Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

Although she had a highly successful career playing tennis at Atlantic City High School, Bushra Memon was a little apprehensive about her chances of being a good tennis player on the collegiate level.

“I really didn’t know what to expect in college,” said Memon, a freshman for the Rutgers-Newark women’s tennis team who has emerged as the Scarlet Raiders’ No. 1 singles player. “I thought I did well in high school and I thought that would get me ready for college. But I really had no idea what it was going to be like.”

Needless to say, Memon has made an immediate impact at R-N. Not only is she already the Scarlet Raiders’ No. 1 singles player, but she has helped to change the face of the entire program. She’s posted an 9-3 record in singles play and paired with doubles partner Agnes Bangayan, they have a 7-3 mark in doubles, helping the Scarlet Raiders to a 5-5 team ledger thus far.

And Memon has been named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week three times this season, posting a 4-1 mark in NJAC play, certainly emerging as the favorite to become the NJAC’s Rookie of the Year.

“She’s probably the most talented player we’ve had since I’ve been the coach,” said R-N head women’s tennis coach Kevin Morris. “She was considered one of the top 20 high school players in the state last year. I followed her a bit and saw her play in the state championships. We started recruiting her and she finally visited the school.”

“When I visited the school, I liked the diversity,” said Memon, who was born in Pakistan and moved to the United States when she was three years old. “I also loved the campus and I was going to be given a chance to play right away. I liked that. But I never expected any of this.”

Morris said that he knew that Memon was going to be an impact player for his program.

“I think it takes you about 30 seconds to realize she’s a player,” Morris said. “She has the whole package. She backhands and forehands and volleys so well. I’ve had officials say that they could tell she was a player by the way she practices and warms up.”

Morris said that having Memon on the team has improved the entire program.

“When you have a really good No. 1 player, it helps out at every single position,” Morris said. “It helps you at singles and doubles, all nine matches. She’s made us all better.”

Memon said that she started playing tennis at an early age.

“I was about eight years old,” Memon said.

She really didn’t have a chance, with two older sisters, Sonia and Moomal, already playing tennis before her.

“Sonia was the first to play and when I saw them play, I wanted to play as well,” Memon said. “I loved it right away. I wanted to go play with them every day. I was trying to beat them. It really helped me a lot to get better. It motivated me and pushed me.”

Moomal Memon and her little sister eventually became teammates at Atlantic City High School.

“When I was a freshman, she was a senior,” Memon said. “She was the No. 1 singles and I was No. 2. And we played doubles together as well.”

Moomal Memon still plays competitive tennis at Rutgers in New Brunswick, on the school’s club women’s tennis team. The Memon sisters spent a lot of time in the summer playing at the Atlantic City Golf and Tennis Club, where Bushra continues to try to beat her older sister.

“She doesn’t play as much as I do now, but she can still probably beat me,” Memon said.

Memon said that her experience playing doubles with her sister got her ready to play with new doubles partner Bangayan.

“I really enjoyed playing doubles and I like playing with Agnes,” Memon said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

You certainly can’t argue with the success.

“She’s more than likely going to be the league Rookie of the Year,” Morris said. “If we bring in another strong recruiting class, we can have a really good team in the future.”

All because of the reluctant standout, who really doesn’t think she’s a good player.

“I try my best, but I always think I can do a little better,” Memon said. “I guess I’m pretty happy with the way I’ve been playing. I’m just an okay player.”

However, the results say otherwise.

Memon plans on majoring in biology. Her ultimate goal is to attend medical school in the future.

“Maybe I’d like to try pediatric medicine,” Memon said. “I like children.”

And perhaps Memon can teach kids how to play tennis as well.

“That’s my goal,” she said.