Player Arrival...

I am happy to report that our four new players have all arrived in Bronxville safely and have started to settle in at the college through the orientation process. Certainly, this is quite an adjustment for these young men as they travel far away from their homes, friends and families to Concordia, NY. As a coach, I am mindful of this adjustment period and know how it can affect the student athlete. We are glad to have them and hope that they all have a tremendous and meaningful experience while here. Of course, I know that they will enjoy the US Open which begins Monday at the nearby USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY.

I look forward to coaching these new fellas as well as welcoming back the returning players. It is always exciting to see the fruits of the recruiting process on the court. The energy is pretty positive as I think we have improved and should continue our strong quest for the NCAA Championship.

In other news, I was able to meet up with former Clipper and current spiritual advisor to the ATP players, Pastor Bob Kraft, last night for an insightful conversation over a cup of coffee. It was nice to welcome Pastor Bob back to Concordia and also to learn about what he does for the young men and women traveling on the tour. You can catch up with Pastor Bob by clicking here (Tennis Ministry). Pastor Bob has been able to combine his love for tennis and his life dedicated to Christ into a valuable service for the touring players. You can find him at most events as he travels from tournament to tournament worldwide. I pray for Pastor Bob and his family in Hong Kong and hope he is able to continue his service going forward.

I must admit that I am excited for the upcoming fall non-championship season. It will be great to see what level we are at and to get a glimpse of what is to come next spring. Our first fall event will be the ITA Small College East Regional Sept. 18-20. This is an event with all of the regional schools participating in an individual singles and doubles draw. The winners advance to Mobile, Alabama for the National event and a chance to be crowned National Champion. Last fall, Andrey Boldarev and Alex Grubin indeed captured the doubles #1 ranking and Alex Grubin is a former National Champion of the singles. I always enjoy my trips to Alabama, well at least the tennis...
Practice begins next week and I will post on this soon.

Be well and as always,

Nuff said...

Clippers welcome Piludu...

Your Concordia Clippers welcome Daniele Piludu of Cagliari, Italy to Bronxville and the 2010-2011 squad.

Daniele brings a wealth of international experience with him to New York, both in the ITF Junior and ATP circuits. In fact, Daniele reached a career high ITF Junior world ranking of 135, with limited play and has wins over the 19th and 20th ranked junior players in the world. Certainly, one of his better career wins was over Marco Simoni 7-6, 7-6. Simoni holds a current ATP world ranking of 583.

Coach Rockhill on Piludu: "Daniele is really going to help us. He is a tremendous addition to our team and should make an immediate impact at the national level. I would not be surprised to see him ranked among the top 5 players in the division. I look forward to coaching Daniele and I believe he will well represent this college."

Join me in wishing Daniele and all of our new student athletes great success here at Concordia.

Nuff said...

2010 ITA All Academic-Teams and Scholar-Athletes Announced...

Some very special news has been announced. Both Andrey Boldarev and Raphael Namias were named to a select group of NCAA II Scholar Athletes for the 2009-2010 academic year. In doing so, the two student athletes achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the entire academic period.

Your Clippers fell just short of the team honor achieving a cumulative team GPA of 3.11 for the academic year. A 3.2 GPA is needed for the distinction. We certainly hope to achieve this prestigious honor in the near future as we are proud of our accomplishments not only on the tennis court, but in classroom as well.

Congratulations to both Andrey and Raphael on a job well done. As previously mentioned, Raphael Namias has transferred to NYU to pursue specific academic interests and will not be returning.

Nuff said...

Bazula signs...

A third piece of the puzzle, Geza Bazula, has now signed on to play for the Clippers for the upcoming season. Geza comes to Concordia as a Junior transfer from NCAA D1 Loyola Marymount University where he played primarily at the #3 position for Coach Brad Sceney and the Lions.

Geza, a native of Hungary, brings a fair amount of experience and energy to the court and is eager to compete. Interestingly, he has competed against and defeated two current Clippers in ITF competition.

Coach Rockhill on Geza: "Geza is just what we needed. He will step right in and compete for one of top spots in the lineup and add enthusiasm and experience. I think he will also be able to provide some leadership to the team and will certainly be a big part of our quest for a National Championship next spring."


We are all excited to have Geza in the mix and look forward to great things from him on the court.

For a preview of Geza click here.

I know that you are all pretty excited about the recent signings but there is still one more to come that will really get your Clipper tennis juices flowing.

Nuff said...

Tisserand signs...

I am happy to report that David Tisserand of France has signed a Letter of Intent and will join the Clippers in the fall of 2010. David brings plenty of playing experience and a strong right-handed game to Concordia and is expected to compete for one of the top spots in the lineup.

For a look at David's game click here.

We look forward to having David here in New York and wish him the best of luck in a Clipper uniform.

Two more announcements to follow soon.

Nuff said...

Frey Signs NLI

I am happy to announce that Ricardo Frey of Brazil has signed a National Letter of Intent and has thus committed to attend Concordia this fall. Ricardo brings a left-handed game to your Clippers and should make an immediate impact at the NCAA II level.

Ricardo, a highly ranked junior in Brazil, was also ranked as high as #942 in the world among junior players with limited events played. In addition, he boasts some very competitive results with some of the world's top 750 in the men's rankings.

Ricardo joins his sister Juliana, who will also be coming to Bronxville, and will join the Clipper women's team this fall.

For a peak at Ricardo's game click here.

Three more announcements coming soon...stay tuned!

Nuff said...

Stay tuned...

Not to pull a LeBron James type thing on my loyal followers but be prepared for some exciting roster announcements just as soon as it is allowed. There are going to be some new players in town this fall and don't expect us to be #10 for too long...

In other news, Raphael Namias has left Concordia for NYU to pursue specific academic interests.

Nuff said...well maybe you wanted more...

Happy Fourth of July...

Hello loyal followers of "the good lines". Today is a very special day to celebrate our Independence and also those who fought so hard to achieve it, as well as those who continue to fight the good fight to keep it. We all need to do our part as well so lets keep government as small as possible...

In addition, lets all join together to wish good old Coach Tarangioli a very Happy Birthday!!!

Be well everybody and be safe.
Nuff said...

Boldarev plays future...

In an effort to improve and gain additional match experience Andrey Boldarev has taken to the ITF future circuit this summer. Boasting a national ranking in his home country of Uzbekistan, Andrey is able to sign into qualifying draws.

Andrey was in Rochester, NY (not to be confused with Rochester Minnesota, the town of my grandparents) this week and had some early success (click here for the draw).

Andrey fell to a tough opponent, Evan King, who plays #2 singles for the University of Michigan (NCAA D1) 6-0, 7-6 (7-4). King had been ranked as high as 14 in the world among ITF Juniors.

Next up will be Pittsburgh and F17. Lets all wish Andrey good luck and hope this experience propels him to great achievements for the Clippers next season and beyond.

In other news, Coach Schwartz is playing the doubles main draw (click here for the draw). Good luck Craig, lets get some points!

Nuff said...

Happy Father's Day...

Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers out there!!! A special Happy Father's Day to the former Coach Ronald H. Rockhill (1929-1995).

Things are heating up on the recruiting trail and I hope to have some exciting announcements soon...maybe this week.

Stay tuned!

Nuff said...

CACC Spring All-Academic Team

The CACC has announced its spring All-Academic team (click here for full press release). This year Clipper Andrey Boldarev is one of eight tennis athletes in the conference to be honored. An athlete is recognized if he/she achieves a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the academic year and has attended the member institution for at least two years. According to conference figures, Andrey qualified with a 3.6 for the year. Congratulations to Andrey who excels both on the court and in the classroom.

Nuff said...

All-America Teams Announced...

The 2010 All-America teams have been announced highlighted by the ITA/NCAA II Senior Player of the Year Alex Grubin (click here for the press release).

Congratulations to those named.

Nuff said...

Enjoy the ride (press the play button)...

Nothing to do with tennis...