40 | NOVEMBER 3 • 2022 

These Boys Love Tennis

SPORTS

T

he Frankel Jewish 
Academy boys tennis 
team’s remarkable record 
of success became even more 
remarkable this season.
The Jaguars went to the 
Division 4 state tournament for 
the seventh time in nine seasons.
For the first time in team 
history, which dates to the 
school’s 2000 opening, the Jag-
uars went to state as a regional 
champion after winning the 
regional at Grosse Ile on Oct. 6.
Frankel coach Larry Stark was 
selected the Regional Coach of 
the Year by his fellow coaches.
Unlike all their opponents, the 
Jaguars don’t play on Shabbat 
and Jewish holidays. That 
drastically reduces their number 
of practices and matches.
That doesn’t stop them.
“The kids make up for it with 
hard work. They know time 
is precious,
” said Stark, whose 
hiring as Frankel coach nine 
years ago after a successful eight 

years as the boys tennis coach 
at West Bloomfield High School 
coincided with the Jaguars’ 
emergence as a boys tennis 
power in Division 4.
Frankel had never made it to 
state in boys tennis before Stark 
arrived on the scene.
Stark pointed to some 
concrete reasons for his team’s 
accomplishments through the 
years. Among the reasons are 
players who are multi-sport 
athletes and not cutting anyone 
from the team.
“Tennis can be a sport for 
life,
” Stark said about his no-cut 
policy.
Another reason Stark put 
forward is difficult to quantify, 
but certainly prevalent.
“Monica and I take pride in 
creating a welcoming, relaxed 
family atmosphere on the team 
and teaching life lessons in 
addition to tennis,
” he said.
Monica is Monica Stark, 
Larry’s wife, who works with 

him as a coach. Each is certified 
by the United States Professional 
Tennis Association. They’ve 
been married for 28 years.
Ethan Grey, one of seven 
seniors on this year’s Frankel 
boys tennis team and a 
co-captain for three years, has 
been a member of the Frankel 
boys tennis family for four years. 
He went to the state tournament 
three times.
Reflecting back on his Frankel 
tennis career, his coaches 
immediately came to mind.
“I can’t thank our coaches 
enough,
” he said. “They’re 
amazing. I can’t imagine my life 
without them.
”
Having a small school (about 
120 students this school year) 
also helps the boys tennis team, 
Grey said.
“One of the beautiful things 
about Frankel is everyone knows 
each other and everyone is 
close,
” he said. “My first Frankel 
experience was tennis practices 

before my freshman year. I 
was nervous, but everyone 
on the team was so nice and 
so welcoming, especially the 
seniors.
”
Grey, 17, is the third and last 
of the Grey brothers to play for 
the Frankel boys tennis team.
Jonathan, 24, a University of 
Michigan graduate and medical 
student at Oakland University, 
and Eli, 21, who is studying 
neuroscience at Michigan State 
University, preceded Ethan, who 
is planning to go into a medical 
field. He hasn’t decided where he 
will go to college.
Frankel boys tennis players 
went 5-2 with one bye in the 
eight flights in the first round of 
this year’s state tournament, held 
in Kalamazoo.
Each Frankel player lost in the 
second round, but the Jaguars 
didn’t exactly get great seeds in 
the brackets.
Of the opponents who 
defeated Frankel players, 

Frankel Jewish Academy boys tennis team wins its first regional 
championship, plays in the state tournament for the 7th time in 9 years.

continued on page 42

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Frankel 
Jewish Academy 
boys tennis team 
celebrates its 
Division 4 regional 
championship.

MARLO SHAEVSKY

