Feb. 4, 2004

Losing stinks. Winning smells sweet.

Through the years, Paul Rose, an aptly-surnamed member of the Purdue men's tennis team, has grown accustomed to the spoils of victory. A former football, baseball, basketball and hockey player, Rose abandoned those four sports to concentrate on tennis while at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill. Rose, who followed in his older brother Pete's footsteps at New Trier, continued the "Reign of the Roses" by leading his team to state championships his sophomore, junior and senior years.

After being courted by the likes of Illinois, Northwestern, Michigan, Clemson, USC and Vanderbilt, Rose decided to take his game to Purdue. But despite his unprecedented prior success, the 6-foot-3 hard-hitter came to West Lafayette not knowing exactly what awaited him.

"I came here not knowing what to expect at all academically, or what college tennis was all about," Rose says. "But I had an open mind to everything and I tried new things. My freshman year was a great experience."

Great because he won 24 singles matches, more than any of his teammates. Great because he won 22 doubles matches, ranking third on the team. Great because he won a combined 75 percent of his Big Ten matches in singles and doubles.

Even Rose, however, was surprised by what he achieved in his first year on the collegiate level.

"Going into spring I thought I'd be considered for the lineup, definitely for doubles and possibly for singles," Rose says. "I worked on my game every day, and slowly it started coming together. It kind of clicked, and once it got going I realized I shouldn't lose too much at No. 4 with the way I was playing."

Rose didn't lose much, but at the end of the season his play and the play of his teammates went unrewarded. Even though the Boilermakers carried a national ranking in the top 50 and owned a 13-8 record, a berth into the 64-team NCAA Championships field eluded them. For someone used to winning championships, not having the chance to compete for one was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Going into the Big Ten season we knew we were going to have to do well because we had picked up two bad losses," Rose says. "We finished 7-3 in the conference and we had high hopes. When we watched the selection show on TV and didn't see our name announced, it was a shot to the gut."

Rose wants to make sure he never experiences that feeling again. Now a sophomore, he has climbed to the No. 1 singles position, and already has helped guide Purdue to a 2-0 start, with wins over Ball State and Butler on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Rose and the Boilermakers will continue the season this weekend, when they travel to Western Michigan and Notre Dame on Feb. 7 and 8.

Purdue would like nothing more than to make a season-ending road trip to Tulsa, Okla., site of the 2004 NCAA Championships. The Boilermakers are focused first and foremost, however, on the process that will lead to a berth in the national tournament.

"The big thing for us is to finish the season stronger than we begin, and for everyone to keep getting better," Rose says. "If we do that, I think the results will come."

The ultimate result for Rose would be a career as a professional tennis player. While his top priority at the moment is to come through for his teammates, he also has the dream of a pro career pushing him to improve.

"Each day I step on the court it's not only to help the team, but it's also about me getting better so one day I can make it as a professional tennis player," Rose says.

Before he competes for a Grand Slam, however, Rose has some more immediate goals he would like to accomplish.

"Individually, my goals for this season are to finish with a similar record to what I had last year, get in the national rankings, and make NCAA's in doubles," Rose says. "I think Troy (Havens) and I have a great shot at getting into the tournament."

Wouldn't that be sweet?

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