Senior Day Feature: Tassilo Schmid
By: John Galatas, MSU Media Relations
Tassilo Schmid has always believed in winning.
Whether enjoying success on the court as an All-American in the junior college ranks, or growing personally as a Division I student athlete, Schmid will take the court for the final time in the regular season Sunday as a proven winner on and off the court.
Although he’s been with the Maroon and White two short years after transferring from Tyler Junior College, MSU’s lone senior in 2015 has made noticeable improvements since he first arrived on campus.
“I have had two really great coaches that have showed me how Mississippi State works. I had to put in a lot of commitment with it, but I think I adapted pretty fast,” he said. “I have improved on and off the court a lot. It was a good time for me.”
First year head coach Matt Roberts, who served as an assistant in Schmid’s first season at MSU, said the senior has bettered himself academically, professionally and personally, and has been the epitome of player development in the program.
“How he’s improved so much has really shown that if you commit to what we do in our program and you’re open to coaching, if you do all those things right, you can really improve as a person. You can mature a lot, you can develop a lot and you can manage everything better so you can improve on the tennis court,” Roberts said. “He’s been a really good example to our new guys that he’s improved a lot, so they can believe if you do these things it works. He’s our walking example of how much you can improve and develop just in a year and a half here at Mississippi State.”
Along with Schmid’s improvement in performance, he also serves as a leader to his team on the court.
“He makes me feel like I can trust in him as a leader,” Roberts said. “When we’re not around, I can trust him to do the right things and lead by example. He’s been like another coach for me. He’s done a lot of things the right way.”
Junior Mate Cutura, who also played with Schmid at Tyler JC, plays alongside his senior teammate in doubles. The duo have posted a 16-4 mark this season, and Cutura said he has noticed an immeasurable progression in his doubles partner since he transferred.
“He’s matured so much as a person and he’s improved so much as a player. I was really shocked in a positive way about how much he has changed,” Cutura said. “He’s been my best friend since I got here. Pretty much everything we do on and off the court is together.”
A pair of Schmid’s most memorable moments have come against pivotal matches against rival Ole Miss. Last season, after dropping the first set 7-6(4), Schmid rallied to win the next two sets 6-4, 6-1 and produced the clinching win in a 4-3 victory against the Rebels.
Fast forward to a season later, Schmid found himself in familiar territory against the in-state foes. Down a set, Schmid grinded out two set victories to win 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. The win again provided the match clincher and upset the No. 13 Rebels.
“Last year it was almost the same thing. I was down a set and far from winning. But when you play Ole Miss you are so fired up and never give up. You always believe in winning. That’s what I did,” he said. “It was one of the greatest matches in my college career.”
After this season, Schmid said he plans to play professionally after finishing his degree in business and management in December.
But before finishing his college career, Schmid said he and the Bulldogs have more things to accomplish in the postseason.
“Now is the time we can peak. We’re all in good shape and on a good level. Now is the time we can really show how good we are,” Schmid said. “We want to play in the NCAAs with goals as a team and I hope we achieve those goals.”
Regardless of where the Bulldogs finish out the 2015 season, Schmid will always remember his time at Mississippi State thanks to the family he’s gained since arriving in 2014.
“We are like a family together,” Schmid said. “Everyone plays for everyone. We’re all friends on and off the court so it’s pretty easy to have good chemistry. We’re all on the same level and the same page. It’s awesome to play alongside those guys every day.”