, along with receiving All-HHC honors yet again.
Topping it off was the news that True was named an Indiana All-Star. He will compete in the All-Star Classic on Nov. 3 at DePauw.
True, who considers himself a “super competitive person,” wrapped up his official New Palestine career with a relatively rare loss, to Heritage Christian’s Jack Booker, a 4-6, 3-6 defeat Oct. 4 at North Central.
He got to that point with his final high-school win in the team regional round. It was a bit of vindication for the Dragons senior.
“I knew it was hard to try to make a deep run in the tournament, being a two-sport athlete,” True said. “These kids play year-round, play tennis all through the winter when I’m playing basketball. I knew it was a bit of a disadvantage there. But I was glad to beat the Fishers kid, because he beat me in a tournament 6-0, 6-0, a couple of years ago. It was pretty good to get him back. He was not expecting it.”
Also a starter for the Dragons basketball team, True has had a busy, and successful, four years at New Palestine.
He immediately joined the varsity tennis roster as a freshman, taking on the No. 2 singles position.
That year stands out to True. He learned a lot from his teammates and his experiences. He learned what it meant to be a leader from his senior teammates on that 2015 Dragons tennis team, something he is grateful for today.
“I enjoyed my freshman year very much, being a part of that team,” True said. “We did everything together. We went out to eat, we played Putt-Putt on the weekends a ton. I tried to be that guy, reach out to the younger people, lead them and do extra stuff this year.”
The Dragons had many seniors on the varsity roster this year, but True was their leader. He has been their leader on the court at the No. 1 position since his sophomore year, taking on that role for three straight years for New Palestine.
He said he liked to lead by example, helping teach the younger players this year so they can hopefully keep the program successful in the future. He saw the impact of his mentorship at the end of the season when younger teammates were staying late after practice, hitting more, trying to follow the seniors’ examples.
True taking on that role helped lead to the team being a tight-knit group this year. They spent time off the court together, had fun as a team and supported each other throughout the season.
“Matthew really leads by example. He is not boastful or loud in practice. You would never know he is the best player on the team until he picks up his racquet, and then he lets his racquet do the talking,” New Palestine coach Jean Graham said. “He hits every return with authority and power and his serves are fast and penetrating. You quickly learn his returns come back harder and faster then the ones you gave him. Our underclassmen are always in awe on how hard he can hit the ball.”
Having a player like True on the team helped the Dragons first-year coach, who was with the team in previous seasons as an assistant. She said she knew she could rely on him and could count on him for wins when the team needed them.
The Dragons’ senior said working with Graham this year was a smooth transition, and he enjoyed getting to help her lead the younger players on the team, helping guide New Palestine to another successful year with its ninth straight county title and seventh straight sectional title.
He liked that his team had a target on its back due to all of the success. He wasn’t intimidated by pressure or expectations.
“Having that pressure is always a privilege to me,” True said. “I just love the big moments in sports. It’s so fun to play with that intensity. It’s always great.”
Taking up tennis
True’s road to being a successful tennis player had some twists and turns in it.
He’s been a basketball player since he was young, earlier than he ever tried tennis. He started playing tennis, but eventually quit so he could play baseball. He started to like that sport less and less, so in fifth grade he found his way back to tennis.
He started taking lessons with then-New Palestine coach Des Evans. He said his parents sacrificed to help him do that, driving him to and from Carmel for lessons every Sunday from fifth until 10th grade.
That, coupled with his busy basketball schedule and schoolwork, has kept True on the move.
“It’s just part of my life, just going through the routine of it,” True said. “It’s just fun to play the sports and it keeps me active. I just pretty much go, go, go. There’s always practice and studying, but it’s fun. I enjoy it.”
When asked to pick which sport he prefers, he really can’t. He really enjoys both, and he loves the competitive side of both.
That makes the grind, the seemingly nonstop practices, worth it. His love of the game, of the competition, keeps him going, keeps him motivated.
During the tennis season, True would try to shoot hoops and work on his basketball game on weekends. He didn’t push it or try to practice too much, though, to avoid injuries during the fall.
He simply hates losing. He wants to win, always, and knows he has to put in the work to make that happen.
“It’s been grueling,” True said. “You have to focus on academics first, then go to practices upon practices. It’s always difficult to try to balance it, but both coaches in both sports (Graham and basketball coach Trent Whitaker) have been very open to me being a two-sport athlete and am glad I am doing it.”
Court future?
True is focusing on having fun in his final year at New Palestine, whether in school, on either court or outside of school.
He enjoyed the tennis season and said school has been great so far. He’s not taking anything for granted, spending as much time with friends and having as much fun as possible.
He’s not sure yet, but he suspects this could be his last year playing basketball. He wants to have a fun year with his friends and teammates on the court.
Looking ahead, True is still figuring out where to go to college and what, if any, sport to play when he gets there.
He’s had talks with some smaller schools about playing tennis or basketball. His dream, though, is to end up at Butler.
He grew up watching the Bulldogs compete in the NCAA Final Four, and it became a dream of his to one day attend college there. His older sister attends Butler, and he likes visiting her and spending time on the campus.
His main focus is getting into a business college and getting a business degree. True said academics will come first when making his college decision, and if athletics are part of the deal too it will be the “whipped cream and cherry on top” for college.
True plans to major in Business Management and Finance and hopefully get a Masters in Business or a Public Accounting Certification.
But before he makes those decisions, he still has a little bit more tennis to play with the all-star match and an entire basketball season to play.
He has already made his mark in Dragons tennis lore, with his 76 varsity wins and his undefeated county run.
“My goodness, he’s done this for four years for New Pal,” Graham said. “I’d be hard-pressed to find somebody else in the county that can beat that. As long as I can remember, I don’t know of anyone that could beat that record.”
“His legacy on New Palestine tennis will be that be he was one of the best to play tennis at New Pal, if not the best,” she added. “As a coach, I like to tell the kids to watch him and see if you can ‘play like True.’ He has made our other players better and has encouraged them to improve their tennis skills. It certainly has been a pleasure to coach him and we will miss him next year.”
As he prepares for his final season on the basketball court, True couldn’t be happier when reflecting on his tennis career at New Palestine and the success he’s had.
“I’m exceptionally happy with how things went,” True said. “I couldn’t imagine anything better with the friends I’ve made, the fun I’ve had with the coaches and just the team camaraderie. That’s been really fun to be a part of.”
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Several other sets of honors have been announced for the 2018 boys tennis season by the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association, and True and his teammates received multiple honors.
Academic All-State
First team
Trevor Darley and Carson Gavin
Honorable mention
Dane Reid
All-District Team
Singles
Matthew True and Carson Gavin
Doubles
Dane Reid and Ben Blachly
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