Landry Proves To Be A Quick Learner
March 13, 2024 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Marshall Landry wasn't expecting to play as a freshman this season.
Landry arrived at Mississippi State in August with the mutual understanding that he would redshirt his first year while continuing to work on his game and preparing his teammates at practice.
Halfway through the fall semester, however, those plans changed.
"He was improving quickly, and it got to the point where we felt like it was best for him to play," said head coach Matt Roberts.
So three days after the choice to take the court right away was made, Landry competed in his first collegiate tournament. He won his first match over South Alabama's Theo Mottier 4-6, 6-0, 1-0[8] and ended up finishing the ITA Southern Regional Championship with a 2-1 record.
"My whole perspective of what I could do for the team changed in an instant," Landry said. "My game improved very quickly, and it was awesome that the coaches saw that and wanted me to play."
Landry found more immediate success in his second and final event of the fall. He teamed alongside senior Nemanja Malesevic at the GT Invite in Atlanta and ended up going 3-0 and taking home the doubles title from the round-robin tournament.
"It was awesome and so much fun playing with 'Memo'," Landry said. "He's such a good mentor and leader in helping me. I was able to learn so much from him. It also helped him have some success because he was coming back from an injury. It was a cool moment for both of us."
Landry is now up to a dozen overall wins during his freshman season and owns a 6-2 singles record. He currently owns the Bulldogs' longest active winning streak in singles at four straight.
In addition to his success on the court, the Pinehurst, North Carolina native is also making connections with his teammates off of it. Landry has been the go-to guy to call whenever his international teammates need a ride somewhere.
"I like to help anyone in any way possible," Landry said. "They'll call me 'The Uber' sometimes as a joke. But it's cool because I'm able to get super close to the guys and have special relationships with them. I help my teammates with things, which helps our whole team. I like to embrace that role as much as possible."
Landry quickly built a bond with fellow American freshman Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes but admits he was a little nervous in the fall when he joined a team with mostly international players hailing from all over the world. However, any initial anxiety he felt was quickly doused by how welcoming his new teammates were.
"I felt like I had a familiar face with Rob and we connected right away and it was cool to have that," Landry said. "But going into it with the rest of the team, you're a little iffy because they're all from out of the country and you've only got one other American. But I've told people that I wouldn't have it any other way. It's actually fun having all these people from all over to learn about their cultures. The guys that we have on this team are such good guys and we've made a connection and do so much together."
Landry was one of the nation's top 100 recruits and one of the best players in the Southeast for the 2023 class. The former four-star prospect finished third in the North Carolina Class 4A Singles State Championships as a sophomore, second as a junior and ended up winning it all his senior season at Pinecrest last spring.
Landry received several scholarship opportunities and took visits elsewhere but kept his options open to ensure he was making the right decision. Finally in February 2023, he received a text from MSU assistant coach Jake Jacoby inviting him and his family to Starkville on a visit.
After taking in one of the Bulldogs' matches last spring and touring the campus and facilities, Landry and his family decided that State was where he needed to be. And after nearly a full year in Maroon and White, the choice to attend college and play tennis here has been corroborated time and time again.
"It has exceeded my expectations and being here at Mississippi State makes it even better," Landry said. "I've heard other experiences from where I train back home, and this is one of the more ultimate team experiences here. I wasn't expecting how much help you get. Here at Mississippi State, they're all about helping the student-athletes. It's neat to see how that works and how close you get to other athletes and become friends."
Landry has been out of the Bulldogs' lineup of late but the growth in his game has continued behind the scenes. The rapid rate in which he developed in the fall and throughout his freshman year has the coaching staff convinced that Landy's best tennis is still ahead of him.
"It's been great to see him grow his confidence in singles and doubles," Roberts said. "He hasn't been able to play much singles due to our depth, but he's improving a lot at practice and is pushing the guys with his level right now. I'm excited to see him play a lot of tournaments this summer and apply what he's learning here in singles at those tournaments."
