|
|
Gulf Coast welcomes a new Bulldog to the tennis court this season. Gary Bourgeois was hired in August to coach both the men’s and women’s teams. Bourgeois, who attended USM on a football scholarship, is a South Mississippi native who has coached tennis around the world. He has served as the Director of Tennis at European Training Center in Italy and for the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academies in California and Austria. He returned to the Coast in 1999 to become the City of Biloxi’s director of Tennis. Over the last five years he reestablished his ties to the local tennis community and won an Education Merit Award from the U.S. Tennis Association and Mississippi Tennis Association. Athletic director Chris Calcote says Coach Bourgeois’s experience brings a level of instant creditability to the college’s tennis program. “Coach Bourgeois has a wealth of experience our students athletes will be able to use. He coached locally, nationally and internationally. Gary has an outstanding reputation as a coach who prepares his players for their matches and is well-known in local tennis circles,” Calcote said. The In Touch sport’s staff sat down with Coach Bourgeois to get some of his thoughts about the upcoming season.
Welcome to MGCCC! Let’s start with your plans for the Bulldog tennis program. “First, I’m excited to be here. I want this program to be the standard for all community college tennis programs in the state and in this region. I expect my players to make the grades and then make their way to the tennis court. I’m really looking forward to getting back to coaching individual players in a team setting.” Describe your coaching style. “My primary tennis philosophy relies heavily on three elements -- conditioning, match play skills and drills. Tough practice is the only thing a player can rely on in the third set of match. My practices will be tough with drills faster than the speed of a match speed. I’ll also stress the mental game. A smarter player will beat a better player.” You have a few months before the spring season. What are your off-season plans? “I want to talk with the returning players I haven’t had the chance to meet. I know several members of this year’s team from my time here on the Coast. I’m going to stress a solid winter conditioning program to each one of them. We have got to be ready to play in the spring.” |
| Call
Toll Free |
 © 2003 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Last Modified: September 3, 2004 5:06 PM Email Webmaster: keith.lee@mgccc.edu |
|
|
