Episodes

Nov 25

Robin Stephenson is in her 12th season as the Head Women’s Coach at the University of Washington. Under her leadership, UW has made six NCAA tournament appearances, and finished the season ranked in the top 30 five times. In this podcast, Robin reflects on her time as a volunteer assistant for Bryan Shelton at Georgia Tech and the lessons she carries from that NCAA Championship season. She and Dave discuss her coaching journey, what she thinks defines a great college coach and how she evaluates and challenges herself with each season.

Oct 28

Nick Zieziula is entering his 12th season as the Head Men’s Coach at Binghamton University. In this podcast, Dave and Nick discuss the ways he was able to keep various key stakeholders engaged and involved with his program during a performance slump. They also talk about what coming back from that looks like and how he and his coaching staff are maintaining their momentum. Finally - this fall, Nick’s program and several other universities in New York, along with USTA Eastern, worked together to create a large community service event centered around a fall college tournament. Nick explains what they did, how they did it and why other college coaches should consider implementing something similar in their own communities.

Sep 30

After graduating from the University of Montana, Jason Brown spent years outside the tennis world, including time as a professional poker player. Dave and Jason delve into the skills he honed in the high-stakes world of poker and how those lessons translated back to the court. Jason also discusses the evolution of his coaching career, his experience working in analytics for pro tennis players and the lessons he’s learned from a former teammate.

Aug 26

Tim discusses transitioning from the pro tour to college coaching, his remarkable success at Texas Tech, and his decision to retire. He also opens up about the tragic events that unfolded just 20 days after his retirement, and how they influenced the person he is today.

Jul 29

Coaches, please enjoy this special episode that takes a look back at some of our first podcasts recorded during the 2019-20 college tennis season. Guests such as David Roditi, Peter Wright, Sheila McInerney, and Claire Pollard are featured during this first-ever top moments podcast from the ITA.

Jun 26

In this episode, several leading media members within college tennis sit down with ITA CEO David Mullins to discuss this past college tennis season. Listen as they discuss some of the biggest surprises, breakout stars, and more on this season recap episode.

Jun 26

Raleigh’s experience has fueled his mission at the University of Idaho: to make college tennis indispensable. Raleigh and Dave discuss the steps that he is taking to make sure his program is vital to his athletics department. He also gives advice that all coaches should consider implementing as soon as possible. College tennis is at a critical juncture. Coaches are encouraged to look at all aspects of their program and consider what are truly priorities at this moment. Raleigh’s call to action urges every coach to proactively invest in their program's longevity, turning a crisis into an opportunity for growth and popularity.

Jun 3

In this podcast, Dave & Steve discuss how he implements what he learns through his PhD, to his team, how he develops a culture of continuous improvement in his athletes, and the ways he stays innovative in managing his program. Steve also gives some great advice on how coaches can wrap up their season and the school year.

Apr 29

Dave & Chris discuss coaching transitions, from volunteer to full-time assistant, and across schools. Chris shares his perspective on the importance of staying in one place, working for good people and learning the ins and outs of the profession. They also discuss recruiting and the impact of NIL on tennis, the ways in which he continually learns how to improve as a coach, and new ideas he impleneted with his team.

Mar 27

Welcome to the ITA Student-Athlete Podcast with your host Abi Wild, a former women’s tennis player at Hawaii Pacific University. This podcast was created by college tennis players for college tennis players to share the stories and experiences of our unique sport with the world.

Mar 25

Paul Settles enters his 21st season as the Head Men’s Coach at Claremont Mudd Scripps. He has led the program to the NCAA DIII National Championship finals, six times in the last 10 seasons, and earned CMS its first NCAA Championship in any sport, in 2015. Paul has served on numerous committees throughout his career and is currently the co-chair of the ITA’s Division III Operating Committee, and sits on the ITA’s Board of Directors. Additionally, Paul serves as a Professor of Leadership studies, oversees a not for profit foundation with his wife, and is an actively competitive tennis player. In this podcast, Dave and Paul discuss his transition from working as the Head of Players Services on the ATP Tour, to becoming a college tennis coach, despite having no previous coaching experience. Paul reflects on some of his biggest mistakes as a new coach, and how he’s evolved throughout his career. They also talk about how being a professor of Leadership Studies at CMS and continuing to compete in tournaments, helps him as a coach.

Mar 11

With over 25 years of experience working within or with collegiate tennis programs, Scott has worked with the USTA for the past eight years in the collegiate and facility departments. With a passion for college tennis and the facilities in which tennis is played, Scott is the go to person when it comes to finding opportunities to upgrade tennis facilities and what opportunities are available to collegiate programs to help offset some of the costs associated with facility upgrades. Listen to the podcast above to hear more from Scott and the opportunities available to college programs from the USTA.

Feb 25

In this podcast, Erin and Dave discuss what she and her staff do to achieve a 120-0 record in conference play, early lessons learned when going from student-athlete to head coach, the impact of additional duties on her role as head coach and what Dave needs to consider about DIII tennis, in his new role as CEO.

Feb 4

In today’s episode, Abi sits down with recently graduated Northwestern and Maryland women's tennis player, Hannah McColgan. As an influential player on two Big Ten teams, McColgan has turned her passion for the sport of college tennis into a career, becoming the assistant coach at UMass after graduation. Stepping in and immediately making an impact, McColgan earned ITA New England Region Assistant Coach of the Year honor in just her first season as an assistant. Her efforts helped lead UMass to a 15-8 overall record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. While you listen, Abi and Hannah will discuss many different aspects of being a college tennis player, including, the experiences she gained as a player at both Northwestern and Maryland, the transition from being a player to a coach, and what she has learned from her first year of college coaching.

Jan 28

Rod Ray is in his 25th year as the head men’s tennis coach at Wofford College, where he also served as the head women’s coach from 2000-2008. In 2024, he published his book “Hard Comes First”, which condenses 24 years of college coaching into essential lessons for fellow coaches. In this podcast, rod and dave discuss the ideas and concepts from rod’s book, including how he gets his athletes to embrace discomfort, his philosophy on coaches having an unwavering belief in others, and how he motivates athletes to pursue greatness. He also shares why he thinks difficulty is so good for people, how coaches can get out of their own comfort zones and much more.

Dec 26, 2024

In today’s episode, Abi sits down with Columbia men’s tennis junior, Michael Zheng, who was recently crowned the NCAA Division I Men's Singles Champion. Coming into Columbia as one of the top ranked junior players in the country, Zheng has impressed since day one at the college ranks achieving many program firsts over his first two and a half years in New York. Now a two-time NCAA Singles Finalist, Zheng was the first Columbia player to achieve ITA All-American status during both his freshman and sophomore seasons. Over the next hour, Michael and Abi will discuss many different aspects of being a college tennis player, including, why he chose to attend Columbia, how he has handled the success he has achieved, and how he balances being a top tennis player at one of the top educational institutions in the country. We hope you enjoy this inside look into college tennis, and be on the lookout for new episodes every month.

Dec 17, 2024

In this podcast, Dave and Paul discuss his tactical system, the Wardlaw Directionals, Paul’s transition and immediate success from DIII to DI, how Paul learned to be an effective college coach early on in his career, and so much more.

Nov 26, 2024

Harry Jadun was named the Michigan State head men’s tennis coach in June 2022. He set several records as a player at Michigan State and is now doing the same as the head coach, helping the program to heights never seen before. Harry has benefited from coaching programs offered by both the USTA and the ITA that have helped enhance his growth as a coach while also serving as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois and Michigan State University. In this podcast, Dave and Harry get into why Harry has enjoyed some much coaching success at such a young age; how growing up in the digital age may be an advantage to him; what he has learned from a number of great mentors, and much more.

Oct 29, 2024

Denise Dy was an outstanding college player at the University of Washington, reaching as high as No. 3 in the ITA National rankings. Denise has committed herself to learning as much as possible about the coaching profession and is committed to evolving with the ever-changing landscape of college athletics. In this podcast, Denise shares why continuing education has been important to her career development, how she manages community and athletic department expectations for the program, and how she approaches recruiting now as the divide between the haves and the have-nots continues to widen.

Oct 27, 2024

Welcome to the ITA Student-Athlete Podcast with your host Abi Wild, a former women’s tennis player at Hawaii Pacific University. This podcast was created by college tennis players, for college tennis players, to share the stories and experiences of our unique sport with the world.

Oct 2, 2024

Bo Jabery-Madison is about to enter his 20th year coaching the men’s team at American River College, which competes in the CCCAA division of college tennis. Bo has led his teams to 13 conference titles while qualifying for the CCCAA Playoffs every year of his tenure. In this podcast Bo shares why he has stayed loyal to American River College throughout his collegiate coaching career; the differences between trying to develop players in a two-year window vs. a four-year window; the nuances of 3C2A college tennis and much more.

Oct 2, 2024

Richard Spurling is a former international college tennis player at FAU and founder of ACEing Autism, a volunteer-driven non-profit organization dedicated to helping children with autism grow through the sport of tennis. In this podcast Dave discusses with Richard how college coaches can help ACEing Autism fulfill their mission and goals; the many benefits of community service and how coaches can easily start an ACEing Autism program on their campuses while receiving all the help they need to get their program going.

Sep 11, 2024

Craig O’Shannessy is widely recognized as a world leader in teaching and analyzing tennis strategy. He has worked with numerous professional tennis players, including Novak Djokovic, throughout his illustrious coaching career. He is very familiar with the college game; playing college tennis himself and having worked with many college coaches and their programs through the years. In this podcast, Dave asks Craig to clear up any misconceptions about the first 4 ball concept that Craig popularized. Craig also puts himself in the shoes of a college coach and discusses what would his approach to identifying talent and what he what his practice focus would be throughout the fall season of college tennis, if he were to become a college coach tomorrow. We apologize for a bit of background noise during the early part of this podcast but stick with it, it is well worth a listen.

Aug 27, 2024

Tyler Thomson, the associate head coach for the UNC women’s tennis team since 2018, served as the head women’s tennis coach at the University of Minnesota for 11 seasons and the College of William & Mary for 6 seasons. In his time at UNC, he has helped the team to one NCAA title, four ITA National Indoor Championships and three ACC Conference titles. In this podcast, Tyler shares why he made the move from being head coach after 17 seasons to an associate head coach; why building a great culture and focusing on human development trumps winning; how he keeps perspective in work and in life; his work with the ITA Women’s Hall of Fame and a whole lot more.

Aug 19, 2024

Welcome to the ITA Student-Athlete Podcast with your host Abi Wild, a former women’s tennis player at Hawaii Pacific University. This podcast was created by college tennis players for college tennis players to share the stories and experiences of our unique sport with the world. In today’s episode, Abi sits down with recently graduated Texas men’s tennis player Eliot Spizzirri. As the two-time ITA National Player of the Year, Spizzirri has been one of the top college tennis players at the Division I level throughout his career. He concluded the season with a 29-6 overall record, including 21-4 in dual matches, playing on the top line in all of those. Fourteen of his 29 wins came against top-50 opponents. In the fall of 2023, Spizzirri won the singles title at the ITA All-American Championships. While you listen, Abi and Eliot will discuss many different aspects of being a college tennis player, including, the transition from college tennis to the pro tour, why he decided to go to college after a successful junior career, and how Texas has developed him into the player and person he is today.

Jul 30, 2024

Lauren and Dave discuss a wide range of college tennis topics including Dave’s hiring as the new ITA CEO starting in January 2025, important news that coaches need to know, and what he is excited for as Fall 2024 rapidly approaches.

Jun 25, 2024

Jay Tee began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s teams at Cleveland State helping both programs to many achievements. After struggling to identify a head coaching role at the NCAA DI level, Jay opened up his mind to the possibility of coaching another division. In 2012 he accepted the heading coaching role for both programs at the University of Chicago where he has gone on to many accomplishments culminating in a NCAA DIII title on both the men’s and women’s side this past May. In this podcast, Dave and Jay, discuss the transition from DI to DIII coaching, how Jay’s self-reflection during Covid allowed the teams to break through some plateaus, and finding the right fit for your coaching talents.

Jun 2, 2024

Welcome to the ITA Student-Athlete Podcast with your host Abi Wild, a senior women’s tennis player at Hawaii Pacific University. This podcast was created by college tennis players for college tennis players to share the stories and experiences of our unique sport with the world. In today’s episode, Abi sits down with Keiser women’s tennis player Violet Apisah. Since beginning her collegiate career at Keiser, Violet has been a part of one ITA National Team Indoor Championship in 2023 and has been NAIA National Runners-Up for the past two seasons. While you listen, Ansh and Violet will discuss many different aspects of being a college tennis player, including, why she chose to go to junior college before enrolling at Keiser, her success on and off the court, and what it is like to balance academics and athletics. We hope you enjoy this inside look into college tennis, and be on the lookout for new episodes every month for the next three months.

May 28, 2024

At one point this season, Gabby Moore helped her team to a 16-match win streak and spearheaded another resurgent year for McNeese State. She served as the head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Jackson State for five years after a great career playing for another HBCU, the Southern Jaguars. In this podcast Dave and Gabby discuss transitioning from coaching two teams, to coaching one; how she manages the stresses of the life of a college tennis coach as a single mom, enjoy a disagreement over the let rule, and much more.

Apr 30, 2024

Earlier this year, legendary University of Georgia Head Men’s Tennis Coach, Manny Diaz, announced this would be his last season leading the Bulldogs after 36 years at the helm. During his career, Manny and his teams captured 29 conference championships, four NCAA titles, and two ITA national indoor championships to name just a few of his many accomplishments. In this podcast, Manny shares what he learned from his predecessor and mentor, Dan Magill; some of his favorite memories; how he stayed connected and relatable to his players with each passing generation, and much more.

Apr 29, 2024

Welcome to the ITA Student-Athlete Podcast with your host Abi Wild, a senior women’s tennis player at Hawaii Pacific University. This podcast was created by college tennis players for college tennis players to share the stories and experiences of our unique sport with the world. In today’s episode, Abi sits down with Case Western Reserve men’s tennis player Ansh Shah. Since beginning his collegiate career at Case Western Reserve, Ansh has been a part of two ITA National Team Indoor Championships as well as an NCAA Team Championship in 2023, the first for the entire Case Western Reserve athletic department. While you listen, Ansh and Abi will discuss many different aspects of being a college tennis player, including, why he chose to play at Case Western Reserve, his success on and off the court, and what it is like to balance academics and athletics. We hope you enjoy this inside look into college tennis, and be on the lookout for new episodes every month for the next three months.

Apr 17, 2024

Jason Harnett has devoted much of his professional coaching career to the growth and development of Wheelchair tennis in the USA. A former college tennis player at the University of Washington, Jason is now the Director of Wheelchair Tennis at the USTA having coached many of the top US Wheelchair Tennis players in recent decades. The growth of wheelchair tennis providers, wheelchair tennis tournaments, US Open slots and prize money, and collegiate wheelchair tennis programs has been nothing short of remarkable in recent years. However, with this growth comes a dire need for additional collegiate wheelchair programs across the country so that junior wheelchair players can continue their tennis journey. In this podcast, Jason shares some of his work to date and what steps college coaches could consider to start their own program.

Mar 29, 2024

Welcome to the very first episode of the ITA Student-Athlete Podcast, with your host Abi Wild, a senior women’s tennis player at Hawaii Pacific University. This podcast was created by college tennis players for college tennis players to share the stories and experiences of our unique sport with the world. In today’s episode, Abi sits down with NC State women’s tennis senior Amelia Rajecki , who is someone that she has grown up playing tennis with, and against, in England. Since starting her collegiate career at NC State, Amelia has risen to become one of the top players in all of college tennis, being named an ITA All-American in singles and doubles in 2023, while earning a career-high ITA Singles Ranking of No. 3 in the Nov. 15 rankings release. Over the next hour, Amelia and Abi will discuss many different aspects of being a college tennis player, including, why she chose to come to college America and NC state, her success, and what her plans are next. We hope you enjoy this inside look into college tennis, and be on the lookout for new episodes every month for the next four months.

Mar 26, 2024

Lindsay Peterson is a former standout player for Nebraska Volleyball helping the team to an NCAA title in 2000. She coached at Northern Colorado and Virginia Tech before taking on the Director of Operations role at the University of Nebraska. Lindsay has enjoyed a front-row seat to the rise in popularity of women’s college volleyball in recent years and in this podcast, Dave and Lindsay discuss the factors that have led to the growth of interest in volleyball and other collegiate women’s sports; how volleyball coaches have helped grow attendance at their matches and the story behind the world record women’s sports attendance record set last year.

Mar 15, 2024

Brendan Sullivan, the founder and CEO of the newest ITA partner, ZAMA Health joins Jon Fagg, the UTA Athletic Director and host, Dave Mullins, to discuss how student-athletes and coaches at UTA are maximizing their use of the ZAMA Health app. They discuss some of the key features of the app which is free for all ITA member programs, the current state of intercollegiate athletics and its impact on the mental health of coaches, and several best practices to ensure the safety of student-athletes.

Feb 27, 2024

Nadia Abdala was named the head women’s tennis coach at the University of San Diego (USD) after serving 8 years as the assistant coach. She has made an immediate impact as the head coach helping the team jump to another level of competitiveness amongst the best teams in the nation. In this podcast Nadia discusses how she managed her relationships with her players during the transition from assistant coach to head coach, her passion to help women in coaching, and her new favorite drill.

Jan 30, 2024

Dave Mullins is the current Chief Operating Officer with the ITA and has served in this role since 2019. Before joining the ITA, Dave spent 12 years as a coach in college tennis, last serving as the head women's tennis coach at the University of Oklahoma. Dave also spent time in college tennis as a player, competing for Fresno State where he would earn All-American honors. In this podcast, Dave & Lauren Conching discuss the questions coaches submitted, covering everything from WTN to managing dual matches to rules’ questions with Anthony. If you enjoy this unique podcast, let us know so we can do more!

Jan 17, 2024

Andres Pedroso is in his second stint with the University of Virginia after serving as the Associate Head Men’s coach from 2010 – 2014. He was named the Head Men’s Coach in 2017 and in his short career as a head coach, he has won back-to-back NCAA National Team Championships in 2022 and 2023. He is a three-time ACC Coach of the Year, three-time ITA Atlantic Region Head Coach of the Year, and was twice named the ITA National Coach of the Year In this podcast, Dave inquires about Andre’s fascinating background having worked on Wall Street and flirting with a career as a sports agent. They also discuss the importance of scheduling, recruiting the right fit and how Andres deals with the pressures of being a top DI coach.

Dec 19, 2023

Dan Oosterhous was named the Athletic Director for Recruiting at the Air Force Academy this past summer after 14 years as the head men’s tennis coach. Dan achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force after serving in multiple combat-support overseas deployments. In 2013 he suffered two brain stem strokes but recovered to compete as a member of the 2014 and 2016 USA Invictus Games team and continue his coaching career. Dan has served his country, the Air Force Academy, and college tennis with great distinction, and in this podcast we learn more about Dan’s new role, his views on the current and future state of NCAA Olympic sports, what lessons coaches can apply from the US military and some recruiting insights.

Nov 28, 2023

Tara Collingwood is a renowned Sports Dietician, author and TV personality. She has served as the Dietician for the Orlando Magic, UCF Athletics, the WWE and the USTA. She is a performance coach at the prestigious Johnson & Johnson Performance Institute where she teaches executives how to manage their energy. In this podcast she discusses how coaches can improve their own energy levels, stay healthy throughout the long dual match season, how to speak with athletes about their dietary habits and much much more.

Oct 31, 2023

John Shackelford served 33 seasons as the head men’s tennis coach and three seasons as Director of Tennis at the University of the South - Sewanee. During his tenure, he won 551 matches and 12 conference titles. In 2021 he was named as the Director of Athletics and continues to serve the Sewanee community, coaches and student-athletes. In this podcast, John and Dave discuss John’s commitment to one University over 38 years, how John found ways to develop as a coach, the challenges of sustaining success over a long period of time and advice for coaches with families.

Sep 26, 2023

Mark Booras, the head men’s tennis coach at Tulane University for the past 14 seasons, received some devastating personal health news during the 2023 spring season taking him away from his team, his family, and everything else in his life for several months. In this podcast, we discuss Mark’s journey over the last several months, his recovery from a heart transplant to date, and his hopes for the future. Mark also shares some advice on the necessary skills the current college tennis coach needs to acquire to excel in this profession, the importance of patience, and some lessons he learned from coaching some of college tennis's finest players.

Aug 29, 2023

In this podcast, Liz and Dave talk about the lessons Liz has learned over her four decades coaching college tennis; the differences between coaching at each of the three NCAA divisions; advice for young women interested in becoming a college tennis coach; and how she balanced the demands of coaching and raising a family.

Aug 29, 2023

Geoff Russell worked for the USTA Player Development department for 13 years. During his time at USTA PD he worked with many of the top players and coaches in the world. Geoff is a leader in sports performance and data analysis. He leverages innovative solutions in optical data, visions, and wearable technologies to provide objective, measurable, feedback around development areas of focus. He is now working as a consultant for a number of college tennis teams, helping them to maximize their use of technology as it applies to player development and recruitment. In this podcast, Geoff discusses how coaches can implement some level of technology into their coaching modalities; what mistakes he has seen coaches make when trying to help their players reach their full potential; some themes he sees emerging after watching hundreds of hours of college tennis over the last several months and lots of other helpful insights for coaches.

Jul 25, 2023

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.

Jun 30, 2023

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.

Jun 9, 2023

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.

Jun 7, 2023

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.

Apr 28, 2023

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.

Apr 28, 2023

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.

Mar 28, 2023

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.

Mar 16, 2023

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.

Feb 28, 2023

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.

Feb 8, 2023

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.

Jan 17, 2023

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.

Dec 13, 2022

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.

Nov 9, 2022

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.

Oct 11, 2022

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)

Sep 13, 2022

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.

Jun 14, 2022

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.

May 31, 2022

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.

May 17, 2022

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.

May 2, 2022

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.

Apr 4, 2022

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.

Mar 15, 2022

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.

Mar 8, 2022

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.

Feb 18, 2022

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.

Jan 28, 2022

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.

Jan 7, 2022

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.

Jan 7, 2022

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.

Nov 26, 2021

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 .

Nov 5, 2021

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.

Oct 15, 2021

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.

Sep 24, 2021

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.

Sep 3, 2021

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.

Aug 12, 2021

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.

Jul 2, 2021

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.

Jun 8, 2021

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.

May 14, 2021

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.

Apr 26, 2021

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.

Apr 23, 2021

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.

Apr 2, 2021

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.

Mar 19, 2021

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.

Mar 15, 2021

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!

Mar 12, 2021

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.

Feb 22, 2021

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.

Feb 19, 2021

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.

Feb 1, 2021

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.

Jan 29, 2021

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.

Jan 11, 2021

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.

Jan 8, 2021

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.

Dec 18, 2020

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!

Nov 27, 2020

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.

Nov 13, 2020

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.

Oct 30, 2020

Darnesha Moore is the head men's and women's coach at Alcorn State. Darnesha battled through adversity in her young life to pursue her goals as a tennis player and now as a college coach. She wasted no time in moving through the coaching ranks, starting her career as a volunteer coach at Southern University and Lousiana State University before taking over both programs at Alcorn State at the young age of 23. In this podcast, we discuss some of the challenges she faced as a child, her progress through the HBCU system, and some things she learned from her experiences in the USTA Professional Coaching Program, the ITA/USTA Mentorship Program, and from Coach Andy Brandi at LSU.

Oct 16, 2020

Rodney Harmon is in his ninth season as the head women’s tennis coach at Georgia Tech. In his eight seasons as head coach at Georgia Tech, Harmon has posted a 145-69 career record. Most of you know Rodney as one of the top coaches in college tennis. But did you know that he made the quarterfinals of the US Open while still enrolled as a student-athlete at SMU? Did you know that he was the first African-American male to become the president of the PTR in 2018? His list of accomplishments to date is truly amazing and there are many more yet to come. In this podcast we discuss some of Rodney's playing accomplishments, his early days coaching the men's tennis team at Miami, and his experience coaching the top U.S. players while at the USTA. Rodney also provides some viewpoints on the lack of diversity in the game of tennis and amongst college tennis coaching ranks.

Oct 2, 2020

John Roddick, Director of Tennis at the University of Central Florida, has coached in the junior academy space and the pro ranks but has spent the majority of his coaching career in the college coaching world. Roddick's first collegiate coaching jobs were as assistants at Florida State (1999-2000) and Georgia (2000-02). During his two-year stint with Georgia, the Bulldogs won the national championship (2001) and finished as runners-up (2002). During his time as the head men’s coach at the University of Oklahoma, he led the team to three consecutive NCAA finals, winning Big 12 titles and many other awards along the way. He is now in the process of attempting to build a similar list of accomplishments at UCF. He was named the UCF Director of Tennis on May 29, 2016. He serves as the men's head coach with oversight of both the men's and women's programs. In this podcast, John discusses how he went about building the program at Oklahoma and provides advice to coaches as to what they should prioritize when taking over a program, how to build upon any early successes they may enjoy, and lots of other great insights. Key parts of this conversation have been minute-marked for your listening convenience: 01:17 - Why did you choose to start your college tennis coaching career after graduating? 02:30 - What about college coaching did you enjoy the most? 03:46 - Why did it make sense for you to step away and become an ATP coach? 06:12 - Do you regret the decision to step into professional coaching? 06:48 - Did your time away from the college game change the way you view player development? What lessons did you take away from those experiences? 09:13 - Is there anything about the recruiting process that you'd like to share with coaches - tips or advice? 11:29 - What are some behaviors that you look for when recruiting? 13:03 - What do you believe you brought to the program at Oklahoma to help take them to the quarterfinals in your first year? 16:40 - How can a coach ensure that they capitalize on any success they have early in their tenure? 19:49 - Do you think the job changes in any way to sustain success or do you continue to grind away? 22:26 - What advice do you have for coaches on what they should prioritize in their first three months on the job? 24:15 - How did you develop an understanding of what really matters? 27:29 - What is your player development process? 29:54 - Do you have concerns about the future of college tennis? 40:14 - How would you encourage coaches to prioritize the other aspects of their program to help them continue to have a program for decades to come? Rapid Fire Questions: 42:11 - What is a book that made a major impact on you as a coach? 42:50 - Do you have a favorite drill that you do with your players? 44:02 - Name one thing you have changed your mind on in recent years? 45:13 - Do you have a favorite quote? 46:41 - Is there one lesson you hope your players have learned by the time they leave UCF?

Sep 18, 2020

Jaron Maestas spent 12 years as the Head Tennis Professional at Philcrest Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma before entering the college coaching ranks, taking over as the head women's coach at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2016. With each passing year, Jaron's teams surpass the successes of the previous year. In 2020, he and Scott Linn (MSU) co-hosted the inaugural ITA D II Indoor National Championships in Oklahoma City. This is not the type of project many coaches are willing to take on and is just another example of how Jaron goes above and beyond his job description. Jaron is very clear on what he is trying to accomplish at UCO, does not make excuses, and is very resourceful. He is a great example of how you go about making your program relevant within your athletic department, university, and surrounding tennis community. Key parts of this conversation have been minute-marked for your listening convenience: 01:50 - What were some of the professional development lessons that you learned during your time at Philcrest? 06:37 - Do you think you were ready to become a head coach after your time at Philcrest? 08:14 - How did you end up at the University of Central Oklahoma? 13:01 - What potential did you see at UCO and what promises did you make? How did you follow through on those promises? 20:00 - Does it get easier once you have established a culture and expectations? 21:23 - How do you continue to build upon the success of the previous year? 24:59 - How have you made your team relevant on campus? 29:51 - Why bother with the stress of hosting an Indoor National Championship? 35:44 - What advice can you give coaches about fundraising? What have you learned in the last few years? 41:33 - What is keeping you up at night right now when it pertains to the current climate in college tennis? Rapid Fire Questions 44:18 - Is there a book that motivates you? 44:56 - What is your favorite drill? 45:34 - Name one thing you've changed your mind on in recent years? 46:27 - Do you have a favorite quote? 47:15 - What is one lesson you hope your players learn before they leave your program?

Sep 4, 2020

The worst professional news a college coach could ever receive is to be told that their program has been cancelled. Too many coaches have had to deal with this terrible news over the last few months. Kendall Brooks, the former head women’s coach at St. Edwards, discusses her experience of losing her program earlier this summer. In 2018 she led the team to their highest national ranking in school history and were runners-up in their conference. However, all her efforts in bringing the team to national prominence were not considered when the program was canceled in May. In 2018, Brooks brought the Hilltoppers to their highest national ranking in school history at #17 and was named the Wilson ITA South Central Coach of the year Kendall takes listeners through this unexpected experience and provides coaches with some advice should they face a similar fate. Key parts of this conversation have been minute-marked for your listening convenience: 01:45 - When you accepted the position at St. Edwards, were you aware of any possibility that the program would be in jeopardy? 02:50 - Did you ever feel any concerns in the last few years of the program being in jeopardy? 04:35 - Did you experience any budget cuts or were you asked to increase roster size? 05:00 - Were you involved in any fundraising projects or asked to help? 06:40 - Did the decision to cut the program make sense in hindsight or are you still confused? 07:23 - Do you believe any of your great accomplishments were considered when they cut the program and does winning matter at all? 08:30 - How did you hear about the program cut and how did you share the news about the cut with your players? 10:14 - Do you think the program cut was in the works beforehand? 10:45 - Who was on the call when you received the news of the program cut? 11:23 - What are the emotions following the news & how do you communicate that news? 14:10 - Was assistance or information did the athletic department provide to you? 15:27 - If you had received more time about the news of a program cut, what would you have done? 18:18 - What were the reasons provided to you for the cut? Why tennis? 19:24 - Is there anything that you would have done differently in years gone by? What advice do you have? 22:17 - Do you plan to return to college tennis? 24:04 - What was your relationship like with your sport supervisor? Who did you report to? 25:10 - If you did go back to college coaching - would you go to your Athletic Director and have the conversation about program sustainability? 26:10 - Is there any advice for coaches who may be concerned about cuts or for coaches that have experienced cuts? 28:14 - Do you have any advice on how to handle program cancellation from a mental perspective? 29:30 - Do you think St. Edward's University will reinstate tennis in the future?

Aug 21, 2020

It would take several podcasting hours to learn all we could from Geoff Macdonald. He has coached at LSU and Duke and has spent the last 26 years as the head women’s coach at Vanderbilt. He has won a lot of college dual matches and an NCAA team title and has also seen several players go on to see success on the WTA tour. He has long been considered one of the brightest and most interesting coaches we have in the college game and always has some interesting insights every time we speak with him. In this episode, we cover what coaches should consider when moving from one head coaching position to another, his views on player development, and the skills the next generation of college coaches will need to be successful. This conversation took place before he changed roles with long time assistant coach Aleke Tsoubanos. This type of role change may seem surprising to some but those that know Geoff well know that he looks at things a little differently than many of the rest of us. Key parts of this conversation have been minute-marked for your listening convenience: 02:15 - Why did it make sense for you to move on from successful programs? 04:24 - What factors do you think coaches should consider when moving from one program to another? 05:36 - What qualities and skillset did you bring to the table that facilitate program success? 07:30 - Why college tennis? Why not stay in the private sector or work with professional players? 10:16 - What are some of the elements of your coaching style that have remained with you wherever you've coached? 12:37 - Were your coaching techniques a quick switch or did it progress over time? 14:40 - Where do you think your initial coaching methodology developed? 19:03 - What are some of the things you wish you had applied to your program sooner? 21:37 - How do you assist with player development and processes? 23:44 - When you are recruiting players, do you have a system for player development? 28:22 - How do you think your teams continue to get better and believe they are capable as they progress? 32:52 - What has changed for you as a college coach or the college coaching industry and what changes do you anticipate to see in the future? 36:29 - What skills do you think coaches should be learning to move them forward in their careers? 39:28 - How would you encourage coaches to start thinking and developing their own coaching principles? Rapid Fire Questions: 42:58 - Is there a book that made a major impact on you as a coach? 44:27 - Do you have a favorite drill? 47:41 - Is there one thing you've changed your mind on in recent years? 48:16 - Do you have a favorite quote? 51:43 - What is one lesson you hope your players have learned by the time they leave your program?

Aug 7, 2020

Cristina Moros is the Head Women’s Tennis Coach at the University of South Florida. She was a four-time All-American at the University of Texas before moving into the world of high-performance junior development. Cristina came to college tennis relatively late in her coaching career but has wasted no time in becoming one of our most respected coaches at the Division I level. In this podcast we discuss why she chose to leave high-performance junior tennis for the college coaching world, what key lessons she learned playing for Jeff Moore, how she balances work and family as a single mother, and gather some of her perspectives on being a woman of color in the world of intercollegiate athletics plus a lot more. Key parts of this conversation have been minute-marked for your listening convenience: 01:23 - How did Jeff Moore influence you as a college tennis coach? 03:47 - Are you cultivating Jeff's high-level competitiveness culture in your team? 05:53 - Why did you take a long break between your college playing career and becoming a college tennis coach? 07:56 - Do you regret the decision to not become a Top 50 player and continue a professional career? 08:46 - What pushed you over the edge to become a college tennis coach? 10:50 - How do you think you have evolved over the last few years as a coach? 12:58 - How do you connect with your student-athletes? 15:25 - Do you use social media to connect with your current student-athletes? 17:10 - Do you have any tips/insights for how you manage your time so well? 20:51 - Why do you believe it is important to serve college tennis and what advice do you have for coaches to get involved? 22:46 - Do you believe that being a woman of color has hurt you from a recruiting standpoint? 25:28 - How can we increase the level of diversity among college tennis? 29:30 - Is there a book that has had a major impact on you as a coach? 30:20 - Do you have a favorite drill? 32:08 - What is one thing you've changed your mind on in recent years in coaching or in life? 32:59 - What is your favorite quote? 33:41 - What is one lesson you hope your players have learned by the time they leave your program? For Cristina's book recommendation, "Sum It Up" by Pat Summit, click here !

Jun 29, 2020

Paul Drake of First-Cardio Performance has spent the last several years immersing himself in the world of college tennis. He has worked with several of the top Division I college tennis programs, allowing them to train their athletes in a much more efficient manner which in turns increases the probability that the team will truly maximize their potential on the court. He takes the guesswork out of how hard to train, how much to recover, and understanding when players are overtraining or potentially burning-out. Paul also discusses how programs can start tracking vital data on their athletes for little to no money. In this conversation we build upon the last “Expert Interview" with Nick Winkelman; understand that less can definitely be more and how we now have no shortage of science to back up this old cliche. Key parts of this conversation have been marked for your listening convenience: 01:35 - How did you end up in the college tennis landscape with such a diverse background in cardio? 03:35 - How does having a strong cardiovascular system help student-athletes? 04:31 - Why do you believe it is better to condition a tennis athlete on a bike rather than a court? 08:10 - How efficient are your workout routines? 10:40 - What is a starting point for a coach looking to understand how to use heart rate and analyze that data? 13:44 - What do I do with my heart rate data? 17:06 - How did your routines work for previous student-athletes like Paul Jubb (South Carolina)? 22:40 - Are there recommendations that you have post-practice/post-match? 26:22 - What does a sample conditioning week look like? 31:43 - What is your ideal pre-match routine? 38:30 - What advice do you have for coaches moving into a new mindset with heart rate training & recovery?

Jun 26, 2020

Adam Steinberg has covered a lot of ground during his college coaching career and has learned much along the way. His started at St. John's University before moving to Northwestern to become the assistant coach under Paul Toricelli. He was then named the head men’s coach at the University of Alabama before moving on to Pepperdine and now finds himself at the University of Michigan. Adam has a string of outstanding accomplishments including the 2006 NCAA team title during his 13 year tenure at Pepperdine. In this episode we discuss why Adam moved from a head coaching position at St. John's to the assistant position at Northwestern, his NCAA title prediction in his interview at Pepperdine and how he helped turn that prediction into a reality. We also spend a lot of our time discussing his coaching philosophy and the high energy culture he creates wherever he goes. Key parts of this conversation have been marked for your listening convenience: 01:54 - Why was the decision to go from a head coach to an assistant coach a good decision for you? 07:21 - How do you think you were in a better position when you made the transition from head coach to assistant coach to head coach again? 09:37 - Did you really promise a National Championship in 4 years when you were interviewed for the head coach position at Pepperdine University? 11:55 - How did you build your program and know that your team was in a position to win the title? 15:29 - Were there any specific weaknesses you felt like you needed to "drill" in to? 17:26 - How do you help facilitate leadership with your team? 21:13 - Where does your high energy philosophy stem from? 26:18 - How do you establish a culture of energy, especially with a new program? 30:58 - How do you identify players who fit into your high energy culture? 33:47 - Are there any specific questions that you use to help you identify the players that fit your culture? 37:54 - How would you help to encourage a coach to find their identity and build values? 41:43 - How do you go about showing your players that you care about them first and foremost as a student and person and then an athlete second? 45:30 - What is a book that has made a major impact on you as a coach? 46:35 - What is your favorite drill? 48:00 - What would you say is one thing that you have changed your mind on in life or in coaching in recent years? 50:37 - What is your favorite quote? 51:54 - What is one lesson you hope your players learn by the time they leave your program?

Jun 12, 2020

Coach Dick Gould is truly a college tennis coaching legend. As the head men’s tennis coach at Stanford for 38 years his teams won 17 NCAA team championships and he holds a record of 776 wins and 148 losses. He has coached 10 NCAA singles champions, 7 NCAA doubles champions, 50 All-Americans, and nine players who reached the top 15 in the ATP world singles rankings. In this podcast Coach Gould discusses recruiting, fundraising, time management and many other lessons he learned along the way. His fundraising efforts match his winning percentage on the court. He never took the future of the Stanford program for granted. As you will learn through this conversation he worked tirelessly to endow every aspect of Stanford tennis so that future Stanford coaches would never have to worry about the sustainability of the programs. Key parts of this conversation have been marked for your listening convenience: 02:02 - How did you go about recruiting the top tennis players in the country and the world - and convince them that Stanford was viable for their talents? 13:48 - What are some of the recruiting traits you used that are ageless and could apply to coaches today? 17:46 - When you speak with recruits and they ask "where am I going to play" - how did you answer that question? 23:10 - What are some of the key lessons that you learned along the way? 24:49 - What player or team taught you the most as a coach? 28:43 - Is there a mistake that you made with a player that really stands out to you? 31:17 - Are there any time management strategies that were effective for you that would benefit other coaches? 37:09 - Do you believe that college tennis has "lost its way" in recent years? 44:30 - What should college coaches be doing right now? 45:30 - What advice do you have for coaches about fundraising? 47:42 - What is the most common questions asked of you by coaches?

Jun 1, 2020

Nick Winkelman is the former director of education and training systems for EXOS, formerly known as Athletes Performance. There he supported, NBA, national sports organizations and the military. He is currently the head of athletic performance and science for the Irish Rugby National Team who are ranked No. 4 in the world. He is an internationally recognized speaker on human performance and coaching science. In this podcast, Nick takes us through the coaching loop, why cueing is so important for tennis players and especially for those returning from injury or a long break, why coaches should learn to speak less to their athletes during training and competition along with more information that is valuable to college tennis coaches. Nick has graciously offered ITA Member Coaches a 20% discount for his book The Language of Coaching through June 30, 2020. Visit thelanguageofcoaching.com , click the "order now" button and provide the discount code: TLOC20. Key parts of this conversation have been marked for your listening convenience: 01:51 - Tell us about "the coaching communication loop!" 07:08 - What are the differences between internal and external focus? 17:54 - Tell us about the continuum of "Coaching Cues." 32:00 - What are your thoughts on the power of simplicity? 33:54 - What advice do you have for coaches to take a step back from giving your players all the information during a game (communicating too much)? 45:43 - When you're preparing for a coaching session - are you already thinking about your analogies you're going to share with your players or are you catering your analogies to each player? 51:20 - Talk about cueing during athletes returning from injury. 56:30 - Would you encourage coaches to share Rob Gray's work with their strength and conditioning coach and athletic trainers? 58:15 - Are cues only good for improving movement or do they do something else?

May 29, 2020

Lauren Conching enters her eighth season as the head women’s tennis coach and third year serving as Assistant Athletic Director at Hawai‘i Pacific University. She holds a of 135-38 (.780) with seven trips to the NCAA National Championships, including five semifinal appearances and two quarterfinal berths. Conching is also an Assistant Athletics Director for the Sharks and added the title of Senior Woman Administrator in 2018. She is in charge of apparel and branding for the department, marketing and promotional materials for the various athletics teams and assisting throughout multiple facets within the department. Active within the coaching community, Conching is a member of the ITA Board of Directors and serves on several committees including NCAA Coaches Commission, the ITA West Regional Ranking Committee, the ITA West Regional Award Committee and the ITA Ethics Committee. Prior to becoming head coach, Conching spent five seasons as an assistant at HPU under Stefan Pampulov. In all five of those seasons, HPU reached the NCAA National Championships. In 2010, she was named the ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year. On this episode, we discuss how she manages being a coach and athletic department administrator. Also, we discuss how she sets expectations for herself, her student-athletes and her department. We discuss how coaches can take a better leadership role within their departments as well as how administrators are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis and much more! Key parts of this conversation have been marked for your listening convenience: 01:34 - What is your experience as a student-athlete and then moving into coaching? 05:47 - In what year did you take on administrative duties at Hawaii Pacific University? 06:46 - What qualities did the Athletic Director see in you as an administrator? 08:57 - How has your time as an administrator changed your outlook on college tennis or college athletics specifically? 10:42 - How do you balance your administrative, family and coaching responsibilities? 12:35 - How do you break down where you put your focus? 13:55 - Has the progression of perfection been slow or have you just realized it? 15:40 - What are your major concerns right now in college sports? 18:23 - What themes do you see emerging in how college athletics will operate in the future? 21:38 - What advice do you have on program budgets in the future? 25:57 - How can coaches show leadership capabilities and take a leadership position within their athletic department? 28:18 - What's the best thing and worst thing about being married to the Head Men's Tennis coach at Hawaii Pacific University? 30:11 - What advice do you have for couples in the coaching career? 31:07 - What is one book that made a major impact on you as a coach? 31:56 - What is your favorite drill to do with your team? 32:41 - Name one thing you have changed your mind on in recent years? 32:24 - Do you have a favorite quote? 33:45 - What is one lesson you hope your student-athletes have learned by the time they leave your program?

May 15, 2020

Joey Scrivano is in his 18th season with Baylor and the guest in this week's College Tennis Coaches Podcast. In his 18 seasons leading the Baylor women's tennis program, Scrivano has put his Lady Bears among the nation's elite, along with 19 combined Big 12 Conference championships between regular season and tournament titles. He led Baylor to an impressive 14-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2005-18, and Baylor earned trips to the NCAA Final Four in 2008 and 2011. During that 14-year span, Baylor compiled an astounding 125-16 (.887) record. Scrivano was promoted from head coach to the director of women's tennis in July 2016. On this episode, we discuss how he stays ahead of the curve with all things player development and his process for planning his student-athletes practice schedule. Also, we talk about why he videos all of his practices and how tennis has become such an influential aspect of Baylor Athletics and the Waco, Texas community. Key points of this conversation have been indexed for easy listening here: 02:01 - Why do you think that player development is such an important aspect of your coaching career? 05:08 - What things are you exploring that will help your student-athletes progress in their playing career? 07:34 - How do evaluate changes and adapt to your team? Are you taking feedback from your student-athletes? 09:40 - How have you been able to instill a high level of professionalism in your student-athletes? 11:00 - How do you figure out where student-athletes fit in your profile? 13:13 - What is your process for planning your practices? 15:20 - Do you record all of your practices? 16:33 - Do you have a form of reflection on your own coaching? Do you go back and analyze the job that you have done as a coach? 20:54 - What is the biggest theme that you really struggle with when you're trying to develop players? What solutions do you have when you come across that hinderance? 23:40 - Has being a father helped you with your coaching style and ego? 24:49 - Have you had to adapt how you develop players with changing generations? 27:42 - Where do you spend the majority of your time outside of recruiting and player development? 29:56 - How do you develop relationships with sport supervisors? 32:09 - How did tennis become so influential at Baylor? 35:53 - What else are you doing within the community that is allowing you to have such a high level of stature within your athletic department? 40:40 - What recommendations or quick tips do you have for coaches on how they can maximize their facility? 43:25 - What is a book that made a major impact on you as a coach? 45:41 - What is your favorite drill? 45:55 - Name one thing you've changed your mind on in recent years - in coaching or in life? 47:00 - What is your favorite quote? 47:37 - What is one lesson that you hope your players learn by the time they leave Baylor?

May 4, 2020

This is the second in our series of interviews with an expert. This month speak with Dr. Bill Moore who also happens to be a former college tennis coach. Dr. Moore is an influential author, international speaker and executive coach. He has trained world class athletes, performing artists and business professionals all over the world. In the past several years Dr. Moore has dedicated much of his professional time to helping sales professionals be more effective in their prospecting abilities. In this podcast we talk about how coaches can go from having a fear of failure to having an excitement for success, the beliefs held by confident recruiters, how a coach can manage their reluctance around self promotion and much much more Key points of this conversation have been indexed for easy listening here: 01:12 - What is your experience as a college tennis coach and player? 03:45 - What are some of the common themes that emerge from those that change their thinking and habits? 11:02 - What are some the issues that you see that hold people back from achieving their sales/recruiting goals? 14:16 - How do you focus on promoting your program/university rather than promoting yourself? 18:22 - How can coaches make the switch from a "fear of failure" mindset to the excitement for success? 23:01 - What are the beliefs and actions of confident recruiters? 27:05 - What are some other tools that coaches can use to build their confidence when recruiting? 29:19 - How would a coach know if they have a lack of motivation for recruiting or if they are a reluctant recruiter? 30:30 - How would you encourage coaches to manage interferences/disruptions? 34:25 - What is your definition of high performance? 39:17 - Do you have any strategies for coaches to deal with inevitable ups and downs and pressure? 41:50 - How could coaches find ways to keep players engaged over the summer & continue team culture?

May 1, 2020

If you want to learn how to maximize your operating budget, this is the episode for you! Mark Ardizzone just completed his first year as the Associate Head Women's Coach at Florida State University. Mark was the Head Coach at Depaul University for 23 seasons leading the team to four Big East Championships. He was also named the ITA Midwest Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2014 and won Big East Coach of the Year honors five times. Mark discusses his humble beginnings in tennis, his transition into college tennis coaching, how he went about maximizing every penny in his budget during his early days at Depaul and how that penny pinching has served him well throughout his college career. He provides some expertise on International Recruiting and shares some hilarious stories from some of his trips to Europe. Key points of this conversation have been indexed for easy listening here: 01:27 - What are some of your experiences as a junior player and college tennis student-athlete? 06:33 - How did you move into college tennis coaching? 10:40 - How would you encourage coaches to maximize their operating budgets? 14:25 - When did you take your first international recruiting trip and what did you learn? 17:26 - How did you find ways to stretch your budget when you were recruiting internationally? 23:11 - How did you break down the barriers of international recruiting and build trust? 26:02 - What is your most memorable international recruiting experience? 30:40 - How has your coaching experience changed while going from Mid-Major to Power Five 33:57 - What changes have you seen in college tennis in the last couple of decades that concern you? 38:00 - What is your hope for the future of college tennis? 41:48 - Is there a book that has made a major impact on you as a coach? 43:49 - Do you have a favorite tennis drill? 46:33 - Name one thing you've changed your mind on in recent years? 48:11 - What is one lesson you hope your players have learned from you as they leave your program?

Apr 17, 2020

Pam Rende has led both the men’s and women’s tennis programs at Division III Arcadia for the past 5 seasons. However, Pam has been coaching for over 20 years in the Philadelphia area and has worked with players of all levels from beginner to grand slam participants. She serves on the board of the USTA Philadelphia Area Tennis District and is working towards her PTR Master of Tennis certification. In this podcast we discuss how Pam manages two college teams while running L3 Tennis and leading a staff of seven full time pros and up to 20 seasonal pros. We discuss some of the assumptions people make about a woman coaching a men’s team, why continuing education is so important for coaches and if college coaches should consider pursuing a coaching certification. Pam also provides some great answers to our newly implemented rapid fire round. Key points of this conversation have been indexed for easy listening here: 01:35 - How did you know that tennis would be the sport you would dedicate your life to? 04:25 - Why did you land on college tennis coaching - what interested you in becoming a coach? 06:19 - Being a female coach, how did the men's team accept you as a their coach when you came on board? 10:05 - Have you found any differences between coaching men and coaching women? 13:55 - Toggling between both genders, how did you develop being able to balance coaching these genders? 14:55 - How do you go about developing relationships with student-athletes? 18:00 - Do you see the gender bias statistics of women as coaches reflected in college athletics? 21:25 - Do you have any advice for young female coaches that are starting out in this profession? 23:30 - How do you manage your time and do you have any management tips/tools? 27:00 - What are some of the coaching programs that you have attended for coaching development? 32:11 - What are some of the lessons that you have learned in life outside of college athletics that have helped you as a coach? 36:51 - What is a book that made a major impact on you as a coach? 37:29 - What is your favorite drill? 39:50 - Name one thing that you have changed your mind on in recent years - in coaching or life! 40:11 - Do you have a favorite quote? 41:10 - What is one lesson you hope your players have learned by the time they leave?

Apr 7, 2020

This is a special release of the ITA College Tennis Coaches Podcast! Dr. Jim Loehr is a world renowned performance psychologist and author of 16 books. Dr. Loehr has worked with hundreds of world-class performers from the arenas of sport, business, medicine and law enforcement. He is well known in the tennis industry for his work with Grand Slam champions Jim Courier, Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. He is the co-founder of the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute which delivers a science-based energy management training solution to a wide array of industry leaders including 25 of the Fortune 100 companies, Olympic Gold Medalists and the Special Forces. Key points of this conversation have been indexed for easy listening here: 01:45 - What stories should the coaches be telling their student-athletes in this time of uncertainty? 08:58 - How could college coaches be leaders not only for their teams, but for their athletic departments and communities? 15:45 - How can coaches build resilience in themselves? 19:45 - How should coaches find their purpose and why? 22:28 - How do you encourage coaches to be less concerned about wins/losses and more about their athlete's development? 29:19 - What does the shift in career look like as a coach? How did they shift their attention and focus back to the development of the student-athletes? 35:07 - How would you encourage coaches to increase their skillset in player development? 40:33 - Do you have a story about a student-athlete/player that you worked with that went through personal development? 49:13 - How would you encourage coaches to have players adopt their leadership style and team culture?

Apr 6, 2020

Matt Hill is the head men’s coach at Arizona State University. He began his coaching career as a volunteer at Alabama, moved to the assistant coaching role at Mississippi State before taking over the program at the University of South Florida. There he inherited a team with a losing record, and 4 years later found themselves in the round of 16 at the NCAA tournament. After his success at USF he was named the head coach of the newly reinstated men’s program at Arizona State in 2016, and helped his team to an NCAA berth in just their first year of competition.Matt is one of those rare coaches who appear to excel in all areas of running a college tennis program. He not only has a clear vision for his program at ASU but also a vision for college tennis. Matt’s insights and execution of marketing and fundraising are second to none, and I believe every college coach in the country can learn something from this conversation. Key points of this conversation have been indexed for easy listening here: 01:45 - What are some of the steps that you took in the first 3 months of your positions that set you up for success? 04:35 - What are some of the qualities that you look for in an assistant coach? 06:10 - How do you think you are able to convince accomplished players to believe in a losing/new program? 10:01 - What lessons did you learn along the way to set you up to have success along the way? 13:09 - How do you believe you're juggling priorities to build a successful program? 17:06 - What are some of the things that you implement to engage the community & bring fans out? 22:04 - Do you believe that coaches in general have lost sight of the bigger picture ? 25:01 - Do you believe that charging admission for college tennis matches is possible? 29:37 - How can coaches get ahead of the discussion of budget cuts? 36:09 - How did you identify and build relationships with potential donors? 38:04 - Are there easier asks from donors - are there traditional items that are easier to ask for? 40:53 - What message do you have for coaches about mindset surrounding the build of your program?

Apr 3, 2020

Dash Connell is one of the lucky coaches who have the unique honor to coach at their alma mater. He was an All-American at Tyler Junior College before moving on to play for the Texas A & M Aggies under Tim Cass. He returned to Tyler in 2009 to work for his former coach John Peterson, before taking over the head coaching duties in 2011 as interim head coach for one year, being named head coach in 2012. Dash discusses what it was like to follow in the footsteps of a legendary coach in John Peterson, what he learned from him and how he handles the expectations for the tennis program at Tyler. We talk about some the myths college coaches have around junior intercollegiate tennis, the pros and cons of recruiting junior college players and much more. Key points of this conversation have been indexed for easy listening here: 01:44 - What attracted you to Tyler Junior College? 04:02 - At what point did you figure out that you might want to be a college tennis coach? 05:41 - What qualities did coaches see in you to make you an offer as a coach? 07:01 - What profound lessons did you learn early on from your coaches? 10:57 - Did you feel a lot of pressure to emulate your coaches success? 12:35 - How do you personally manage the pressure to succeed? 14:25 - What were some of the unexpected surprises that you faced when transitioning through your coaching career? 16:47 - How did you put your own personality & philosophy on your team? How did you make your program, your own? 20:07 - What myths do you think exist in the realm of college coaching ranks about Junior College tennis? 22:15 - What are the similarities between Junior College tennis and other divisions? 24:02 - What are the pros & cons of recruiting Junior College tennis student-athletes? Why should other coaches consider recruiting Junior College tennis student-athletes? 26:01 - What are some of the challenges that you face? 28:42 - Why do you think up and coming coaches should consider coaching at the Junior College level? 31:22 - How would you advise Junior College coaches and coaches at any other levels to maximize their potential?

Mar 11, 2020

Marisa Arce is in her 5th year as a head women’s tennis coach and has nearly completed her first year as the head coach at Depaul University. She started her college coaching career as a volunteer assistant at the University of Oklahoma in 2012 shortly after graduating from the University of Illinois. In this episode we discuss her decision to start her career as a volunteer, if it was worth it and how she has transitioned from volunteer to assistant coach and on to becoming a head coach. We discuss the challenges of combining college coaching and parenting and how she is navigating her new job, her new-born baby and all the other obligations she is facing at this point in her young coaching career. Key points of this conversation have been indexed for easy listening here: 2:14 - When did it dawn on you that your career would be as a college tennis coach? 4:20 - What was the feedback you were getting from the programs that you were applying to? 8:35 - What was different about moving into a full-time assistant role? 17:05 - "Better Allies" by Karen Catlin - 37% of Women's Tennis coaches are women. 18:20 - Do you think that a male athletic director would have hired you knowing that you were nine-months pregnant at the time? 23:23 - How do you deal with the struggle of having a family and being a coach? What adjustments did you have to make? 29:05 - Are there any lessons that you apply today that you learned from any of your coaches along the way that you're applying to your team today?

Mar 6, 2020

Silviu Tanasoiu is the head men's coach at Cornell. He is setting records at Cornell with his team currently ranked #16 in the ITA Rankings . Prior to coming to Cornell he was the assistant men’s coach at the University of Oklahoma. We discuss Silviu's journey from Romania to the U.S.A., his time on the WTA tour, his approach to learning and networking, why he turned down his dream job and what lessons he is learned to date in his young head coaching career. This is a must listen episode for all college coaches but especially for young international coaches hoping to make a career as a college tennis coach.

Feb 20, 2020

Brian Boland has over 600 victories while serving as the head coach of Indiana State, Virginia and Baylor. He won four national championships in a five year span while at Virginia. He has coached 13 teams who have gone undefeated in conference play and one perfect season at Virginia, going 30-0 in 2013. He has already made his mark at Baylor winning the Big 12 Tournament Title in 2019. In this conversation we discuss Brian’s early days as a coach at Indiana State, his development as a college coach and his ability to focus. Despite Brian’s obvious passion for college coaching and a never ending resume of incredible accolades, he still has his struggles, doubts and frustrations, just like the rest of us.

Feb 7, 2020

Amy Bryant is the first female in NCAA history to win the national team championship as both a coach and a player. She has been the head coach of the Emory Women's Tennis team since 2000 and has garnered a number of impressive achievements along the way. However, what many of you probably don't know about Amy is that she has spearheaded an Integrity Initiative which has permeated throughout the Emory athletic department. She is joined on the podcast by Audrey Hester , Assistant AD for Student-Athlete Success & Compliance, to explain how and why they started this program, how it has developed over the last few years, and provide suggestions as to how college tennis coaches can work to infuse their own teams and athletic departments with a culture of integrity.

Jan 22, 2020

Kevin’s head coaching career began at Fresno State in 2000. He then moved out east to William & Mary and after five highly successful seasons he decided to take a break from college tennis to coach on the WTA tour and open a bakery in Colorado! He made his return to the college game in 2012 when he was named the head women’s coach at the University of South Carolina. Under his guidance the team’s results have improved every year and have broken numerous program records along the way. He was named the ITA NCAA Division 1 Women’s Head Coach of the Year in 2019. In this podcast we discuss some of the lessons he learned from Billie Jean King and several of the top female tennis players of all time, plus how the college tennis game has evolved and his approach to learning and coaching.

Jan 10, 2020

Sheila McInerney kicks off her 36th season as the head women’s tennis coach at Arizona State University. In that time her teams have made 32 consecutive NCAA tournaments & 18 Round of 16 appearances. She was a 4 time All-American at USC & competed in Wimbledon, the French Open & the US Open. In this conversation Sheila reflects upon her time as a coach, how she stays connected with her players & the ever changing recruiting landscape.

Dec 19, 2019

Jeff Moore has a fascinating background as a coach, educator, speaker, consultant, author and much, much more. He was the Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach at Colorado for 6 seasons before switching to becoming the Head Women’s Coach at the University of Texas in 1982. He spent the next 23 years at Texas where his teams won 2 NCAA Championships, appeared in 2 NCAA finals, and won 18 conference titles.

Dec 4, 2019

Chase Hodges is the record setting coach at Georgia Gwinnett. Chase and his teams have dominated NAIA play in recent years, with his men’s team currently sitting on a 109 match winning streak! Chase has won big at every college tennis program he has coached, leading 6 of the 7 teams he has coached to their first ever ITA ranking. In this conversation we explore Chase’s approach to recruiting and how he has gone about turning a brand new program into a national powerhouse.

Nov 18, 2019

Claire Pollard, the head women’s tennis coach at Northwestern University, has dominated Big 10 conference play for over two decades. She has had teams and individual players ranked as high as No. 1 in the ITA rankings and has won countless coaching awards along the way. In this conversation Claire discusses what she learned from coaching the men’s team at Lamar, her coaching philosophy, and how she is able to get the most of her student-athletes.

Nov 6, 2019

Greg is very clear on why he was a college coach for so many years, and I found it truly inspiring to feel his passion for helping young people develop. Greg is a tremendous example of how any college tennis coach can have a deep impact on a community and countless lives through college tennis, without having to win a bunch of NCAA titles in the process.

Oct 22, 2019

In this first episode of the ITA College Tennis Coaches Podcast, Dave Mullins speaks with David Roditi, the head men’s tennis coach at Texas Christian University (TCU).