Imani Jean of Howard University is turning heads on the tennis court. The freshman is a part of the Bison doubles team and has an 11-3 record in singles matches, including a winning streak of seven games in a row, the Washington Informer reported in April.
The Brooklyn, NY native finished her first collegiate season 13-3 overall in singles and was recognized for her amazing performance by being named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) 2024 Rookie of the Year in May.
She told the outlet that it all began when she was 6. She recounted, “I saw Serena playing at the U.S. Open when I was like 6 years old and told myself that was who I wanted to be like. My mother decided to enter me into a USTA tennis program and that is how it started for me.”
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At the age of 13, Jean started her serious competitive career by splitting her time between Brooklyn and College Park, Maryland, where she trained at the Junior Tennis Champions Center and attended an online high school.
She signed up for a rigorous program that prioritized advanced instruction. She was on her way to the type of exposure that attracts recruiters.
For the aspiring teen, however, things quickly took a turn for the better when she became the focus of elite [Division II] schools, some of which were as far away as California. She ultimately chose Howard because she felt that she would be surrounded by people who looked like her and had some similar interests.
But it has not always been smooth for her at Howard. Jean expressed, “The biggest adjustment has been in academics. I did classes online. The training was very intense, and we averaged about four hours per day. The rest of the day was spent studying and with tutors. It’s changed dramatically. Now we train for about two hours and the rest of the time is spent with my studies. It has been an adjustment for me. The biggest thing is that I am learning time management.”
She also expressed her surprise at how well she had done in the college. The finance major added she intended to get considered for a scholarship.
Howard associate tennis coach Zach Tobias said of Jean, “I am not at all surprised that Imani has had this early success.”
“First, she is very experienced in terms of her training regimen before she came to Howard,” said Tobias, who has been at Howard for two years and is highly respected in the tennis community. “Number two, she is super driven. That is a great combination for such a young player at this level. She has had some hard matches this season as a true freshman and has weathered the storm. Again, it is her incredible drive that she has to be great.”
The young prodigy shared her plans for the future, saying, “What I have learned at Howard is the value of the experience. I would love to play professionally one day — that would be great. But being in the School of Business gives me different options. I plan on doing internships starting this summer.”
