Intercollegiate Tennis Association

Building Upon Your Success - John Roddick

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?

Going Above & Beyond - Jaron Maestas

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?

 

Dealing With Program Cancellation - Kendall Brooks

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?

The Continuing Education of a Coach - Geoff Macdonald

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?

Redefining Success - Cristina Moros

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!

Stop Training Like It's 1999 - Paul Drake

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?

 

Team Energy - Adam Steinberg

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?

 

Lessons From A Legend - Dick Gould

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?

The Language of Coaching - Nick Winkelman

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?

Leading Beyond the Court - Lauren Conching

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?