Lake Forest's Bagheri Joins Tarwid At State; Form Foundation for Bright Future

When the boys’ tennis said the team had no returning state qualifier for the first time in 10 years.

Regardless of how freshman and sophomore Cameron Bagheri perform at the State Tournament, which opens today (May 26) at Hersey High School, next year’s edition of the Scouts will have a pair of returnees.

The duo advanced from last weekend's Deerfield Sectional with Tarwid claiming third and Bagheri fourth. As a team, the Scouts finished tied for second with 19 points behind Deerfield (34) and ahead of Wheeling (10), Carmel (6), and Libertyville (6).

Starting today, Tarwid and Bagheri are two of 128 players competing for the state singles title over the next three days. The tournament format is double- elimination, but no competitor in the consolation bracket can finish higher than fifth. Once an player loses a match before the semifinals, they are placed in the consolation bracket. 

Tarwid is seeded to reach the fourth round and Bagheri the third.

The two Scouts have taken different paths in their tennis careers which have led them to this point. Both began playing at a young age—Tarwid at 5 and Bagheri at 9. Tarwid has been a regular on the junior circuit since he was 9, attaining a No. 5 Midwest ranking in the 14 and under bracket and 49th in the 16 and under category.

Bagheri has never played competitively other than high school. 

“When I was a freshman it was something I wanted to do,” Bagheri said, describing his decision to begin his competitive tennis career at the high school. “My brother was the captain last year, and Brandon Berish encouraged me to come out.” 

Berish, also a sophomore, teamed with Connor O’Kelly to capture the No. 3 doubles title at the North Suburban Conference meet. Both Bagheri and Tarwid credit Berish with being the Scouts' top cheerleader and supporter. 

When Tarwid and Bagheri went though their final tune-up for the state meet Wednesday, Berish joined them to help the qualifiers prepare. “He’s always there for us, always cheering,” Bagheri said. 

Leighton is quick to point out Bagheri’s lack of junior tournament experience was no barrier to his ability to be a major contributor to Lake Forest’s effort this spring. He was the No. 2 singles champion in the North Suburban Conference meet. 

“He has a regular training schedule and takes lessons,” Leighton said of Bagheri’s effort. Bagheri said he may begin tournament competition this summer. 

Bagheri combines a quick mind with fast reactions. By the time he has completed his warmup or after a match’s first two games at the latest, he has analyzed his opponent to develop a strategy. 

“One of his strengths is how he analyzes his opponent and comes up with a game plan and adjust it during a match,” Leighton said. 

Against some opponents, Bagheri knows an aggressive approach is best. For others, a more relaxed strategy works. He usually knows that before a match starts even if he has never played that person before. 

“I decide if I just have to get the ball back or I need to be aggressive,” Bagheri said. “If I can move him around the court and get him tired, he’ll start to make mistakes.”

When Bagheri believes he might be that type of fodder for his opponent, he takes the more forceful tack. 

“If he’s going to move me around, I have to be aggressive,” Bagheri added. “That’s when I’ll come to net and take him out of his rhythm. I want to make my opponent feel uncomfortable.” 

Bagheri’s analytic approach comes naturally. He excels academically and also stands out in debate. He won a number of best speaker awards at the state debate competition. 

“He has a 5.4 grade point average (out of a possible 5.0) and takes all AP (advanced placement) courses,” Tarwid said.

Bagheri confirmed the advanced placement credits are the reason for the better than perfect average.