Scholar Stories: Crocker Settling on Law for Next Step
3/21/2018 10:53:00 AM | Men's Tennis, Features
Continuing the popular series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Prairie Farms.
By Brad Rudner
In some ways, a courtroom is like the tennis court.
Think about it. There are places people can go and places they can't. There are rows upon rows of observers following the participants, tracking their movements and listening to their words. And in both cases, there's a figure sitting high above everyone else who makes the final decisions.
Davis Crocker, a senior on the No. 8-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team, is plenty familiar with the court. He's been playing since he was old enough to pick up a racket.
And he has his future figured out, at least in the short term. First is graduation -- a degree in sport management -- which will happen in just over a month. Michigan will presumably still have matches to play after that; the NCAA Tournament doesn't begin until May 11. But whenever the season ends, so, too, does his collegiate career.
In June, Crocker will take the LSAT, as he aims to start law school in 2019. Until then, he plans to stick with tennis for as long as possible, either as a player (in summer tournaments) or as an instructor (with a local high school or athletic club).
His goal isn't necessarily to end up as a lawyer arguing cases but instead to work on the rules and regulations of sports. Crocker mentioned two classes, in particular, that helped him figure out his path: Sport & Public Policy and Legal Issues in Sport.
"I fell in love with the law aspect of sports," he said. "You don't think about that so much when you're watching basketball or football. But with compliance and the law courses in the sport management program, I got to study a bunch of cases, analyzing precedent to see how they carried over into regular life. It really tied everything together."
Long before he was a student-athlete, Crocker, a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, made regular trips to campus. His father and grandfather -- both lawyers -- studied in Ann Arbor.
As he grew into a sought-after tennis recruit, Crocker had Northwestern, Illinois, Notre Dame, Princeton and other Ivy League schools calling him. But Michigan was always the first choice. He had the academic profile to boot.
"For my brother and me, the effort we put into sports, we were taught to also do it in school," he said. "I think that was engrained in me since elementary school. It's the family way of doing things."
At their tennis competitions, Crocker and his teammates like to have fun. This isn't your run-of-the-mill country club sport. It may be one-on-one in singles, but with how loud it can get, it sure feels like a lot more.
Take the team's match vs. Florida on Feb. 9. Though they came out on the losing end in that one -- they've won eight consecutive matches since then -- the atmosphere was electric, and that's not something one typically says about tennis.
For one, consider the crowd. That day, Mother Nature dumped close to a foot of snow on the ground, making travel hazardous across the area. And it was a Friday night. Pulling up to the Varsity Tennis Center, Crocker thought few people would show.
Slowly but surely, the stands started to fill up. By the time doubles play ended, there was not a seat available. Those standing probably had trouble finding a good view.
Best of all? It was loud.
"That night, we thought we'd have to generate all the energy ourselves," Crocker said. "Michigan fans are great. They drove through that blizzard. Three hours in, it was still buzzing. When you're on the court and win a point and that energy comes down on you, you really feel it. It's hard to explain. It's not a tangible thing, but it helps everyone's game out.
"Adam [Steinberg] instilled this culture that's all about the team and helping each other in every way possible. We've created an environment that's not very common in college tennis. Normal tennis matches don't elicit those kinds of responses. We get chants. We get the crowd into it. It's a lot of fun to play in. Nobody else comes close to the kind of environment that we have."
Crocker has a record of 59-41 in singles play, most of it at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions in the lineup. Other successful youth players might look at that as a demotion, but Crocker learned that just because he's at the bottom of the lineup doesn't mean his job is any less important.
"Everyone comes in as the big-time player from their region or club. There's definitely a bit of shock to all of a sudden be around guys who are as good or better than you are. Freshman year, it played with my head a bit. 'Oh, I'm the worst-rated guy out here.' But as time went on, even guys who don't play have a role in our matches. Every match is worth the same point. Playing at No. 6 is just as valuable as Alex [Knight] playing at No. 1."
This fall, Crocker hopes to take an internship with an athletic department, potentially in the compliance office. Whenever his career ends, Crocker won't have any shortage of options.
He's thankful to Michigan for that.
"To be here means everything," he said. "I've been dreaming about this experience since I was a little kid. To live out that dream is pretty cool. The academics and athletics push you to be the best version of yourself you can be. I'll be forever grateful for that."
Players Mentioned
