He lost his cool – again.

Ryan Rowe stormed away from teammates and coaches. Rowe, an All-American for the men’s tennis team, was utterly angered during a team meeting last season after he lost to Louisiana State’s Danny Bryan, the nation’s No. 44 singles player. Rowe was ranked 12th at the time.

The Illinois team lost the overall singles contest 4-3. Rowe did not want to hear what head coach Brad Dancer had to say.

“I was really stressed,” Rowe said. “I felt like I was letting my team down.”

He later apologized to his teammates. That outburst as a junior brought back memories of his latter high school and early college years, when Rowe was considered a hothead by his own admission.

Overcoming obstacles

“He got (angry) all the time, and then he really took it upon himself to be much more composed,” said senior Brandon Davis, who lives with Rowe in a four-bedroom apartment.

Davis added that, in the past, Rowe would let off-court happenings affect him on the court.

Rowe would throw his racket. He’d yell at himself.

“Just things that don’t allow people to stay focused and play their best tennis,” Rowe said.

Those were issues Rowe said he struggled with all his life. He has since moved on with his behavior. But Rowe, 21, does not forget his past, especially when he has reasons to believe that frustration affected him more than just mentally.

“I usually got physically sick and was not able to play very well because I felt my stomach was killing me,” Rowe said.

One of Rowe’s admirable attributes led to his outbursts: his drive.

So badly he wanted the team to triumph. Rowe, with his buzz cut and Nike socks pulled high up to his shins, has a 6-foot-5 frame and uses his long arms and powerful left-handed serve with funny spins to keep opponents on their toes. Rowe has confidence that he is the one that ought to pull through when it is showtime.

And he did just that on more than one occasion.

Rowe and former teammate Kevin Anderson won the NCAA doubles national championship during the 2005-06 campaign. They were determined to do it again and miraculously became the first teammates to make it back to the finals as matching partners. They reached match point – but lost to Middle Tennessee State.

Last season the Illini were on the brink of a national championship but were runners-up to the Georgia Bulldogs. Things cannot always go perfectly, and Rowe has worked on channeling anger toward positive outcomes.

Rowe, a senior, is ranked No. 9 in the country, so he is the one being looked up to by teammates. Before the 2006-07 season started, Anderson turned pro, making Rowe the highest-ranked player on the team.

Anderson was ranked as the No. 4 collegiate tennis player in the final ITA poll last season. Anderson and Rowe clicked as a team and Rowe’s consistent backhand had a lot to do with it.

Anderson believes in Rowe. He is impressed with his former teammate’s progression.

“He’s had a tremendous improvement in so many facets,” Anderson said. “Not just in tennis, but in life.”

Can Rowe use the life experiences to lead his team?

Dancer made it very clear to Rowe that leading is not a necessity for him, but Rowe wants to take the challenge upon himself.

Aside from influencing his teammates on a personal level, Rowe always has been one to lead using his tennis talents.

He is still not satisfied.

His ultimate goal is to have the team win the national title.

“I want to improve and improving is going to help the team,” Rowe said. “I want to get (in) better shape, get my serve and return better … so I’m able to be one of the dominant players and can help win matches when they need me.”

Signs of change occurred after freshman year and have been lasting.

“I’m able to get more out of every day, and it’s really exciting to me and everybody else around me hopefully just to see that growth,” Rowe said.

Rowe is not afraid to admit that he has been wrong and at times did not represent Illinois in the best possible light.

“When people see a tennis player flipping out on the court, they don’t think, ‘Nice guy,’ ” Rowe said. “They think, ‘This guy is a jerk.'”

By all accounts, Rowe is not that.

“He’s a really considerate person,” said Anderson, who lived with Rowe for two years. “He’s very kind and gentle-hearted, and we get along very well.”

Anderson said the two haven’t fought. They talked about everything. They developed a special friendship.

Family matters

Certainly, the path that has lead Rowe to being the best tennis player in the University is not a conventional one. The same goes for his life. Unexpected twists and turns occurred throughout the scenic journey.

Growing up, Rowe celebrated Christmas with all four of his parents.

Rowe’s biological parents divorced when he was 3 months old. Mark and Jody, his mom and dad, married other people. Jody to Robert Bradfield, and Mark to Denise Rowe.

Though Rowe spent time with his mom and stepfather more often, he has meaningful relationships with all four folks. He appreciates their support of his endeavors and is especially touched by the attitude of Bradfield.

“My step dad treats me like I’m his own son,” Rowe said. “He brags about me like I was his biological son, and he’d do anything for me. I call him when I need things all the time.”

Rowe remains in contact with his brother Brandon, 24, and his sister Amber, 23. Also, Rowe said just because he didn’t live with his biological dad as much does not mean he does not have a good relationship with him. But he does.

Yet another colossal change had to be made. Between seventh and eighth grade, Rowe moved from Moline, Ill., to Pompano Beach, Fla., to live with his uncle, Chris Hunt. Tennis programs were much better down there, Rowe said.

Leaving loved ones was not easy for Rowe, but he made his decision. And the payoff occurred. Rowe had a No. 1 ranking in the 16-and-under division in the United States.

Still, he ended up moving back to Moline for a semester his junior year and for a little while after finishing Lighthouse Christian Academy, a home school program.

With all of the moving, Rowe didn’t forget about family. His conscience and remembrance for those close to him shows in his apartment on campus, as he keeps a photo of his 7-year-old half sister Destiny on the desk next to his bed.

Caring, friendships, success

Though Rowe is known around campus as a gifted athlete and as an individual who is a fierce competitor, Davis knows the whole truth.

“If I could tell you one thing about Ryan Rowe, I’d say he is an extremely nice and caring guy,” Davis said. “That goes unnoticed sometimes.”

Aside from Rowe’s progression and revelation to leadership and maturity, what does not go unnoticed is his room in the apartment.

The floor was filled almost to its full capacity, including a black suitcase. There were empty Coca-Cola and Sprite cans lying around but also author Dan Brown’s novels “Angels and Demons” and “The Da Vinci Code,” the latter of which Rowe read.

Rowe’s clutter is part of the package that he brings to the table, and Davis does not mind at all.

“I clean up after him all the time,” Davis said.

Despite the variety of posters around the overall apartment (“Let’s have a party. Crash it.” and “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”) and eight black Logitech speakers, Rowe, with his eyes intensely focused on the object and with a slight grin on his face, pointed out a large, orange “I” that Davis’ mother sewed. Rowe also mentioned that his own orange and blue quilt on his back wall was made by his grandmother.

As the items have personal meaning for Rowe, so does spending time with Davis. One way they kill time is to quote their favorite movies. They like to quote “Super Troopers” (one day the cable went out, and they watched the movie nonstop), “Wedding Crashers” and “Talladega Nights.”

But more meaningful than quoting movies together, Davis and Rowe just like being friends and sometimes traveling around the town, whether it has been going to the Bar Louie on Mondays or going to Hooters anytime.

“Ryan definitely loves human interaction … He definitely likes to meet people,” Davis said. “He always has a good story for us here or there.”

Aside from the friendship with Davis, Rowe loves the “family” atmosphere he and his teammates have. He cherishes it.

“I didn’t realize it would be like this,” Rowe said.

Dancer appreciates Rowe’s overall maturation process.

“He’s on a path of personal growth,” Dancer said. “He has become more confident in himself as a human being.”

Rowe has learned lessons in life and on the tennis courts.

He plans to use them for the long season ahead.

If he happens to be losing, he now says he is in a better position to triumph. The same goes for helping teammates overcome adversity.

“I care about my teammates,” Rowe said. “I would try to help anyone I could. The relationships that have developed because of Illinois tennis have helped me blossom into that person.”