Astilean Caps Off High School Career, Historic Season at State Tournament

When Max Astilean was 7 years old, he rode his bike up to Buckskill Tennis and Winter Club, where his current East Hampton High School tennis coach Kevin McConville began giving private lessons in 2012. Little did the two know that meeting would create a bond that would not only change both of their lives, but take the now-senior all the way to the state tournament.

“He had a great enthusiasm for the game, and everything in general,” McConville said of his first impression of the student-athlete. “I thought tennis would be a great fit for him. He works really, really hard, and his work ethic for me is the most important thing.”

That dedication to the sport helped Astilean get over the hump of the Suffolk County quarterfinals this season, where he’d lost the previous two years, to earn a spot in the individual state tournament held at the USTA National Tennis Center. On Friday, he fell, 6-0, 7-6, in the Round of 32 to Williamsville East High School junior Grant Wang, but it’s not the end of the road for the soon-to-be graduate, who will be training with his coach for another year with the hope of earning a Division I scholarship.

“It was a great experience,” Astilean said of competing on the tennis courts in Flushing. “Seeing Arthur Ashe Stadium in the back felt unreal.”

His comeback after dropping the first set was also astounding, and drew a huge crowd with all eyes on a serve-and-volley that put a lot of pressure on his opponent.

“That’s what the game required,” McConville said. “He literally served and volleyed every single first serve and most second serves. They said they hadn’t seen somebody play like that, so it was really cool. He did it. That’s not his game style, but this kid was ball-pushing him, so that was exactly what he needed to do, and he’s well-trained for it. He had the guts to do it under pressure. He’s such a great competitor, he really is.”

Astilean’s preparation for that style of play started when he joined the varsity team as an eighth-grader, practicing against then-Bridgehampton senior Jonny DeGroot and East Hampton’s Ravi MacGurn and Luke Louchheim, who all played in the singles slots above him.

“He couldn’t get a game off those guys, but they kept playing him and playing him,” McConville said. “It had a huge impact on his improvement.”

In fact, Astilean has always taken games wherever he could find them on his original quest to outdo his older brother, Alex, who played for Adelphi University. The two still frequently compete against one another, splitting matches.

“Growing up, I always tried to be better so I could beat him in a match. And we still play all the time and go back and forth,” said Astilean, who also enjoyed playing soccer and basketball as a child. “I liked the individualistic aspect of tennis, but tennis quickly grew into my main sport because that’s what my older brother played.”

After Astilean visited Buckskill with Alex, who was taking lessons with McConville, he started attending school practices just a few towns over, where McConville took his first team job coaching Sag Harbor and Bridgehampton middle schoolers. The senior spent so much time there he even worked his way into the team photos.

“For four years, he just ate it up,” McConville said. “He got all of the free tennis he could get.”

That tradition prepared him at an early age to perform in pressure-filled situations, which the coach said is one thing that always impressed him most.

“I’ve seen him play many USTA tournaments — I drive him everywhere to all these matches to watch him play — and pressure has never bothered him at all,” McConville said. “He says it does. On changeovers, he’ll say, ‘I’m nervous,’ but he doesn’t act like it. He does things that tell me as a coach that he’s not nervous, because he takes risks and doesn’t get tight and hit the ball soft — he stays aggressive. The theme with him and I is he’s always on the attack and dictating matches, trying to take points in four shots or less.”

That’s part of what helped Astilean come back to take a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 win over Comsewogue’s Angelo Guzman to reach the county semifinals.

“The type of game he has is like a roller coaster. It’s really fun to watch,” McConville said. “It’s high-risk, and you have to practice a lot for that.”

The senior said competing in the state tournament was an incredible opportunity. It was the goal he’d set out to achieve this season.

“I told him if he could get to the semifinals, he’s going to get all these extra matches in,” McConville said. “We just wanted to see where his game stacked up against some of these big guys.”

In fact, Astilean ended up taking on the eventual state champion in Commack’s Eddie Liao after knocking out Guzman. He was the first opponent to take a game from the sophomore star to that point in the county tournament. The way he played in both of those matches motivated him that much more when he headed to states, although he admitted the timing with travel was not ideal.

“I definitely felt excited to be there,” Astilean said. “Everyone at that tournament was a strong player and deserved to be there, but heading into the match was tough, because I wasn’t used to waking up so early and playing straight away. I tried to stay in the moment, and toward the end of my match I felt like I had played some good tennis.”

The coach agreed, adding that the senior reaped the rewards of years of sticking to the game plan.

“I kept telling him to keep with whatever we were focused on in training, and in two years he’ll see what I’m talking about. And over all these years, we’ve had that happen again and again, from his serve motion to every single aspect of his game,” McConville said. “It takes time, and he’s really hung in there. He’s stayed with it and stayed the course, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Astilean said the bond he and McConville have is something he holds near and dear to his heart.

“It’s meant a great deal to me,” he said. “Kevin is the best coach I could’ve asked for to help me develop not just as a tennis player, but as a person. Something Kevin said to me, which I’ll never forget, was to not be afraid of hard work, and to embrace the grind. I’ve met so many people along the way through this sport that I’m so grateful to have in my life. I feel proud to see how far I’ve come, how I’ve developed over time, and I’m excited to see how my game will improve in the future.”

Astilean had been in talks with Division I Fordham University since the end of last year, and was originally committed to playing there, but decided to work with McConville one more year to see what scholarships he could earn from some of the top tennis schools.

McConville said the sky is the limit for the student-athlete, who also holds a special place in his life for not only becoming like family to him, but for being his first player to contest at the state level.

“Tennis pros refer to it as raising a child. It’s many, many days of practice over many, many years, and it’s rare, but he’s one of those,” McConville said. “He’s a great kid, and it’s been my privilege to coach him. He deserved this.”