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It was not so long ago that Kareem Douhne would bring his son Brody to the Callaway High School tennis courts with him as he coached the Cavaliers. Now, two generations of Douhne are hunting a state championship with the LaGrange High tennis team. 

Coach Kareem took a position at LaGrange High nearly five years ago and took on an assistant coaching role with the Grangers. He knew at some point that he and Brody would share the tennis courts together, and that time has finally come. Brody, a freshman and member of the No. 2 doubles team, and the Grangers are heading to Rome for the Final 4 on Saturday, and the duo will share a chance that few ever get, a chance to win a state title as father and son. 

“It’s a lot of fun, but he holds me to a higher standard than everybody else on the team,” Brody said, chuckling.

“I hold him to a higher standard because I know everything that he is capable of,” Kareem interjected. “This is the first time any of the boys on the team have made it to the Final 4, so I’ve been telling them to just enjoy it because you don’t know how often this will come around.”

When Kareem looks at his son, who now stands almost a full head taller than his father, he can’t help but think back to the little kid that would hit tennis balls in the indoor facility or standing on his tippy toes looking through the chain link fence that surrounded the old tennis courts at Callaway High.

“As soon as he could start walking, he had a little tiny racquet that he would go out there and hit balls on the Callaway tennis courts,” Kareem said. “I still have a photo of him with me when we won our first region championship over there.”

Now, when the two line up across from each other, racquets in hand, it’s often Brody that now comes out on top.

“If I have a good day, I can beat him, but if I’m off in any way, he’s probably going to beat me,” Kareem said. “They get competitive; neither one of us likes to lose.”

“We get really into it for sure,” Brody added. 

On a match day, you might not even know they are related. Kareem is not the helicopter type of parent/coach combo and lets his son experience the natural highs and lows of playing competitive sports.

“I try to stay away unless he calls me over,” Kareem said. “I just like to let him do his thing.”

Kareem and Brody’s relationship is one that has been forged in the fires of athletics. The former played wide receiver at Presbyterian after his high school days, while the other is about to enter his sophomore season as a wide receiver with the Grangers. It is just another way these two are intrinsically linked.

Just like on the tennis courts at Callaway High, Kareem and Brody have found memories shared under the bright lights of Callaway Stadium.

Coming into Brody’s freshman season on the courts, there was no guarantee that he would be anywhere near the starting lineup. Brody put his head down and worked his way into the starting lineup before the season, earning a spot on the No. 2 doubles team. 

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to start, and I initially wanted to play singles, but the coaches put me with my current partner now against our no. 1 doubles in a match back in January or something, and I just liked it and we really clicked,” Brody said. 

“He’s a pretty good athlete, so doubles was kind of a natural fit for him, and I thought it would be a great introduction to the varsity tennis scene,” Kareem added. 

The LaGrange High team is chock-full of quality tennis players. The depth is one of the main reasons why the Grangers earned the top seed in the 3A state playoffs and have their eyes firmly planted on winning a state championship.

“This lineup is very, very competitive, and we have a lot of good players that don’t even start,” Kareem said. 

Going from playing singles as an eighth grader on the JV team to playing as a doubles partnership on varsity took an adjustment period for Brody, but the naturally gifted athlete quickly found his footing alongside his partner Sehun Seol. 

“We talk as much as we can on the court,” Brody said. “It’s been a lot of fun learning how to play doubles alongside him.”

The tennis journey for Kareem and Brody is really only just getting started. The two will be locked in together for the next three years as Brody will look to climb the ranks in the starting lineup for the Grangers. 

“He’s already won a ton of big matches for us as the no. 2 doubles,” Kareem said. “He’s really done a phenomenal job, and I can’t wait to see how he grows and improves from here.”