New men's tennis coach getting acquainted with squad

Udwadia rushes to assume head coaching position at Fresno State

By MAGGIE THACH

If you look on the official athletic homepage of the Drake University men’s tennis team, it still lists Jay Udwadia as the head coach. He didn’t even give them enough time to change it.

When Fresno State Athletic Director Scott Johnson announced the hiring of Udwadia as the new men’s tennis coach Oct. 25, nobody expected him to be here until Nov. 8. But, Udwadia didn’t hesitate to get on a plane and get to Fresno as soon as possible.

“I’m in a hotel right now,” Udwadia said. “I’m still looking; but I thought it was important to be out here as soon as I could.”

Udwadia led Drake to a 17-6 record and a Missouri Valley Conference championship for the first time in more than a decade, came to lead these Bulldogs to the same kind of success. In Fresno, he saw a strong tennis tradition, good community support and the potential of becoming one of the premier men’s tennis programs in the nation.

Wherever Udwadia has gone, success has followed. Under Udwadia, Drake earned a No. 47 national ranking, and for his efforts, he was named the 2004 MVC Coach of the Year. Prior to Drake, Udwadia served as an assistant at Northwestern University and led them to a No. 45 national ranking, as well as an NCAA tournament berth. As a player, Udwadia played four years for the University of Arkansas, where it was in the Top 25 for three of the years he was there. He has every intention on bringing this success to Fresno.

“We have definitely set goals,” Udwadia said. “Our immediate goal is to compete for a conference championship. I want to be established as a nationally-ranked team and want to get an NCAA berth.

The higher the better.”

Udwadia took over a team that began last season ranked 36th in the nation and made an NCAA appearance. He has the likes of Greg Shearer, named to the all-Western Athletic Conference first team and Charles Irie, named to the all-WAC second team, to lead Fresno into the kind of success he has planned.

“I consider myself a player’s coach,” Udwadia said. “I give individual attention. When they see how hard I work, I feel like they’ll give me the same response.”

Udwadia knows what it takes to make Fresno a championship-caliber team: blue-collar hard work.

Udwadia, who doesn’t believe in long practices, wants to maximize and intensify his team’s time on the court. He wants his players to be prepared mentally and physically. To him, talent is something players are born with, but conditioning is something they can control.

“We’re not going to go through the motions,” Udwadia said. “It’s going to be a lot of hard work.”

In the team’s first official practice Monday, Udwadia’s soft-spoken disposition and calm demeanor transcended onto the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center courts. Even his whistle blows were soft, but his message came across loud and clear. He wanted control and repetition. He wanted a nice blue-collar workout. Concentration to the fullest was required.

Practice started with hitting down the line, then the other side, then across the court. Udwadia set six tennis balls in a line about two feet into the a partner. The ball must be touched 20 times. Switch, then change sides.

The repetition was tiring to watch, probably even more tiring to play, but the players were ready and finally relieved to have some structure in practice.

“We’ve all played for more than 10 years. We all know what we have to do,” senior Andy Sinn said. “But he brings discipline and respect. Having a coach makes the quality of practice better.”

From what the players can tell, Udwadia’s actions both on and off the courts have left an indelible impression.

“Him coming here as soon as possible said a lot,” junior Serg Modoc said. “He had everything back home and he left it to come here quickly. He shows that he’s very dedicated and that he’s interested in the program.”

Modoc, who said he felt the first couple of practices would be rocky, has come to see that Udwadia is committed to the team.

“Actually, I thought we would clash,” Modoc said. “He seems to know a lot about tennis. There’s a lot of respect.”

Though the team has gone through most of the semester without a coach, Udwadia feels they are not far behind.

The team led its own practices and got some playing time at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals in Berkeley. Udwadia said he feels the players have initiative. Now, all they need is someone to guide them.

“I do know they’re starving for practice and a leader,” Udwadia said. “They’re working hard on their own. Imagine what they could do with a coach. That’s what I want. That’s what it takes.”

Udwadia said the talent and drive are there. The most important thing now is spending time together. He hopes the team’s upcoming tournament in Las Vegas, beginning Thursday, will give him a chance to know each personality, as well as give the team a chance to adapt to its new coach.

“This will give me a chance to analyze them individually, [as] tennis [players] and personality,” Udwadia said. “Once they’re competing, that’s the easy part. I really enjoy it. Being out there builds a special bond because you’re both fighting to win.”