His name is Andre and he plays tennis.

Andre Ilagan and his namesake, Andre Agassi, have yet to meet. Ilagan, a Farrington student with a 3.5 grade-point average, is a good son, friend, teammate. Off the tennis court, he seems like many other Governors on campus. The biggest difference? Ilagan is a two-time Oahu Interscholastic Association champion. As the Carlsmith Ball/HHSAA State Championships near, Ilagan has been pegged as the No. 1 seed in the boys individual brackets.

Not bad for a sophomore.

Seeded fifth last year as a freshman, he beat No. 6 Mackenzie Wilson of Seabury Hall and No. 7 Dylan Gatiuan of Pearl City before losing to three-time state champion Kawika Lam of Punahou.

“That was my first time playing him. It was a good experience and he was just better than me,” Ilagan said. “Against him, you’ve got to keep moving him around, otherwise the point’s over.”

Ilagan has not lost any competitive fuel despite this year’s No. 1 seeding. He added to his arsenal over the years, fine-tuning and sharpening all the time.

“His forehand is awesome,” said his dad, Sergio Ilagan. “We built that up. If you don’t have a weapon, you’ll have a hard time against the good players. And the brother (Anthony) comes down and plays. That’s how he became good.”

Farrington co-coach Vailima Watson is unabashed.

“Andre is a product of his upbringing. He never takes anything for granted. He’s a perfect fit,” she said. “The most important thing is he wants this. He’s so focused and determined, and he pushes himself. I would love to have him as a son.”

Her husband, co-coach Jerry Watson, especially enjoys seeing a product of the community rise to the top.

“It couldn’t be more balanced. Everyone here recognizes that above all, how great his attitude is, his personality. He’s demonstrating his skills, but the discussion is about how great his attitude is and his relationship with his dad,” Jerry said. “What’s incredible is without spending hundreds of dollars a month or thousands of dollars on private lessons, Andre’s so representative of coming out of the community of Kalihi, just having the hard work ethic, having a high grade-point average, he knows how it is to go completely on your own. Being comfortable in his identity. Kids can be inspired and motivated by him.”

His name is Andre for a reason. It goes back to his father, Sergio, and brothers Anthony and Mark. Sergio Ilagan grew up playing basketball in the Philippines, then moved to Hawaii. Tennis? Not a clue.

It was 1996. The No. 1 pop song was “Macarena” by Los del Rio. Bill Clinton was still POTUS and the Dallas Cowboys had just beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. Sergio, then 32, and oldest son Anthony were spending time together at the swap meet one day. Anthony was a basketball player.

“He told me, ‘Oh Daddy, let’s buy a tennis racquet.’ It’s only $2 for each racquet. Old one. Aluminum,” Sergio recalled. “Fifty cents for one bag of balls. It’s 12 o’clock, so he said, ‘Let’s go behind the school (Kalakaua Middle).’ We start hitting balls.”

They got the bug. Sorta. Anthony started playing basketball again, but after an ankle injury, he got more interested in tennis. Then came the Agassi connection.

“Before, it was VHS, you remember? Before DVDs. I bought that (VHS) tape. Agassi was 17 years old. ‘Daddy, I want to hit balls like that.’ We kept going and going,” Sergio said. “And he got better.”

Eventually, Anthony won two OIA titles and younger brother Mark won one. After they graduated, Sergio was ready to return to the homeland.

“I’m thinking, ‘Go back to the Philippines.’ I told my wife (Anefel), and she said, ‘I’m pregnant, honey!’ I was surprised.”

So, the Ilagan ohana remained in Hawaii.

“It was the year 2000. Agassi was No. 1 in the world. Martina Hingis was No. 1 in the world. My sons said, ‘If it’s a boy, you should name him Andre. If it’s a girl, Martina,’ ” Sergio said. “He was born in November.”

Ilagan likes his name.

“When they told me that, what if Pete Sampras had been No. 1? Then my name would be Pete,” he said.

From the time he could stand and walk, he was cavorting across the tennis courts next to Kalakaua Middle School. He never ceased to work.

“My dad’s not too pushy and stuff,” Ilagan said. “Coach Jerry and Coach Vailima, I’ve learned from them mentally wise, what’s going on during the match.”

Every day, he soaked up knowledge.

“He would be there every day with his brothers. He worked harder than them. No complain (about) anything. Ask, ‘What time are we going to the court,’ ” Sergio said. “We go early in the morning, again noon time. That’s why he became good. You have to sacrifice a little bit.”

In the end, he’s just a young star with an old-school mentality.

“Some of my friends ask, ‘Don’t you get bored of playing tennis every day?’ I say, ‘No. If I stop playing, then the other players I play against are going to be better than me,’” Ilagan said.

He doesn’t see any obstacles for youngsters anywhere.

“Just find a way.” Ilagan said. “You’ve got to ask your parents for help. ‘Dad, Mom, can we try a sport like tennis?’ It’ll start from there maybe.”

THE HIGH SCHOOL TOP 10

Voted on by coaches and media statewide. First-place votes in parentheses. Ten points for first-place votes, nine for second, etc.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Also receiving votes: Punahou I-AA 8, Waiakea 4, Kalani 2, Waipahu 2.

BASEBALL

Also receiving votes: ‘Iolani 6, Campbell 4, Hilo 4, Kapolei 3, Kauai 2, Kamehameha-Hawaii 1, Molokai 1.

SOFTBALL

Also receiving votes: Kaiser 25, Maui 6, Punahou 6, Leilehua 6, Pac-Five 5, Waiakea 5, Baldwin 2, Aiea 1.