Six new tennis courts are nearing completion on the north side of the school.

The courts should be done in October, according to Tennis Coach Ernie Taber, who was hoping they would have been finished before the season started in September.

The courts will have a blue surface with green court lines.

The 12-year-old courts were so badly cracked that the team wasn’t able to host home matches last year, said Taber.

The team has been practicing at Beech Woods Recreational Center in Southfield for the past year while waiting for new courts.

According to Taber, who has been teaching at Southfield High for over 21 years, “The courts were OK at first, but over the years they have gotten worse.” So it’s been a long time coming for the new courts, he says.

Taber and his players are excited about the new courts and the new team members.

Senior James Davis said, “The courts look nice, but they should have a Blue Jay logo in the middle to represent Southfield.”

Coach Taber says that it will be a good year for the team because he has 8 players returning and 4 new players to fill the remaining spots.

Junior John Walker says the quality of the courts affects the way he plays. “If the team has crappy courts, then the team is going to play crappy.”

The tennis courts were paid for by the school district. Athletic Director Anika McEvans was not sure how much the cost of the courts were but according to her “The courts weren’t built sooner because they had to evaluate on how much the courts were being used and how many players were out there working on their game.”

The evaluation showed that the courts were a good investment for Southfield High, Coach Taber and the tennis players, said McEvan