For the

last five years John Bougon has served up an aggressive

style of tennis and now the University of North Florida

wants him on their side.

Bougon

signed a letter of intent to play tennis for the Osprey

on Friday. He will be awarded a scholarship to continue

his education and to own the court.

Bougon

started playing tennis at the age of 9. He became

interested in the sport because both his mother and

father played. His mother even played tennis as a junior,

which may have given him the beginnings of a competitive

edge. He practices two hours a day, six days a week. Last

year, Bougon was ranked 22nd in the South.

Bougon has

trained with Coach Duey Evans for a good part of his

young career. Currently, Evans is the executive director

of the Tennis Advancement Program in Charlotte, N.C.

"John has been playing an aggressive style since the

age of 13," Evans said. "He is extremely

coachable but his greatest strength is his ability to

compete, which is intangible and can't be taught."

As the

number one singles player on the Sandy Creek team for the

last three years, Bougon has been able to help his

teammates out on the court. He sees this year as a

rebuilding year for the program. "We lost a lot of

players to graduation, but so did many other teams, so

you never know," said Bougon.

He

currently works out in the off season with his personal

coach, Keith Belcher, as well as his sister, Anne Marie,

a freshman at Sandy Creek. Anne Marie is also a ranked

junior player and hopes to play for Sandy Creek in the

spring.

Bougon

selected the University of North Florida because of

several factors. "I wanted to be by the beach, to

get a good education and to get a scholarship. The

University of North Florida gave me all of those

things."

His coach

at the university will be Coach Tom Schroeder, a

Brazilian coach who has built a solid program. Bougon

plans to study physical therapy at the school.

"John

will do fine playing in college," said Evans.

"The main focus for a collegiate player is to finish

off points. John should have no problem developing those

skills."

Bougon is

unsure if his tennis career will go beyond college, but

nobody who knows him doubts that he could do it if he put

his mind to it. He will attend the University in the fall

of 2000.