Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

It’s safe to say that Kevin Santos’ entire life is based around helping others. 

The Rutgers-Newark junior is that way when it comes to his current and future profession. The Belleville native is majoring in nursing at R-N and aspires to eventually become a nurse. 

Santos has already received a head start toward his future profession. He currently works part-time at Clara Maass Hospital in his hometown as an emergency room registrar and does that work on weekends. 

“It is giving me good experience in what I need to know for when I become a nurse,” Santos said. “It’s giving me a heads-up toward my career. I just enjoy helping people and doing whatever I can to help people. That’s what drives me.” 

But Santos is also a helpful soul when it comes to the Scarlet Raiders’ men’s tennis program, a team where Santos has served as the No. 1 singles player for the last three seasons. 

You see, in each of Santos’ three seasons at R-N, a new head tennis coach has been brought on. So basically, Santos and his teammates have to go through the always tedious introductory period of learning about the new coach, in this case veteran Ken Graham, and the new coach’s philosophy and coaching style. 

“It always takes time to get to know the new coach,” Santos said. “It’s definitely not easy. So I figured that if I went out of my way to help the new coach, it was going to give us a better chance to win. I figured I’d help the other players as well, especially the new players, who didn’t have an idea of what it was going to be like.” 

Santos said that he took a liking to Graham, who used to serve as the head tennis coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University before arriving at R-N. 

“I respected him as a coach and I knew that it was going to take some time,” Santos said. “I really didn’t know what to expect. It took a while before we all began to feel comfortable.” 

It didn’t take long for Graham to have an appreciation for Santos and everything he brings to the table. 

“Kevin is like a quiet assassin,” Graham said. “He’s always well prepared for the match and has a sense of what he wants to do before he takes the court. He’s aware of his teammates and aware of the opposition.” 

In fact, Santos acted as almost like an advanced scout, informing Graham of the competition. 

“He was the one who told me about the other teams,” Graham said. “He told me what to expect and what teams to look out for. He really helped the transition for me and helped to make it smoother.” 

It also helped that Santos was more than an average tennis player. 

“He told me that he was a co-captain last year and I had to believe him,” Graham said. “I also knew that he was from Belleville and I was familiar with a few people from Belleville that play tennis. I could see early on that Kevin was polished as a player, but I didn’t know that he was so cool, calm and collected all the time. He’s pretty polished and unlike the other kids. Kevin also has a general and deep knowledge of the game.” 

So after a few practices, new coach Graham knew what he had to do with Santos. 

“I just put him out there at first singles and let him play,” Graham said. “Kevin is like the Energizer Bunny. He just goes and goes. You know that he’s just going to perform the best he can. He plays his heart out and that’s the best influence he can have on the rest of the team. 

Added Graham, “He doesn’t say much, but when he does speak, it’s generally at the right time and the right place. Kevin is quiet, but he’s really like another coach out there. He doesn’t go out and pump up his teammates like a cheerleader, but he does give them encouragement and that leads to confidence.” 

Santos has to be doing something right, because his record speaks for itself. He’s been the leading contributor in each of his three seasons with the Scarlet Raiders, including this year, where he’s posted a 5-3 record at first singles and a 3-5 record at first doubles. He has a career mark of better than .500 in both singles and doubles play. 

Not a bad mark for someone who discovered the sport of tennis fairly late. 

“I started playing when I was a freshman in high school,” Santos said. “I never played before and I just gradually rose from there. I learned a lot at Belleville High School. I played first singles there, so I got used to it.” 
 
Santos admitted that there was some pressure on being the top player on a young team with a new head coach. 

“Especially early in the season,” Santos said. “There was a little pressure on me to be on the top of my game. I think it took a while for everyone to get used to everything.” 

That’s why Santos also had to serve as the impromptu assistant coach. 

“He definitely helped me a lot,” Graham said. “He is an asset to the team and to the coach. He’s very patient, so that helps the younger guys learn to be patient as well. He’s given the others a lot of confidence. He definitely sets the tone for the rest of the team as a positive role model for others. I don’t know where we would have been without Kevin and the way he just goes about his business. It’s a great thing to have.” 

Santos said that he doesn’t mind his unofficial role of being the Scarlet Raiders’ leader. 

“I think the other guys appreciate my help and what I do,” Santos said. “I don’t mind helping them at all.” 

So whether it’s in the classroom, on the tennis court or at his job in one of the busiest hospitals in Essex County, Santos is all about assistance. He’s all about helping others. 

“It does get a little hectic, doing school work, playing tennis and going to work,” Santos said. “I just worry about getting my school work done first, get it done as soon as possible. Then, everything else just falls into place.” 

Just like everything has fallen into place in Kevin Santos’ life. He’s simply a very driven young man who just wants to help – and does exactly that on a daily basis.