News & Features

My Players

|

My Lists

|

My School

|

My Notifications

Team Home

Luke Bishop (WTN: 21.1) had never heard of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley until former Baylor head coach Matt Knoll provided an introduction. Knoll runs American College Placement and was helping guide Bishop through the recruiting process.

Knoll connected Bishop with UTRGV head coach Nathan Robinson, and the two quickly bonded over their shared Oklahoma upbringing.

After learning more about the program, Bishop saw an opportunity to work his way into the lineup. The three-star senior from Edmond, Oklahoma committed to play for the Vaqueros.

“When I was on my visit to UTRGV, you could really tell that the coaches were into it and all the players were really involved in the team,” Bishop said. “I got to see a practice and a weight training session, and you could tell that they have some of the best facilities, at least in their conference, and the best trainers as well. Everything was done very, very well.”

Bishop was looking at colleges in every NCAA division across the country. He considered schools in California, New York, Texas and North Dakota.

“I was hitting all the corners all around the United States. There was really no thorough process of narrowing down the schools,” Bishop said. “It was just whatever I thought was the best fit for me in terms of the academics and then also the athletics as well.”

Bishop has lived in the same house in Edmond for his entire life. He started playing tennis when he was 7 after his dad signed him up for a local camp. His dad won a few state titles at Edmond Memorial High School, where Bishop also attends.

“It’s pretty cool that he got me into tennis and I actually got him back into tennis the past few years,” Bishop said. “Now, he’s playing in all these USTA leagues, so it’s kind of been a two-way street there where we’ve returned the favor to each other.”

Bishop played basketball and soccer until he was 10 and began focusing full time on tennis.

“I’m 5-foot-8, so I figured that my time in basketball would be limited as I got older, and I knew I wasn't going to grow much taller,” said Bishop, who has trained at Oak Tree Country Club with coach Eric Wedemeyer for his entire career. “I also just fell in love with the game of tennis and wanted to stick with that.”

Bishop has two older siblings. Her sister just passed the bar exam and became a lawyer like their father. His brother recently graduated from Texas Christian University and has a job in Fort Worth. (His brother’s roommate at TCU was the Horned Frog mascot).

Bishop plans to major in business marketing with a minor in either business administration or hospitality and tourism management at UTRGV. Now that his college decision has been made, Bishop is ready to embrace all the new opportunities in his future.

“It’s almost like it's not over, but it's like a new chapter is just starting,” Bishop said. “Sure, the recruiting process is over, but then it's opened the door for the next four years of my life for something else to do. Playing college tennis has always been a dream of mine, and I am just really looking forward to putting in the work.”

Leave a Comment

About Rhiannon Potkey

Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories. Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches. Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You can reach Rhiannon by email at [email protected].