There are special times an athlete remembers from their youth, which will always be close to their heart, and such is the case for Corona del Mar High tennis sensation Niels Hoffman, who warmly recalls his grandmother, Heidi, driving him to practices and matches while both of his parents were busying working.
After accepting the Southern California Male Most Valuable Player trophy at the 14th annual Southern California National High School Tennis All-American Awards on May 30 at the Newport Beach Yacht Club, Hoffman acknowledged Heidi Hoffman to the audience and thanked her for the numerous trips throughout the years as he developed into a champion.
Niels Hoffman, who is headed for USC in the fall on a tennis scholarship, was among eight honorees from Southern California at the banquet, four boys and four girls. Sunny Hills junior Daniela Borruel won the Southern California Female Most Valuable Player Award, presented by event founder and organizer Tim Mang, a longtime former Corona del Mar coach. For Hoffman, it was his second Southern California MVP honor.
“Obviously, Niels’ schedule outside of high school tennis has a lot of big tournaments, but he looks forward to the team environment and trying to bring CdM a title,” Sea Kings Coach Jamie Gresh said. “As a coach, that’s what you want and need out of your best player.”
The 6-foot-2, 155-pound Hoffman, who grew up playing at Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach, is a scrappy, athletic player who can cover the entire court and features a sensational backhand.
“I’m a long guy,” Hoffman said, spreading out his arms. “I cover a lot of court.”
Hoffman, who will start school at USC on Aug. 19, became part of CIF-Southern Section history this year by winning the section singles title, joining his older brother, Bjorn, who won the CIF singles championship for Corona del Mar in 2016. They are the second brothers to win individual CIF singles titles since Laguna Beach’s Rick Leach (1983) and Jon Leach (1988). Bjorn Hoffman played collegiate tennis at Cal. The Leach brothers played at USC, under their father, legendary former Trojans coach Dick Leach.
In 1988, Jon Leach became only second freshman to win a CIF singles title, following Pete Sampras of Palos Verdes in 1987. CdM’s Taylor Dent was the third freshman to capture a section singles title in 1996.
In this year’s CIF individual championships, top-seeded Niels Hoffman defeated Beckman freshman Tyler Lee in straight sets in the title match, 6-2, 6-1, for his second straight CIF singles championship.
“I definitely have made some big jumps,” Hoffman said. “I don’t know if at the start of the year I thought, ‘Oh, I’m a lock to win it in straight sets and not drop a set this tournament.’ Because I have a few more matches under my belt and am a few years older, I’m the veteran. I’m sure there’s definitely some truth to being little bit older and having a little bit more experience (helps).”
Hoffman also won this year’s Ojai Tennis Tournament singles championship, while Lee teamed with his brother, Caden, to capture the Ojai doubles title.
Lee, the fifth-ranked freshman in the nation according to Tennis Recruiting Network, entered the CIF championship match as one of only two players to defeat Hoffman this season.
“(Hoffman) is good,” Lee said. “He just knows how to beat you. He adjusts his game well. If you try to change it, he’ll change his, too. He can find your weaknesses and attack it really well. That’s frustrating to play against but that’s what makes him good.”
Hoffman’s victory over Lee placed him in elite company with back-to-back CIF championships. Stefan Dostanic (Woodbridge), Gage Brymer (University) and Steve Johnson (Orange) are other Orange County products to claim two straight section titles.
Richard Dunn, a longtime sportswriter, writes the Dunn Deal column regularly for The Orange County Register’s weekly, The Coastal Current North.
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