In his 23 years as Pleasant Valley's tennis coach, Mark Allison has had some very talented players go through the ranks and contribute to his program.

But very few made the type of impact that 2015 Times News Tennis Player of the Year Jon White did.When White received his diploma last June, it marked the end of a four-year tennis career as a Bear - a career that was highlighted by a remarkable list of scholastic achievements."Without a doubt, Jon is one of the best players to have played the sport at Pleasant Valley," Allison said. "I'd put him right up there with Jarrett Siewic as the two best players I've ever coached."Siewic was a four-time Times News Tennis Player of the Year recipient and Division I athlete in the sport at Siena College.Among White's achievements last season were reaching both the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11 Class AAA singles semifinals, as well as the district 11 doubles finals with teammate Erik Ammerman. White's doubles game was remarkable, as he reached that final with two different players as he partnered with John Walmach two seasons ago for the AAA District championship."A kid like Jon doesn't come along very often," Allison said. "I've been coaching for a long time and I've had those two players that I can say had that caliber of talent. They improved each season and their work with teammates at practice definitely made me a better coach and made the entire team better."Allison added, "The singles competition in the district the last couple years has been outstanding, so it says a lot about Jon's ability that he made it to the semis the last two seasons.""The thing about Jon that was so great was that he wasn't just a good athlete, but he was a great kid, too," Allison said. "Opposing team's coaches would root for him to do well and succeed in the postseason, so to have that effect on them says a lot about his character."White's absence at the top of the Bears' lineup will create a void that Allison knows will be almost impossible to fill. But it will also create opportunities for this year's Pleasant Valley team, which has Allison excited about the upcoming season."We'll definitely take some lumps this season, but the kids are only going to improve," Allison said. "If you look at the lineup, we have plenty of young players back this year. I like this group a lot."Senior Steven Nale and sophomore Najja Francis will more than likely begin the year as the top two singles players, while a freshman, Jake Ammerman, will man the number three spot."The seniors are giving us some great leadership so far," Allison said. "We can't expect a single player just to jump in and fill the shoes that Jon White left empty. But our kids are working hard to improve their individual games. We aren't looking for any of them to take Jon's place on the court. We just want them to be the best players they can be."While White's tennis skills might not be able to be replicated, Allison is hoping his attitude can be.White, who has since moved on to Wilkes University to major in Nursing and attempt to further his tennis career at the next level, will be missed as a role model."He would put in so much work in the offseason and during the season," Allison said. "When the other kids saw that, it would really resonate with them of how to get it done. The rest of the team had a lot of respect for him as a player and as a leader."With a strong troop of talented young players on court, Allison is counting on that same type of leadership and commitment from this year's upper classmen that White provided the past few seasons.If that happens, Plesant Valley should grow and improve as a team over the course of the season.