BREAKOUT tennis sensation Khai Rees has committed to play ball for the Temple University Owls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Rees will be joining the Temple University Division 1 NCAA men’s tennis programme, competing in the prestigious American Athletic Conference (AAC) and will help contribute to their growing legacy and stellar play. 

Rees, 17, had officially planned to take a gap year to focus on tournament play but impressed Temple University’s director of tennis and head coach Jeff Brandes with his skill and potential during summer play. 

After touring the school campus last month, the firm decision was made to enter early despite his young age as a freshman. 

The young Bahamian sensation has been making waves on the tennis scene, representing The Bahamas internationally since the age of 10. 

Rees became the youngest Bahamian to represent on the ATP men’s tennis tour earlier this year, and is considered to be a top prospect to watch. He has represented The Bahamas in several tournaments in Greece this year on the ATP Herkalion tour series. 

This marks a new chapter in the burgeoning career of Khai Rees. 

After leaving St Augustine’s College in 10th grade to pursue his tennis career in the United States, Rees is now a graduate of Laurel Springs School having closed out his high school career achieving top academic honours nationally and a final semester GPA of 3.84. 

As a top scholar, Rees has opted to enrol in the highly regarded real estate programme within Temple University’s Fox School of Business. He will begin his college life as a student-athlete this fall.

He joins the Owls at an exciting time, with the recent completion of a brand-new, state-of-the-art 52,000 square foot tennis complex. The facility boasts cutting-edge Playsight technology, enabling fans worldwide to stream matches on ESPN+.

Temple University is a prestigious university, ranked in the top 50 nationally, known for its strong academics, diverse student body and unique setting within the city of Philadelphia. Temple is also known as a top-tier research institution with a  wide range of academic programmes, including nationally recognised graduate and professional programmes. 

“We look forward to many outstanding achievements from Khai and we wish him all the best in his new college experience. 

Bahamians now have two more additions to the Philadelphia sporting scene to follow with Khai Rees in tennis at Temple and VJ Edgecombe Jr with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.