Caldera basketball and boys tennis coach Ryan Cruz was worried that his son, Aiden Cruz, would have trouble hitting his stride again on the court after going five months without touching his tennis racquet.

Afterall, from early December to March, Aiden Cruz’s time on the tennis court took a backseat to his time on the hardwood.

“I really wasn’t sure how it would unfold coming off a long basketball season,” Ryan Cruz, who’s basketball squad made its first playoff appearance in program history in March. “The weather doesn’t help either. There were weeks where he would play 2-3 days a week in the cold to try and get back from where he’s at from last spring.”

The worry from the coach and father might have been misplaced, because after a few weeks of competition, the rust from nearly half a calendar year without touching a racket had been all but knocked off.

“The first couple of matches I had nerves because I didn’t have any matches in a while,” Aiden Cruz said. “But probably halfway through I’ve started to play my best tennis.”

The junior is coming off a strong sophomore campaign where he finished second in the Intermountain Conference championships then went on to win the consolation bracket at the state championships.

Making consecutive state appearances motivated Aiden Cruz this season, as he eyes a third trip to the Class 5A state championships at West Hills Racquet and Fitness Club in Portland on May 24 and 25.

“Those helped set expectations for myself,” Aiden Cruz said. “As I grow I should be able to place better. Good results in the past motivated me to go further.”

Aiden Cruz has won 15 of 16 regular season matches. He won all 10 of his IMC matches. In 11 of the matches, Cruz won with relative ease in straight sets. In four matches that went to a third set, Cruz emerged victorious in three of them.

“He has been winning the bigger points when he needs to,” Ryan Cruz said. “That has made an impact this year. In the years past, those were games that he usually lost.”

He has more power in his serve than a year ago, and more endurance to keep sustaining the power throughout his matches.

There are fist pumps after big points. There is more emotion on the court during matches. Those weren’t happening in his first two seasons, despite winning tons of matches.

“High school tennis as a freshman is a bit intimidating,” Ryan Cruz said. “There wasn’t a lot of emotion when he was playing.”

Aiden Cruz added: “I’ve gotten more confidence. Getting more emotionally involved has helped me out. It helps me get pumped for those big points.”

With the regular season in the rearview mirror, Aiden Cruz enters the postseason as one of the handful of contenders to claim the 5A singles title later this month. Cruz, along with La Salle’s Kaiden Harris, Crescent Valley’s Richard Wang (who handed Cruz his only loss this season) and Summit’s Max Himstreet (last year’s 5A doubles champion, who Cruz beat twice in three sets during the regular season) all appear on a collision course to meet late in the singles bracket.

Before that, he will have to get through the IMC championships held at Caldera on May 17 and 18.

With the rust gone and newfound swagger on the court, Cruz is ready to make a postseason push.

“The next couple of weeks will be about keeping myself in shape,” Aiden Cruz said. “And keeping the confidence that I’ve built and not getting too nervous in big moments.”