Intercollegiate Tennis Association

Peter Smith was inducted into the ITA Men’s Hall of Fame this past May. Some of his career highlights include a 639-232 overall record; 5 NCAA Team Championships during his tenure at USC; a two-time ITA DI Coach of the Year recipient while also being the only coach to date to lead four different men’s programs to national top-25 rankings – Long Beach State, Fresno State, Pepperdine, USC. We cover a lot of ground in this podcast including some wonderful stories from Peter’s tenure as a college coach; the importance of building relationships; recruiting; focusing on the small details; learning from mistakes and more.

Dr. Jaco Keyser is the head women’s tennis coach at the University of South Alabama. He is also a professor at the South Alabama business school and the host of The Rest of Us Podcast. Jaco just completed his 21st year as a head coach but also served some time as the men’s assistant coach at South Alabama. In this podcast we discuss his transition from the men’s game to the women's game; how he manages his very busy schedule; his passion for promoting college tennis to a larger audience and much, much more.

Ryan Kucera is the head women’s tennis coach at UW-Milwaukee. He started his coaching career right out of college as the head women’s coach at DII Minnesota State. Within one year he had turned the program around with several players breaking school records and receiving conference coach of the year honors. In May of 2022, despite his young age, UW Milwaukee offered him an interview for their head coaching role, which he aced and was ultimately offered the position. Ryan just wrapped up his first year at UW Milwaukee and the Horizon League and has an incredibly bright college coaching future ahead of him. In this podcast, you will see why Ryan is rising up the coaching ranks at a rapid pace; he is very clear on his coaching philosophy and shares some great takeaways for coaches to consider as they start planning for the 2023/2024 season.

Dr. Tim Baghurst is a Professor of Education and the Director of FSU Coach at Florida State University. He earned his doctorate in kinesiology from the University of Arkansas and has three additional graduate degrees achieved in three different countries. His research focuses on coaching education and development with an emphasis on coach health and well-being. In this podcast, we discuss a wide range of topics from coach mental health to the team integration of international student-athletes. This podcast is full of important insights and key takeaways so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

If you have not already picked up a copy of Legendary Kentucky Coach, Dennis Emery’s new book, Serving Up Winners: 10 Steps to Building your Program, I recommend you do so as soon as possible. In this podcast we discuss the traits of the most successful coaches, marketing yourself and your program, sustaining success over a long period of time, and the current state of Division I college athletics.

Josh Molino, the head men’s tennis coach at Kansas Wesleyan, has spent the last five seasons laying the foundations for long-term success in the classroom, on the courts and in the Salina Community. In this podcast, we discuss the impact Josh’s exposure to some of the best coaches and players in the world at a very early age had on his path to becoming a coach; why coaches should find time to volunteer their expertise; some fundraising strategies plus a whole lot more.

Jamea Jackson is in her first season as the head women’s tennis coach at Princeton. Jamea turned pro at age 16 reaching a career WTA high of No. 43. After just six years she had to call an end to her professional career and reimagine her future career plans. Her first coaching opportunity landed her at Oklahoma State from 2009 – 2013 where she combined her coaching duties with her work on an undergraduate degree. She then served as National Coach for the USTA Player Development department for nine years. In this podcast, we discuss Jamea’s unique path to a head coaching role in the college game; what she learned during her time at Oklahoma State and USTA PD; how she maximizes her practice time and managed her transition to the head coaching role at Princeton.

Joe Gilbert is the founder of JMG Tennis Academy, located in Sacramento, California. He is the only coach in the country to win the “Development Coach of the Year” award twice, awarded to him by the United States Olympic Committee in 2013 and 2018. He has helped to develop numerous top junior, college, and professional tennis players over the last 15 years. In this podcast, we discuss some mistakes coaches make in the recruiting process; how college coaches can facilitate a smoother transition from junior tennis to college tennis; how to maximize the potential of players with limited athletic ability and Joey shares his development philosophy which has proven to be very successful at every level of the game.

Davidson Kozlowski is in his 11th year leading the men's tennis program at Drake University. During his time at Drake, he has been named the conference coach of the year on six occasions while qualifying his teams for seven NCAA tournaments. He has also helped the program to its highest ITA National Ranking of #16. Davidson served as the men's assistant coach at UAB prior to arriving in Des Moines, Iowa. In this podcast we discuss why he left his forever home in Alabama for Iowa; his approach to community engagement initiatives and what can be done to make college tennis more relevant at both the local and national levels.

Dr. Timothy Russell is the President and CEO of the ITA. He spent three decades as a distinguished educator at Arizona State, The Ohio State University and the University of Rochester. He became well-known in the tennis world for his tireless work and leadership as a long-time USTA Volunteer. Due to his extensive contributions to the tennis world, he has been inducted into the ITA Men’s Collegiate Hall of Fame, the USTA Southwest Hall of Fame, and the USTA Central Arizona Hall of Fame. Tim has led the ITA for the past eight years ushering in many positive changes to ITA business practices to help keep pace with the ever-changing landscape of college athletics while at the same time building the credibility of college tennis with key stakeholders in the global tennis industry. In this podcast, we discuss the future of college athletics, the NCAA COC decision to pilot the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships in the fall of 2024 and 2025, and the potential role of television coverage in college tennis.

Billy Porter is the Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach at Southwestern University and has seen significant success and steady improvement in both programs since his arrival in 2013, including an NCAA Elite 8 appearance for the women's team and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance for the men's team in 2021. In this podcast, Billy discusses the differences and similarities he sees in coaching men and women and how he's adapted his coaching style to be most effective with both teams. He also shares his ideas on building a successful program and then the challenge of sustaining it over time.

Simon Earnshaw, the head women’s tennis coach at NC State, won nine NCAA Division II National Championships while serving as the head coach at Armstrong Atlantic. In 2014 he took over the reins at NC State and has helped the program to multiple program firsts including a run to the Final Four in 2021 and an NCAA Division I Doubles Title in 2022. In this podcast, Simon shares what he learned during his early days of coaching at the Nick Bolleteiri Tennis Academy; some of his keys to consistent success on the court; his struggles to find the right fit at an NCAA Division I athletic department, and lots more.

Justin DeSanto has taken what many would consider to be an untraditional path to becoming a Division I Head Coach. In June of 2021, he was named the Head Men's Tennis Coach at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB), his first head Coaching job, after having worked his way up from a Volunteer coach with the Yale women's team to an Assistant Coach at NCAA Division III powerhouse Williams College followed by five seasons as an Assistant for the Wichita State men's team. All of this with zero college tennis playing experience! As a matter of fact, Justin didn't start playing tennis until he was in high school but his story proves the point that great coaches don't have to be great players. Listen to this episode to learn more about Justin's amazing rise up the coaching ranks plus all of the fantastic work he is doing in the wheelchair tennis space.

Olga Harvey spent nearly 20 years in the corporate world before joining the Women Sports Foundation in 2017 as the Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, where she made an immediate impact on the sports world. Olga is passionate about the transformational power of sports and play equity on and off the court. In this podcast we discuss Olga's incredibly interesting story of how she came to the United States from Russia and her path from graduation from Cornell University to where she is today at the Women Sports Foundation. We also dive into the 50th anniversary of Title IX and discuss important topics such as "How do we educate and empower the next generation of advocates?" and "What do the next 50 years look like for girls and women in sport?". Additional Resources: Relevant WSF Research reports: 50 Years of Title IX: We're Not Done Yet - Women's Sports Foundation (womenssportsfoundation.org) FINAL6_WSF-Title-IX-Infographic-2022.pdf (womenssportsfoundation.org) Coaching Through a Gender Lens - Women's Sports Foundation (womenssportsfoundation.org) Beyond X's & O's - Women's Sports Foundation (womenssportsfoundation.org) We Play Interactive Digital resource for coaches and leaders: We Play Interactive - Women's Sports Foundation (womenssportsfoundation.org) Tara Vanderveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching: Women’s Sports Foundation Continues to Close the Gender Gap in Coaching with the Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching - Women's Sports Foundation (womenssportsfoundation.org)

As we approach the HBCU National Tennis Championship, host Danielle McNamara sits down with Alan Green, the Director of Tennis and Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach at Xavier University of Louisiana, who led both his men's and women's teams to the 2021 HBCU National Tennis Champ title. Green is entering his 20th season leading the Xavier programs and is an alumnus of the University himself. A New Orleans native, Green is a three-time ITA/NAIA National Coach of the Year. In this podcast, Green and I discuss the history and importance of the HBCU National Tennis Championship, as well as some of the unique and special characteristics of playing and coaching at an HBCU. Green shares with us his path to Xavier and some of his own ideas on how to enhance and elevate college tennis more broadly.

You probably know Dave best as the current COO of the ITA but he was also a very successful college tennis player at Fresno State and then a long-time college tennis coach at DePaul, Northwestern, and the University of Oklahoma before turning to more administrative roles in the world of tennis. In this episode we hear about Dave’s perspective and opinions on important issues like the format of college tennis, college tennis being televised and streamed, his advice to newer coaches starting out in the profession as well as those coaches who may be nearing the end of their careers and much more.

Adam Schaecterle recently completed his fourth season as the head men’s coach at Pepperdine University. He has helped reestablish Pepperdine as an annual contender for West Coast Conference titles and a team capable of mixing it up with the best teams in the country. In this podcast we discuss Adam’s first job with Wilson Sporting Goods after graduating from Northwestern University and what he learned in that role; his decision to move on to a head coaching role after just short stint as an assistant coach; his reasoning to return to an assistant coaching role after his experiences as a head coach; and how he convinced Pepperdine that he was the best coach for the job.

Todd Wojtkowski is wrapping up his 14th season as the head men’s coach at Case Western Reserve University. His team is enjoying one of the best seasons in program history, winning the ITA Division III Men’s National Indoor Championships earlier this spring and currently sit at # 2 in the ITA Division III team rankings. In this podcast we discuss his transition from coaching one gender at the NCAA Division I level to coaching two genders at Division III; his approach to managing large roster sizes; capitalizing on early successes in your tenure as a head coach and much, much more. You can also find some of the drills Todd refers to during our conversation in the Coach Masterclass in your Coaches Resources section of the ITA website.

Audra Cohen, the Head Women’s Tennis Coach at the University of Oklahoma, is no stranger to winning. In her freshman year at Northwestern, she won 51 singles matches. The following year she won an NCAA singles title at the University of Miami. She reached a career-high of #229 on the WTA tour before joining the college coaching ranks as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin. She took over the head coaching responsibilities at North Florida in 2011, where she was named a three-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the year winning four Atlantic Sun Tournament titles. Audra is now the head women’s coach at the University of Oklahoma, where she is having a breakout year, reaching the finals of the ITA National Indoor Championships in February, winning a Big-12 regular-season title, and will enter the NCAA tournament later this month as one of the favorites to win it all. In this podcast, Audra shares many aspects of her coaching philosophy and processes for recruiting, doubles, and sports psychology, as well as her role as the CEO of the OU women’s tennis program.

If you thought trying to win a dual match was a pressure-filled environment, try negotiating and drafting billion-dollar deals. That is exactly what today’s guest was doing before joining the college coaching ranks. Ryan Ruzziconi is the head women’s tennis coach at Saginaw Valley State University. He gave up his career in the legal profession to pursue his true passion for coaching tennis which he has done at all levels of the game. In this podcast we discuss what skills Ryan has brought from his past life as a lawyer to help him in his current role; his progression from high school tennis coaching to college coaching and how he and his community is dealing with the aftermath of a tragic mass shooting last November in Oxford, Michigan.

Alison Ojeda is currently the Head Women’s Tennis Coach at the University of Tennessee, where she was also a standout player. Her coaching career to date includes assistant coaching roles at Texas A & M, Alabama, and Baylor and a 5-year head coaching role at Middle Tennessee State University. Alison shares how she was a better assistant coach the second time around at Baylor and also a better head coach the second time around at the University of Tennessee; how her coaching style has changed through the years and how it might evolve further when she becomes a mother.

Dr. Jim Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist, authoring 17 books on a range of topics related to peak performance. This is Dr. Loehr’s second time on the ITA College Tennis Coaches Podcast. This time around we discuss what coaches need to do to move beyond any plateaus they face in their career; how to define and reinforce their culture; managing and coaching Gen Z student-athletes; and why he believes the Apeak App might just be the future of mental performance training.

Trey Morris was thrown into the deep end of his head coaching career when he signed on to be the assistant coach at Montana State and found out just weeks later that he was being promoted to interim head coach. Not only did Trey survive those first few months, he thrived, and the interim tag was removed. Trey’s team currently holds a 7-1 record on the spring season. He has made his program a darling of the Montana State Athletic Department by engaging his community and caring deeply about his home match day product. His AD was recently quoted as saying his recent trip to one of Trey’s dual matches was one of the most entertaining sporting events he has been at in some time! In this podcast we discuss how he adapted to the unexpected promotion early in his tenure at Montana State and how he is caught the attention of his community and Athletic Department.

Billy Pate and Damian Hume, the head men's coach and the assistant men's coach respectively at Princeton, join host Dave Mullins to discuss the in's and outs of the role of the assistant coach. Billy is entering his 27th year in college coaching and spent two of those years working under the legendary Bobby Bayliss at Notre Dame. Damian has served as an assistant coach at Boise State, Michigan State and is now in his 8th year as Billy's assistant at Princeton. In this podcast they discuss the pathway to becoming a head coach; some mistakes assistant coaches can make; how assistant coaches can get more involved within their athletic departments and lots more helpful advice for assistant coaches.

Many of you will have seen Arthur Bryant’s name mentioned in stories about reinstated college programs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Law Journal has twice named him one of the 100 most influential attorneys in America. Recently, he has led ground-breaking settlements at eight universities that announced they were eliminating women’s varsity intercollegiate athletic teams. He also led a historic settlement – the first Title IX victory for male student-athletes – with Clemson University, reinstating men’s track field and cross country in April, 2021. In this podcast we discuss some possibilities as to why tennis was singled out for elimination during the early days of COVID-19; his advice for insulating your college tennis program from threats; what you should do if you were ever to be told that your program has been eliminated and some advice on leading high performing organizations.

Somadi Druker has been the head men’s tennis coach at Queens College in New York since 2015. She has already claimed three East Coast Conference coach of the year honors by winning conference titles and taking her team to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II Championships on several occasions. In this podcast we discuss why Somadi is an outlier in the world of college tennis, and college sports in general, as a woman coaching a men’s team; her advice to other woman coaches interested in coaching on the men’s side and how she stays involved and committed to many faucets of the tennis industry.

Josh Goffi has been the head men's coach at the University of South Carolina since 2010. He also served as an assistant coach for the men's team at Duke from 2008-2010 and for the women's team at Arizona State from 2006-2008. He was a successful player at Clemson and reached a career high ATP doubles ranking of 121 and a singles ranking of 488. In this podcast we discuss his father's influence on his coaching philosophy and gather his thoughts on recruiting, player development and intentionally managing your culture. You can also find some additional tips from Josh about Player Development in Chapter 9 of the Coach Masterclass.

Sujay Lama, the head women's coach at North Texas, has a fascinating background having lived in three continents and is fluent in four languages. He grew up in Nepal and earned a tennis scholarship to Luther College in 1988. Since then, he has coached some of the top WTA tour players at Grand Slam events, won National Championships as an assistant coach at Florida, and now has 23 years head coaching experience at the University of Illinois and North Texas. In this podcast we discuss what he learned from several mentors within the tennis industry, his thoughts on international recruiting, advice for younger coaches and many other interesting topics.

Today I am joined by Dr. Tiff Jones, a certified mental performance consultant and founder of X-Factor Performance Consulting. As you will hear she is a former varsity soccer player and college coach, and specializes in mental skills training for athletes, teams, coaches and corporations. She works with a number of college tennis teams so is very familiar with our space. I think coaches will walk away from this conversation with lots of things to think about as we pack in a lot in a relatively short amount of time.

Dave Fish and Steve Smith have worked tirelessly for many decades to make tennis more accessible to the masses. Dave Fish is the former head men's coach at Harvard winning 21 Ivy League titles during his 42 year tenure. After his retirement from college coaching he served as Director of Development for UTR. He was also inducted into the ITA Hall of Fame in 2019. Steve Smith is the founder and co-director of GreatBase tennis and has spent almost 50 years studying the game of tennis, developing tennis players and educating coaches. He has worked as a tennis educator for families, federations, universities and associations in over 30 countries. In this podcast we discuss many different matters, including what role college coaches play in the advancement of the sport of tennis and how coaches can become better teachers of the game to their teams and community members.

Today, we’re talking with Erica Perkins Jasper, a leader in intercollegiate tennis, a successful Division I head coach, and distinguished student-athlete, who is now entering her third year as the Director of Athletics at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. In this episode, Dave and Erica chat about the pathway from student-athlete to head coach and head coach to director of athletics. In this interview, you’ll learn more about how you as a coach can improve your relationships with athletics administration and what athletic directors are looking for in a coach.

Boomer Saia (pronounced CY-uh) has orchestrated one of the best turnarounds in college tennis since arriving at Iowa State. In his three seasons leading the program, Saia has led the Cyclones to a 17-match home winning streak, a school-record four conference wins in 2021, the first Big 12 Conference Tournament win in school history, and the first NCAA Tournament berth in school history. One of the nation’s brightest young coaches and an integral part of teams that have reached the Final Four at Vanderbilt and most recently the Elite Eight at Texas Tech, Saia was named Iowa State head coach on June 14, 2018, and the Cyclones have been on an upward trajectory ever since. The 2020-21 Cyclones rewrote the record books with a historic season. Saia earned Big 12 Coach of the Year and Wilson ITA Central Region Coach of the Year honors after leading Iowa State to a 14-8 overall record and the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2020-21. Iowa State went undefeated at home (8-0) for the second-straight season and finished the season ranked. Saia possesses a great familiarity with the Big 12 Conference, having spent much of his professional career in the league. He has been on staff as an assistant at Oklahoma (2014-16) and also worked in a volunteer role at his alma mater Kansas (2010-14), where both programs ranked inside the top-35 during his tenure.

Grant Chen has followed Emerson's advice of "do not go where the path may lead but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Grant started his college career on the UCLA club team before joining the UCLA tennis team staff as a student-manager. He then advanced to Director of Operations, Assistant Coach, Associate Head Coach, and was named the head men's coach at SMU in 2018. Grant is the epitome of the modern-day college coach. He is a true CEO, managing and excelling at all aspects of his role and finding ways to give back to the sport he loves in his limited free time.

In 2019, Lloyd Bruce Burgess gave up his comfortable well paying job as the Director of Tennis for Genesis Health Clubs in order to pursue his dream of becoming a head college tennis coach. He joined the University of South Florida staff as a volunteer assistant where he served for 5 months before being named the men's assistant coach at the University of Iowa in January 2020. He helped the Hawkeyes to a historic season before learning last summer that the program would be eliminated at the end of the 2021 season. In this podcast, we discuss Lloyd's decision to step away from a successful career to join the college coaching ranks; how his years in management apply to his role as a college coach; and how he is dealing with having his career disrupted once again, this time through no fault of his own.

Danielle McNamara is in her second stint as the head women's tennis coach at Yale. From 2006 to 2014 she led the team to four Ivy League titles and a 124-49 record. She returned to Yale in 2016 and her team was experiencing one the best seasons during Danielle's tenure before the season shut down due to Covid-19. In this podcast, we discuss Danielle's move into the head coaching role at Yale at just 25 years old; her decision to step away from college coaching only to be lured back in by the University of Texas. She also shares why Yale was ultimately the best fit for her; how other coaches can think about where to take their talents and some ideas she has implemented at Yale to grow closer connections with her community.

This podcast with Dr. Tommy Valentini builds on some of the topics discussed in Chapter 16 of the ITA Coach Masterclass on Ethical Decision Making & Sportsmanship. Tommy is not only the head men's tennis coach at Gustavus Adolphus but is also a Professor of Sports Ethics. Tommy is currently undefeated in Conference Play (95-0) in his 11 years as a head coach! In this podcast, Dave & Tommy discuss why teaching the sport of tennis alone is not enough to build the character of an individual or team, what Tommy learned from the legendary Dr. Steve Wilkinson, and how coaches can build a winning program on a strong foundation of exemplary sportsmanship.

Anthony Nguyen Pham has covered a lot of ground during his time in college tennis. He played at NAIA, Baker University; got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at NCAA Division II Drury; moved on to be a head coach of both the men's and women's teams at NCAA Division I Niagara; transitioned to the assistant coach position at NCAA Division I Purdue and then the associate head coaching role at NCAA Division I Wisconsin. He recently moved from Madison, Wisconsin to Boulder, Colorado to take on the role of assistant coach of the University of Colorado women's tennis team. In this podcast, Dave and Anthony discuss some of the similarities and differences between coaching at the different divisions and levels, Anthony's thoughts on the limited diversity within the coaching ranks, and what career advice he would provide young minority coaches looking to carve out a career as a college tennis coach.

Dave Mullins was very fortunate to coach against Chris Young for eight years while he was at the University of Oklahoma. Dave witnessed firsthand the amazing impact Chris has had on the Oklahoma State women’s tennis program and is thrilled that he is able to share some of his insights with a larger audience today. Chris is now the Director of Tennis at Oklahoma State and has managed to turn a very average Power 5 program into a national powerhouse coming within a hair of capturing an NCAA team title in 2016. He was instrumental in fundraising and building an incredible tennis facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and has made college tennis one of the most relevant sports in the minds of his Athletic Department, University, and greater Oklahoma tennis community.

Matt Knoll spent 22 seasons as the head men’s coach at Baylor amassing an astounding record of 510 wins & 150 losses, 13 Big 12 Regular Season Conference Titles, 6 Big 12 Coach of the Year awards, 3 ITA National Coach of the Year awards, two individual NCAA titles, an ITA Indoor National Championship and one team NCAA title. He has now turned his talents to helping others as a college sports mentor and advisor. Matt founded American College Placement. In this podcast, Matt takes us through how he helped the Baylor men’s team go from worst to first, what he has learned consulting for some of the top DI programs in the country and he also provides some solutions for common coaching headaches. If you would like to provide Matt with some of your own scenarios or ask him some questions yourself, you can do so by registering for our "Ask Me Anything" webinar session with Matt on Tuesday, March 30th. Click here to get more information & register for the webinar.

Nadia Abdala played four years at Arizona State University before playing professionally on the WTA tour reaching a career-high of # 517. Since 2014 she has served as the Assistant Women's Coach at the University of San Diego. Clarisse Baca was a standout player at Sacramento State, helping her team to four straight Big Sky Conference Championships, and was herself a four-time All-Big Sky selection. She is now the head women's coach at the Academy of Art where she helped the program reach its highest national ranking in program history (# 5) in 2019. Both Clarisse & Nadia were born and raised in Mexico and have known one another since their early days in the sport of tennis. In this podcast we discuss their experiences moving to the USA and their transition to college coaching. They also share details about an exciting new initiative they have developed named the Latina Tennis Coach Association. They founded this association in 2019 with a focus on empowering Latina women in sports and tennis. They currently have approximately 170 members with 60 of these members having played college tennis. Ten current members are also college tennis coaches. To get more information and join, visit the @latinatenniscoach on Instagram and fill out a short form!

Dwayne Hultquist has almost completed 21 seasons as the head coach at Florida State and is the winningest coach in Florida State history. Like many of our guests, he has won his fair share of coaching awards through the years. However, as much time as Dwayne has put into developing his team into ACC and NCAA title contenders he also recognizes the need to spend just as much time building community support for his program. In this podcast, we discuss how a coach can go about building community interest in their team even if they are new to an area and do not have many connections - if any; how he balances his work building support for his program and his coaching duties; and how he manages his responsibilities as a coach while raising five children with his wife Angela.

Darryl Cummings accumulated over 600 wins during his 20 years as a college coach at Norfolk State University, Virginia Wesleyan and Old Dominion University. You have probably come across Darryl on social media or on his YouTube channel, you may also know him as one of the founders of the UTR and Cummings Athletics. In this podcast, Darryl shares his insights into how coaches can develop their entrepreneurial spirit, their marketing skills, and what he would do if he was the Czar of College Tennis for a day.

Bev Buckley is now in her 35th year as the Head Women's coach at Rollins College. She has led her teams to over 500 wins and has coached 21 All-Americans. She was also a standout player herself competing in Wimbledon, the French Open, and the US Open. Bev was recently recognized for her extraordinary commitment to the ITA and college tennis after being named the recipient of the 2020 ITA Meritorious Award this past December. We discuss her early days as a player and a coach, some mistakes she sees many coaches make early in their career, her advice for a long tenure in college coaching, and why coaches should consider getting more involved with the governance of college tennis.

Chad Stoloff was the head women's coach at the University of Northern Colorado. Unfortunately, the program came to an abrupt end in the summer of 2020 due to athletic department financial concerns around the Covid-19 pandemic. Chad began his career as a volunteer coach at San Diego State before eventually making his way to the head men’s coaching role at the University of Nevada, where he led the teams to many program firsts between 2005 & 2009. He also served as the head men’s and women’s coach at Springfield College from 2015 to 2018. We discuss with Chad his transitions in and out of coaching and from one division to another, dealing with the cancellation of the program at UNC, how he balances his intense love of learning with application, and most importantly coach mental health.

Jeremy Loomis is now in his 20th year as the head women’s tennis coach at Swarthmore College. He recently conducted a study named Perceptions of Division III college tennis coaches during the Covid-19 pandemic national emergency. Jeremy possesses a Masters Degree in Exercise Science and also an MBA. He has coached at Duke, Maryland, Miami of Ohio and oversees in Jakarta, Indonesia. In this podcast, we discuss some of Jeremy’s recent research, his advice for those coaches dealing with yet another semester without their teams or competition, what lessons he will continue to apply in a post-covid world, managing generational differences, and why coaches should take advantage of continuing education opportunities on their campus.

David Sammel is well known in British and ATP coaching circles. He has coached many of the top British tennis players throughout the years. He regularly writes articles and publishes content about sport, psychology. He has now developed an online course (Mindset College) to help athletes reach their potential on and off the tennis court. David has also worked outside of tennis consulting with England Rugby and premiership clubs including Chelsea and Fulham. In this podcast, we discuss how he teaches the players he works with to focus on the mental side of the game, how to help players bounce back from losing matches from a commanding lead, the importance of staying loose, the qualities of a great coach and much more.

Alison Swain, the head women's coach at the University of Southern California, spent 10 years in the same role at Williams College winning a mind-blowing eight NCAA Division III National Championships along with countless other awards and trophies. She is now entering her 4th season at USC but began her professional life as an 8th-grade teacher and high school coach in Georgia. In this podcast, we discuss how her background in education influences her coaching style, her remarkable success at Williams College, her decision to move from Division III to Division I, and she also shares some helpful advice for young coaches trying to make their way in this profession.

Chad Camper is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Mocs women's tennis program. He joined UTC on August 4, 2016, after spending the previous three seasons as the head coach at Louisiana Tech. Prior to LA Tech, Camper was the associate head men’s and women’s tennis coach at his alma mater, Wright State. Prior to being promoted, he served three years as an assistant coach for the Raiders. Chad was in the business industry before coming to college tennis. He ran his own logistics company before making the decision to enter the coaching ranks. In this episode, we discuss his decision to step away from running his own business, the similarities between running a business and leading a program, where coaches should think about spending their time, and much more!

We are joined by Liberty University women's tennis associate head coach, Giancarlo Lemmi on this episode! Giancarlo joined the Lady Flames' coaching staff in the fall of 2012 as a graduate assistant and during the summer of 2013, he was promoted to a full-time assistant by head coach Jeff Maren. In May 2018, Lemmi received a promotion to associate head coach. His strong knowledge of the game and Liberty tennis stems from his four-year playing career for the Flames. In this episode, we discuss his personal development as a coach, his coaching philosophy, and advice for other coaches.

There are few college coaches in recent memory who have volunteered as much of their time to help grow the sport of tennis as Peter Wright. Entering his 27th season at the helm of the California program in 2019-20, Peter Wright has built an impressive résumé as the leader of the Cal Golden Bears. Previously the head coach of the Bears, Wright earned the title of Director of Men's Tennis after an anonymous gift endowed the head-coaching position in January of 2018. Wright received his first coaching award in 1994 when he was named Wilson/ITA Regional Coach of the Year for guiding the Bears back to postseason play. More recently, Wright was named the 2016 Pac-12 Coach of the Year after leading Cal to the NCAA semifinals and to its first appearance in the conference championship match. Wright earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors in 1997 and 2001 and has helped the Bears become fixtures in NCAA postseason play since. Wright also claimed the 2012 USTA/ITA National Campus & Community Outreach Award, for providing a leadership role in increasing tennis participation throughout his community, both on and off-campus, and earned induction into the USTA Northern California Hall of Fame and into the Berkeley High School Hall of Fame. This conversation with Peter goes in many different directions; we discuss the importance of volunteering, fundraising, the future of college tennis, and Peter provides lots of thoughtful advice for the next generation of college tennis coaches.