Clippers Perform Well At Hofstra...

You really could not ask for a better performance from the boys this past weekend at the Hofstra Invitational. Click here for the results.

Playing improved doubles Dani and Geza took the championship defeating a team from Temple University in the final. The singles turned out to be more of a "Concordia Invitational" when all was said and done. In both "A" and "B" flights, all semifinalists were Clippers with Dani, Benas, David and Tomasz in the "A" and Mark, Andreas, Geza, and Ricardo in the "B". As a result, we did not play the remaining matches at the Hofstra site. However, playing through to the consolation championship match and winning the "B" draw was Jason Quintana.

Not a bad way to finish the team component to the fall season and certainly something positive to build on for the spring. Of course, we will head down to Mobile, Alabama Wednesday, 10/12 for the ITA National Small College Championships. Dani is the 3rd seed in the singles draw and has a solid chance to make a name for himself on the national scene. I will certainly keep you up to date but don't hesitate to follow along as well.


Nuff said...

On-Court Behavior...

I've been thinking a lot lately about on-court tennis behavior. Seems like, much similar to regular everyday interaction, many folks, probably including myself, seem to have very colorful responses to anger. One duty that I do not enjoy as a coach is the enforcing of the ITA point-penalty system.

Tennis is certainly a fun game but can also be a very frustrating game. Seemingly, in addition, the better one gets, the more frustrating the game becomes. Who knows why...

However, that being said, it seems like everything in life is creating frustration. I mean, holy bacon lettuce and tomato, just the other day I encountered an angry motorist who showed me their middle finger as a result of their own driving error. I had some nerve not recklessly running a red light so that the finger-displayer in the car behind me could also do the same. Now, perhaps the road-rager was feverishly on his way to the hospital with his pregnant wife (although I didn't see anyone else in his car) or was trying to escape a chasing member of some organized crime faction or had his gas pedal accidentally stuck to the floor. In any case, I didn't deserve or earn the dreaded middle finger display I don't think. So why did I get the gesture?

I often wonder why it is so satisfying to launch a tennis racquet into a net or fence or to smash the frame onto the court surface breaking it into many smaller pieces or to shout curse words as loud as possible in a language of one's choice, often in more than one. The problem here is not simply that we play a "gentleman's game" but also that the ITA, which is the governing body of college tennis, as well as all other governing bodies, forbid such behavior. Nevertheless, the behavior continues for sure. As an aside, I must say however, that I still laugh out loud when I think about the time 20 years ago when I was playing a match at the somewhat pretentious Bronxville Field Club and my opponent and friend, George MacGovern, launched his Wilson Pro Staff out of the back courts and into a high branched tree, never to return to the ground. Who knows, it may still be in that tree serving as some some sort of nest for a tennis-loving squirrel or bird.


What makes me chuckle is how most players guilty of violating said code are always surprised and regularly upset to have the code of conduct enforced. What comes after enforcement, which is usually done reluctantly by most coaches or officials and especially me, is the list of justifications that is similar in length to a toddlers Christmas list:

1. "Everybody else is doing it."
2. "It slipped out of my hand."
3. "I have Tourette Syndrome."
4. "I said "ship" or "truck" or..."

Too bad we can't all just yell out the phrase "curse words" like former Clipper of the 1970's Paul Schulze who is also the father of former Clipper of the 2000's Josh Schulze. Incidentally, Josh didn't really take after his dad in this area.


I often remember instances while I was in school (which seemed like forever), when I would remark to a friend that a given teacher gave me a "B" or "D" or some other grade. In reality, 99% of the time, the teacher did not "give me" said grade but I received the grade that I achieved or earned. (I say 99% because there was that time when an absent-minded math teacher at a small Lutheran college in Bronxville, NY with a great tennis team, lost my independent study, take-home exam and failed me...which was later reversed by the way, but I digress...) This is quite the same as the enforcing of the tennis code of conduct. Players "earn" their penalty, coaches or officials don't "give" it to them.

Of course the best case scenario would be to avoid these inappropriate responses to frustration and anger. Much easier said than done though.

Truth be told, I was no angel on the court. My players would say that I still am not. I guess I just accept responsibility for things a little better these days. I hope that my current players figure this out a littler earlier than I did.

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Too Hot For Polar Bears...

Your new look Clippers took to the courts yesterday (10/1), the first day of my birth month in case you were wondering, and defeated NCAA III #14 Bowdoin College 8-1 (click here for the boxscore). It was a decent start to the dual match slate but I am pretty sure that we will be greatly improved in the spring for the championship season.

Essentially, we are trying some different combinations for the doubles teams in an attempt to find 3 or even 4 cohesive units. In a relatively short period of time we have been able to improve our doubles significantly but we are not even close to where we need to be if we want to compete once again for the #1 regional ranking and also for the NCAA II Championship. Luckily, much can be accomplished between now and May. That being said, we were able to take 2 of the 3 doubles matches in yesterday's match.

We swept all 6 singles matches including the debuts of our 3 freshman starters. Specifically, I am really impressed with Mark Mozer. I think he will be a tremendous addition to our roster and a really tough out anywhere in the lineup. Of course, I have no rock solid idea of what the lineup will be in the spring and have a sneaking suspicion it will be nothing similar to what we sent out there versus Bowdoin.

I did get a chuckle out of something the Bowdoin coach said yesterday. Coach Smith, who is a first year coach for the Polar Bears, and seemingly a really nice young man, suggested to me that our team was "pretty down" this year, meaning that we were quite a bit weaker than last year. I can only assume that he expected to be beaten 9-0 rather than 8-1 and in more convincing fashion. I love these kind of remarks, remarks that I am careful not to make to other coaches, because they fuel my fire to improve the team. I am not sure exactly what we will be in the spring but as of right now this is my team and a team that I believe will be even better than last year. Mark it down!

We will travel to Hofstra University for the Hofstra Invitational next weekend featuring Temple University, NJIT and of course, host Hofstra. This experience will further provide the coaching staff with information about the new players and give our team a chance to practice the doubles. I hope that the Northeast weather allows the 3 day event to occur without interruption.

In any case, I am pleased to have the opportunity to share our happenings with you. I also suggest that you join this site and become a member/fan. You can sign up under the "FANS" heading down along the right hand side of this blog just above the NCAA logo.

For now, be well and...

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Popular Demand...

Greetings to all my loyal readers out there in Clipperland. I certainly apologize for the lack of blogging and am humbled by the numerous requests by fans to start posting again immediately. Of course, I am sure that there are also plenty of folks out there hoping that I do not post ever again. Well in spite of those hopefully few and to please those remaining hungry for as much Coach Dano as possible, I write!

So, what is on my mind...or at least the less scary things that I am allowed to print for the public. It has certainly been an interesting beginning to the fall and Clipper tennis. First of all, in a bizarre turn of events, I have come out of short retirement to resume my duties with the men's team. I just could not let Coach T. struggle alone this fall given his difficult injury. I also realized that it was unfair to the four new players to have been recruited by me and then to bail on them. I just didn't feel comfortable with that. In addition, the women's coaches unfortunately abandoned the program just as the school year began. I don't really want to get into the long and the short of that situation but suffice to say that the program and the terrific young women were left in a bad way. As a result, Coach T. stepped up to the plate so as to provide the team with the great season that they deserve. I felt called to help him through this and joined him in the cause. Working with the ladies is quite different in many ways. However, I am enjoying it so far. They are really a nice group and are eager to learn. We may not be the favorite this year with only a roster of six, losing key players and no new recruits, but I have a feeling that that CACC Championship is not going to leave Bronxville that easily. Time will tell.

We are quite young on the men's side this fall and that presents a few challenges. Finding cohesive doubles units and forming a team identity hopefully will come with time. We really need the returning players to embrace the talented freshman and bring us together. I have tremendous confidence in the character of our upperclassmen and am looking forward to what our talent can be with solid effort on the practice courts. Things are already changing for the better.

On a different note, I stepped out onto the practice court today. I really enjoyed hitting and drilling and I can actually hit the ball pretty well when the ball is hit to me. Game situation...another story. I can still hold that old serve in doubles but yikes, not covering enough ground out there. Hence, no Ben and Jerry's for a while...
The gents will hit the match courts Saturday at 10am versus Bowdoin College, a nationally ranked NCAA D3 school. In a sense, this is a homecoming for Bronxville High School grad Peter Davis who is on the Bowdoin squad. We look forward to beating Peter wherever he plays...

Also making the "Wins List" is Andrey Boldarev who was able to get 5 ATP points last week qualifying at the Tashkent Challenger and thus obtaining an ATP world ranking of 1084. Way to go Andrey!

I hope that this has satisfied your yearnings and I promise to be more attentive to your reading needs going forward. If you are around on Saturday, stop by the courts and pay me a visit. I am always happy to see my peoples.

Be well. It is good to be back as there is still work to be done and some unfinished business.

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Piludu Wins ITA Regional...

Dani Piludu won the ITA Eastern Regional this past weekend in Philadelphia, PA at the Ashe Tennis Center (click here for the draws). He defeated teammate David Tisserand in the final to advance to the National Small College Championships in Mobile, AL.

David scored the upset of the event defeating the #1 seed of Queens College Attila Toth in the semifinal round. David played some very solid tennis and showed the entire region that he is a force in singles.

Joining David and Dani in the semifinals was freshman Tomasz Olfans who lost to Piludu in the semis.

The competition in the region has become much stronger this year and that is a good thing. We certainly hope for some more competitive matches going forward.

We certainly have some work to do with the doubles play as we have many new players and are struggling to find chemistry.

In other news, both indoor and outdoor courts have been repainted and are playing nicely.

Next up will be a home match versus Bowdoin College on Saturday 10/1 with a 10am start time. We welcome former Bronxville Bronco Peter Davis home for the event. I look forward to seeing you there.

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Frey Shoutout...

As you can see from the title picture of this blog, we are in the process of resurfacing both the indoor and outdoor courts at the Meyers Tennis Center here on campus. Club patrons as well as both college teams look forward to getting back on the courts starting next week barring any sort of pseudo-hurricane passing through the Bronxville area.

In addition, a fond greeting to the Frey family as they are once again visiting the Concordia community. It is always a pleasure to welcome player families and loyal blog followers to our world. Have a nice visit.

It has been fun bumping into so many old friends, teammates, colleagues, and former Clippers at the US Open tennis tournament these last few days. The post Irene weather has been terrific...I hope it continues.

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Mozer Signs...

Mark Mozer of Brest, Belarus has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Clippers for the 2011-2012 school year. Mark has spent the last few years living in Spain attending high school and sharpening his tennis game.

For a glimpse of Mark in action, click here.

Mark will bring an aggressive baseline game that should serve him well versus the competition he will face at the very top of NCAA D2. He will certainly be an asset to the team and we look forward to his contributions.

The fall semester begins September 5th and practice shortly thereafter. The first event on the schedule is the ITA East Regional held at the Ashe Tennis Center in Philadelphia, PA September 17th-19th.

Enjoy the rest of the summer.

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I Smell Cookies...

If you leave cookies in your tennis bag, they will be found...






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Summer Greetings...

I hope that all of you are enjoying your "summer break". I certainly have been enjoying a bit of the small ball as I have been privileged to get out on the golf course several times with former Clippers Rohan Malhotra, Neel Roy, and Doug O'Connell. Unfortunately, my game has not rounded into form just yet but it is nice to have the opportunity to enjoy the out of doors and catch up with members of the Clipper nation.


In other news, Tomasz Olfans has joined us in Bronxville and has attended summer orientation. Tomasz is really going to be a factor in NCAA II and he is ready to contribute immediately.

Also, Coach Neil continues his recovery and has now been removed from his cast and placed into a less restrictive brace that allows for more movement and the introduction of physical therapy. The somewhat apprehensive patient will be sure to progress quickly and hopefully be weight bearing fully in the near future.

In other good news, all tennis coaches have taken and passed the NCAA Recruiting Exam for the 2011-2012 season. This is good to get this accomplished on the first trial.

With any luck the players are looking to improve on their season ending NCAA II National Ranking of #4. For this to happen there needs to be plenty of hard work including summer fitness and on court improvement. If the players have been and continue to do so, good things will happen for the team. If not, well...not good for anybody.

Share the good! Feel free to report any good things that are going on with you. Share your comments in the comment section of any blog posts, send me an email at danabolics@aol.com, send me a tweet on twitter, or send me a facebook message.

Have a great August and be well.

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ITA Scholar Athletes Announced...

The ITA (the governing body of college tennis) has announced their list of Scholar Athletes for the 2010-2011 academic year. We are very pleased and proud to have three members of the team mentioned among the elite student athletes in the country.

Congratulations to Felix Missal, Geza Bazula and Davis Tisserand. These three young men have distinguished themselves both on the court and in the classroom. A student athlete must achieve a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale for the academic year to be honored.

Click here for the link to the press release.

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The Cast...

Have a nice look at the cast. If you are in the Bronxville area, stop on by the College Racquet Club and sign this, soon to be, piece of tennis memorabilia. Coach T. will be glad to see you.

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Happy Birthday Coach Neil...

As we celebrate our Independence here in the US, we must also celebrate the birthday of Coach Neil Tarangioli. Yes, he is indeed born of the 4th of July. I will not reveal his age here in the land of social media but he certainly looks younger than the number.

I certainly hope he is able to enjoy the day even though he is inconvenienced by his recent surgery and ambulation status. Incidentally, if you check out the "Some intriguing blogs to check out" gadget in the right hand gadget column of this blog, you will note the arrival of the "Achilles Tendon Injury Recovery Blog" in honor of Coach T.

All the best.

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Happy Independence Day...

Wishing all of you a very happy and safe Independence Day. What wonderful opportunities we all have as a result.

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Format Change???

Things could be changing...

There is a motion up before the NCAA D2 Tennis Committee at the moment which considers a format change with respect to match scoring. Essentially the motion suggests a move away from the 9 point scoring format to the 7 point format already used in NCAA D1.

For those of you not familiar with the scoring format currently used in D2: each team match consists of 9 tennis matches: 3 doubles matches and 6 singles matches. Each of these matches is worth 1 point. Thus, there are 3 doubles points and 6 singles points available. The NCAA D1 format has only 7 total points available as the singles matches are still worth 1 point each but the doubles play is only worth 1 total point for scoring. The doubles point is awarded to the team winning the majority of the 3 doubles matches.

This format change places a greater emphasis on the singles matches and ensures that the team winning any given dual match must win at least one half (3) of the singles contests. Also, this format change could also shorten the dual match somewhat. If a team has won the first 2 doubles matches finishing, the third match would be stopped as a majority has been achieved. I am not sure that this is a big deal though.

I was asked by another coach for my opinion about this rule change and I responded by saying that "it depends on how well we play doubles during any given season." However, truth be told, even though we have always played pretty solid doubles, I support such a format change. With the recent NCAA rule changes in D2, the incoming players are younger (I will avoid the obvious cheap shot at the schools who seem to have a special relationship with the NCAA) and have less experience. As a result, much practice time has to be devoted to doubles...probably more than singles. I feel that it is more important for the players to be hitting more balls and focusing on developing their skills, strategies, and fitness rather than spending more than half of a practice on teaching doubles on a day-to-day basis. If only 1 point is at stake for doubles, coaches could spend a little less time in that area. This, in my opinion, would not only make the players happy but would be better for their overall development.

This rule change, if approved, could be utilized as soon as next season.

What are your thoughts?

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