29-Jan-2010
Conversation with Oklahoma Coach David Mullins
Sooners Women's Head Coach David Mullins recently signed the top two
players in Oklahoma: Whitney Ritchie and Mia Lancaster. Both women are
five-star recruits with impressive singles resumes. Even more stellar
are their doubles credentials. They attend the same high school and as
a pair share five national doubles titles and a state title.
22-Jan-2010
Conversation with Brown's Jay Harris
The Brown Bears are coming off a 2009 season where they went 18-10
overall and 4-3 in the Ivy League. Many of last year's key
contributors have graduated, but head coach Jay Harris adds a crop of
talented freshmen to his team for 2010. Harry Cicma of FiOS1 and WRNN
sat down with Coach Harris to talk about his teams - past and present
- and about playing tennis in the Ivy League.
18-Dec-2009
The Mystique of Ivy League Tennis
An Ivy League education is amongst the most well-respected in the
world. Such schooling also represents the most expensive and
exclusive of American higher education. Ivy League schools are
exceptionally costly and do not offer athletic scholarships. Even so,
top-ranked American athletes are still eager to participate in Ivy
League education and collegiate athletic programs.
30-Nov-2009
Reflections on Recruiting - and on Being Recruited
"Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting". Those words found my ears
repeatedly during my first interview with Princeton. After five years
as head coach, I can reflect on my recruiting successes and
disappointments. Here are eight lessons that I drew from my
experiences - covering players, their families, and coaches.
23-Nov-2009
Conversation with Providence Coach Kyle LaBranche
There is a family dynasty in the Tennis Department at Providence
College. After Carl LaBranche led the men's and women's teams for
more than a decade; his son, Kyle, has taken over as the new women's
tennis head coach. Kyle is one of the hot young prospects in the
world of Division 1 coaching, and I recently caught up with the Lady
Friars new leader.
27-Jul-2009
Panel Discussion: Challenging Players (Part 2)
More coaches weigh in on the question: "What do college tennis coaches
do to challenge and develop players of different abilities?"
17-Apr-2009
Conversation with Syracuse Coach Luke Jensen
One of the most famous coaches in the NCAA is Syracuse head coach Luke
Jensen. Jensen, who won the 1993 French Open doubles title with his
brother Murphy, is now in his third season as head coach of the
Orange. Harry Cicma of NBC News caught up with Jensen during Signing
Week.
12-Mar-2009
One Step at a Time
Chris Woodruff talks with Colette Lewis about the importance of
succeeding at one level before moving to the next.
22-Dec-2008
Conversation with Jesse Medvene-Collins
Jesse Medvene-Collins is an assistant coach for both the men's and
women's tennis teams at the University of Redlands. As a player at
Redlands, Medvene-Collins was part of a team that won four straight
SCIAC Championships and a third place finish at the NCAA
Championships. Ross Greenstein of Scholarship for Athletes sits down
to talk with Medvene-Collins about all things college tennis.
5-Dec-2008
Conversation with Bryant University's Ron Gendron
After a successful run in Division 2, the Bryant University Bulldogs
are in their first year competing at the Division 1 level. I
recently spoke with Bryant Head Coach Ron Gendron about the excitement
surrounding his tennis program.
21-Nov-2008
Conversation with Dr. Mark Kovacs
Dr. Mark Kovacs, Manager of Sport Science for the USTA, is definitely
an expert when it comes to the training of successful athletes. Prior
to becoming a leader within the USTA, Dr. Kovacs was an Assistant
Professor of Exercise Science and Wellness at Jacksonville State
University. Dr. Kovacs has focused his research on the game of
tennis.
5-Nov-2008
Conversation with Roland Thornqvist
Roland Thornqvist is entering his 7th season as head coach for the
Gators at University of Florida in Gainesville. This year will mark
his 12th overall year in coaching tennis. Ross Greenstein of
Scholarship For Athletes talks all things tennis with Coach
Thornqvist.
3-Oct-2008
Talking with UNC-W Coach Jennifer Garrity
People often measure the quality of a coach by the amount of success
her team achieves. This is a little skewed because not all
coaches start with players of equal caliber. A better metric is
measuring how much players on her team improve. The UNC
Wilmington women's team is one such program. Head Coach Jenny Garrity
has quietly turned this program around from one that was well under
0.500 to one that has had six winning seasons in a row.
22-Sep-2008
Conversation with Gordie Ernst
Ross Greenstein, CEO of Scholarship For Athletes, will be interviewing
men's and women's tennis coaches from schools all across the country.
In this first installment, Ross sits down with Gordie Ernst, men's and
women's tennis coach at Georgetown University.
8-Aug-2008
Training Talk with Paul Pisani
What do Ashley Harkleroad, Amer Delic, Robby Ginepri, Sam Querrey, and
Justin Gimelstob have in common? They all have worked with fitness
trainer Paul Pisani. Pisani has developed a niche working with
up-and-coming American players, helping them reach their fitness and
tennis potential. Marc Lucero chatted with Pisani about his strategies
and experiences.
21-Jul-2008
Panel Discussion: Challenging Players (Part 1)
College tennis teams are composed of individuals with different
ability levels. Some players may have professional tennis
aspirations, others walk on to the program, and there are obviously
levels in between. We asked several college coaches: "What do college
coaches do to challenge and develop players of different abilities?"
13-Mar-2008
Panel Discussion: Integrating with a New Team (Part 2)
Today we conclude our discussion on integrating into a college tennis
team - and adjusting to college coaching. College coaches answer the
question: "How does a top junior player transition quickly to a team
atmosphere with less personal attention?"
21-Jan-2008
Panel Discussion: Integrating with a New Team (Part 1)
College tennis is often a huge step for incoming freshmen. One big
difference is in coaching. Many freshmen may not get the individual
attention they were accustomed to as juniors. Some players even feel
like they are lost in the shuffle. We asked our panel of former college
coaches: "How does a top junior player transition quickly to a team
atmosphere with less personal attention?"
2-Nov-2007
Panel Discussion: Junior and College Coaches (Part 2)
This is the the conclusion of a two-part panel discussion where
college coaches answer the question: "What are the differences between
private coaches and college coaches? Does the private coach still
have a role once a player heads off to college?"
27-Aug-2007
Panel Discussion: Junior and College Coaches (Part 1)
Many junior tennis players work with private coaches - coaches that
oversee all aspects of the players' development as athletes and tennis
players. When these junior players graduate from high school, college
coaches take over their development. We asked a number of college coaches
about what makes their role unique - and also the role of a private coach
once a player enters college.
28-May-2007
Panel Discussion: Importance of Facilities (Part 2)
This is the the conclusion of a two-part panel discussion where
college coaches answer the question: "Is there an arms race for
college tennis? What kinds of facilities does a tennis program need
to be competitive?"
23-Apr-2007
Panel Discussion: Importance of Facilities (Part 1)
Our Ask the Experts series returns with another roundtable question:
In college athletics, you often hear about the "arms race" for
top-of-the-line facilities. Is there an arms race for college tennis?
What kinds of facilities does a tennis program need to be competitive?
How much of a difference do facilities make in recruiting?
26-Jan-2007
Panel Discussion: January Admissions (Part 2)
More coaches weigh in on the pros and cons of matriculation in January.
22-Jan-2007
Panel Discussion: January Admissions (Part 1)
Ask the Experts is back with the following question: What are your
feelings about January admissions? When is it a good idea? Are there
situations where you would not allow it? What unique challenges do
kids face when they start in January?
16-Nov-2006
Panel Discussion: Future of Men's Tennis
Ask the Experts is back. We asked a panel of former college coaches:
"It seems like several men's tennis programs are eliminated every
year. Will this reduction continue? Or worse yet, will the rate of
eliminations increase? What will men's college tennis look like ten
years from now?"
11-Sep-2006
Panel Discussion: Balancing School and Tennis
In this installment of Ask the Experts, we ask former college coaches:
"Is it possible to play college tennis while pursuing a 'challenging
major,' or do you discourage and/or set off-limits certain courses of
study? How does this all fit in with the spirit of the
scholar-athlete?"
26-Jun-2006
Panel Discussion: Dividing Men's Scholarships
In this installment of Ask the Experts, we put the question to former
men's coaches: "The NCAA only allows 4.5 scholarships for men's
programs to divide among their players. What philosophy did you use
when dividing these scholarships? In what instances would you award a
full scholarship?"
6-Mar-2006
Panel Discussion: Official Visits
Our Ask the Experts series returns with another roundtable: "As a
coach, did you have a philosophy for official visits? What did you do
to set your school apart? Were there certain events that were
attractive? Did you try to bring in multiple recruits at the same
time?"
23-Jan-2006
Panel Discussion: What Makes a Good Recruit? (Part 2)
This is the the conclusion of a two-part panel discussion where college coaches answer the question: "How do you evaluate recruits?"
9-Jan-2006
Panel Discussion: What Makes a Good Recruit? (Part 1)
Across all college sports today, coaches place tremendous emphasis on recruiting top talent. But in tennis recruiting, what does that "recruiting top talent" really mean? We put this question to a number of former college coaches, and we got some pretty interesting responses.
24-Oct-2005
Conversation with Don Schroer
Schroer shares his thoughts on recruiting in NCAA Division III, changes in Division III through the years, and the importance of character.
29-Aug-2005
Conversation with Dan Magill
Magill speaks candidly about the biggest change he has seen in college tennis over the years - the influx of foreign players.
