Commitment Profile
Countdown: Sameer Kumar Heads to the Cardinal
by Rhiannon Potkey, 25 March 2015
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Navigating the college recruiting process can be a confusing endeavor for even the most well-informed families.
Sameer Kumar was fortunate enough to have a trial run.
The blue-chip senior watched his older brother, Mihir, deal with the official visits, eligibility requirements and NCAA rules.
"I think my parents and I learned a lot from when he made his college decision," said Kumar, whose brother plays for Northwestern. "We realized what we needed to look at as far as the coach, the team and the school. It definitely helped me a lot and it also motivated me because I also wanted to be able to play at that level. It motivated me to keep working hard."
The effort was rewarded.
Kumar has committed to play at Stanford. The Carmel, Indiana, resident chose the Palo Alto institution over an impressive list of schools that included Harvard, UCLA, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Duke and Virginia.
"Stanford had a great combination of athletics and academics, which is important in my family," Kumar said. "I think the tennis program is going to start getting a lot better in the next few years and I think I can help with that."
Kumar visited Stanford before new coach Paul Goldstein was hired last June. Goldstein played for Stanford from 1995-98 and was the first player in NCAA history to start on four straight national championship teams.
A few weeks after he was hired, Goldstein made a home visit to speak with Kumar.
"It was the first time I met him and I just really liked him from the moment he arrived," Kumar said. "We had a really good visit and he is really energetic and really tries to bring out the best in everybody. He wants to get the program back to being top 10 in the country every year, and I am excited for that."
