US Team for Master' U BNP Paribas Competition; Wayne Bryan Gives His Suggestions on USTA Player Development
The United States will send another strong team to the annual Master'U BNP Paribas international collegiate competition next month in France, aiming for its fourth consecutive title. Eight teams from around the world play singles, doubles and mixed doubles in a team competition that begins December 4 in Rennes, France. Last year the US team of Peter Kobelt, Marcos Giron, Mitchell Frank, Robin Anderson, Lauren Herring and Sabrina Santamaria defeated Russia 7-0 in the final. The coaches for the 2013 US team--Amanda Augustus of Cal and Greg Patton of Boise State--return again this year, but only Anderson will be returning to France this year.
The women's team is Anderson and Chanelle Van Nguyen of UCLA and Julia Elbaba of Virginia. The men's team is Noah Rubin of Wake Forest, Thai Kwiatkowski of Virginia and Nathan Pasha of Georgia. For more on last year's win and Patton's blog, see the USTA website.
Speaking of USTA websites, Wayne Bryan has provided his thoughts on where USTA Player Development needs to go from here recently on the USTA Florida website, something of a unexpected outlet for it to surface given its content. Back in early 2012, Bryan called for the end of USTA Player Development in this letter, I responded here, and he responded to my response here. Patrick McEnroe responded to Bryan's letter here, and Bryan responded to McEnroe's response here.
Bryan is still advocating for the dismantling of Player Development (I'm not sure when why it's now Professional Development as it's called in the post), is still advocating the private sector for coaching and is still against college scholarships for international players and the 10-and-under tennis mandate. But although I still find some of his statements to be exaggerated for effect (we currently have 12 women in the Top 100, which is four more than any other country and far from the fewest ever) and I don't agree with him philosophically on the issue of international players in college tennis, I can't say I disagree with most of his points in the If we’re going to move forward with USTA PD we need to: section.
Here's what I wrote on the topic last month. As we get closer to a new General Manager of Player Development and a new president and CEO of the USTA, I appreciate that Bryan is keeping the topic on the front burner.
20 comments:
Noah Rubin has done nothing in college tennis this year, Kwiatkowski has only had one good tournament...sure you could say Kwiatkowski earned it, but Rubin? So many better, more deserving options. The team the US sent last year was full of accomplished players, not hyped up freshman.
Colette,
I am sure you can appreciate that it is easier for a US woman to break into the top 100 then say a woman from Egypt. Many countries still treat women as second class citizens, and they are not afforded the opportunities that girls in this country receive in terms of sports and education. So, if we are going to compare apples to apples, we should either compare men to men or women to women. But women in the US to men in the world doesn't work.
70% of Division 1 tennis is foreigners. I know you are not against this, but as a parent what incentive do I have to pay for this sport, an expensive sport, when my son most likely will not get any scholarship $.
Wayne is with the American parents, that is why he is our hero.
All I want to say is that as a USPTA P-1 and USTA High Performance Certified Coach - And the parent of a USA Player that has been ranked #2 NCAA Division 1, and as high as 269 ATP, the USTA has not made ONE effort since his graduation from college and turning pro is 2008 to help him in any way, shape or form. PMac says that one main goal is to get more USA players in the top 100? Amazing that his team didn't make one effort to help my son since turning pro and reaching top 275 in the world, and now, at his highest peak level and age, money is running out and he may have to stop reaching for the stars. His biggest obstacle to being top 100 is not having to worry about the money to get from point A to point B. In every way possible, he is ready to make the leap. The silence from the USTA is deafening.
@How can....
I understand the frustration, but I come at it from a different perspective. My incentive to pay for my child's athletics is for them to have a great experience at their current level. The end game for me is not a college scholarship. If my child gets great training and has an enjoyable athletic experience through grade 12, I see that as money well spent. Just my personal perspective and not better or worse than yours.
Colette,
How can you come to such a bogus conclusion that "The United States will send another strong team to the annual Master'U BNP Paribas international collegiate competition" his year. The Men selected have done nothing in the college ranks to deserve being named to this team. Is this yet another attempt by the USTA to mandate who gets selected?
Why was Rubin chosen? To my knowledge he has yet to play a collegiate match yet only playing the Pro tournaments, so why should he represent a collegiate competition, smacks of USTA hand picking their chosen few.
Where's MacDonald just to name one.
Thomas Fawcett has already done more than Rubin in college.
As usual, I agree with virtually everything Wayne Bryan has written in his letter.
He really should be named the new Director, but unfortunately the USTA doesn't have the guts to do this, particularly since Mr. Bryan dared question and criticize them. Also, the USTA doesn't have the imagination. Let us all watch while they do something as stupid as they did last time and name another "insider" that they are friends with. Probably a former professional player like Pete Sampras who has no proven coaching track record.
Or, look for the USTA to name someone who is already part of their failed system who was once part of USTA PD like the extremely overrated and overpaid Jose Higeuros or Jay Berger.
I'm betting on James Blake being names the new PD god....
My vote is for Peter Smith to replace Patrick. He is the MAN
Joe- You could be correct that they name James Blake head of PD because that would be typical of the USTA to hire a former professional player who would be merely a "figure head," very similar to Pat McEnroe.
But that would be basically repeating the same mistake and would be showing zero imagination. What has James Blake ever accomplished as a coach and what does he know about developing junior players?
My bet would be that they hire someone like Paul Annacone, which would also show no imagination by hiring another former professional player and "insider" who is colleagues with Pat McEnroe and all the other tennis broadcasters. But, choosing Annacone would be an improvement over McEnroe and Blake because at least Annacone has been a successful coach of both Sampras and Federer.
Like Annacone, Peter Smith has also been a successful coach, but this is at the college level and there is no evidence that he knows how to develop JUNIOR players.
Wayne Bryan would be a much better choice because he has a strong record of DEVELOPING JUNIOR and professional players.
If I'm Peter Smith. I stay in a situation far more rewarding. PD is mostly an administrator position, perfect for a coach who doesn't want to coach anymore.
Paul Annacone has worked for the USTA before and if I'm not mistaken was a big reason for the completely misguided thought behind not ranking the kids in the 12 and unders for years.. The USTA needs to hire someone who has experience on the court developing players from the ground up to the highest level. Ex players who were top players simply don't have the patience and quite often the knowledge to develop players the way it's needed.. They want to take a player already on the tour and hope for a few good results to take credit for it. Many of these players hire ex players assuming they must be able to help them.. Rarely does it happen.. Quit hiring ex players that have a name and start hiring people with proven track records as coaches who develop at ALL levels and have the knowledge to help the top professionals as well.. How many people qualify?
No evidence that Peter Smith knows how to develop junior players? Me thinks you don't know him at all. Regardless, Peter Smith wouldn't leave USC, no way no how.
To-Fight On LA,
Hey "Shakespeare," if you have something to say, then say it. If you know that Peter Smith has developed good junior players (other than his sons), then let's hear it.
Otherwise, I would zip it. He has been a COLLEGE coach, not a junior coach, for decades.
What is happening to this comment section? Just one attacking post after another lately...it seems like a bunch of couch surfers just being nasty most of the time.
Besides his sons, Peter Smith has also run summer programs and junior camps for decades, and calling out junior players is not appropriate. As a side note, isn't 5.0 a tad embarrassing?
But agree with russ, PS would have no interest in a USTA gig, that would be a step down from the life he has at USC. PS is the best there is and no great coach that truly loves coaching would take an office job in their prime.
@ why so crabby - I could not agree more. This comment section is becoming miserable to wade through.
Shakespeare. The point is, this shouldn't be an office job. This should be an on the court teaching job. Hire a promotion, get people involved person(ie. Wayne Bryan)and hire a true on the court director with knowledge of the professional level and development level for both male and females.
The USTA would NEVER hire someone like Wayne Bryan. They only want someone they can control to dedicatedly push their hidden agendas.
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