Four coaches have been chosen to lead the 2010 USTA Men’s and Women’s Summer Collegiate Teams, an elite training program for the top American collegiate tennis players that began in 1996 and is funded by the USTA. The program is designed to provide players with valuable exposure to the USTA Pro Circuit in a team-oriented environment during the summer months. Jamea Jackson from Oklahoma State University and Julia Scaringe from the University of Notre Dame will coach the women’s team, while the University of Alabama’s Bo Hodge and Chris Brandi from Baylor University, who also coached last year’s team, will lead the men’s team.
The teams, which will feature 12 participants each for the second consecutive year, will be named after the NCAA Championships in May. Team members will be selected based on performance at those championships as well as the ITA All-Americans and National Indoor Championships, and the final ITA National Rankings. Current pros who are past participants include James Blake, Bob and Mike Bryan, Audra Cohen, Amer Delic, Laura Granville, John Isner, Jesse Levine, Todd Paul, Sam Warburg and Jesse Witten.
“We are excited to name two up-and-coming coaches like Jamea and Julia to coach the USTA Summer Collegiate Team,” said Ola Malmqvist, Head of Women’s Tennis, USTA Player Development. “They will be excellent role models and mentors for our top collegians.”
“Chris Brandi did an outstanding job last summer working with our college players,” said Jay Berger, Head of Men’s Tennis, USTA Player Development. “We are really excited to have him back and glad to welcome Bo Hodge on board. Their combined experience and energy will positively impact our top collegians.”
Jackson, 23, is currently in her first year as an assistant coach for Oklahoma State’s women’s team after a recurring hip injury prematurely ended a promising professional career that saw her as high as No. 45 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Her best year as a pro was in 2006, when she defeated Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic en route to her only tour-level singles final appearance at Eastbourne. That year she made her Fed Cup debut and reached the third round of all four Grand Slams. She also became a footnote in tennis history when she became the first player to use electronic line calling to challenge a call when the system made its debut in Miami.
Scaringe, 28, is finishing her second year as an assistant coach at Notre Dame and helped lead the Irish to a top-5 ITA ranking and a second consecutive Big East title in 2009. Prior to coaching at Notre Dame, Scaringe served as an assistant coach for a season at Harvard, where she helped coach two All-Ivy players. Scaringe spent her collegiate career at the University of Florida, which reached the NCAA final twice and won a national championship, along with three SEC tournament titles, during her tenure. As a junior player, Scaringe reached as high as No. 54 in the ITA World Junior Rankings and reached the round of 16 in girls’ singles at the Australian Open.
Brandi, 27, who is coaching the USTA Summer Collegiate Team for the second consecutive year, is in his first year as an assistant coach for Baylor University, where he also serves as Assistant Director of Tennis. Prior to his arrival at Baylor, Brandi served one year as an assistant coach at Wake Forest, where he helped lead the Demon Deacons to the ACC Tournament final, and coached the doubles team of Cory Parr and Steve Forman to the ITA National Indoor championship. After finishing his collegiate career at the University of Florida in 2006, Brandi immediately went into coaching, working with Laura Granville and 2005 US Open junior champion Ryan Sweeting. While at Florida, Brandi helped lead the team to a No. 1 national ranking and earned All-American status in doubles. Brandi is the son of Andy Brandi, who coached Florida’s women’s team for 17 years.
Hodge, 28, is in his second year as an assistant coach for the University of Alabama’s men’s team, where he helped lead the Crimson Tide to its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009. Following a brief stint as a touring professional, Hodge served as a coach and hitting partner for Venus and Serena Williams in 2006 and for Mardy Fish in 2007. Hodge played collegiately at the University of Georgia, where he helped lead the Bulldogs to the 2001 NCAA title. Hodge finished both 2001 and 2004 ranked No. 2 in the country and reached the 2004 NCAA doubles final with current American standout John Isner.
This summer, for the second straight year, USTA Player Development will host two Pro Tour Transition camps – one for the men, one for the women – for the selected players. The men’s camp will be held June 21-24 on clay courts in Boca Raton, Fla., while the women’s camp will be conducted June 27-July 1 on hard courts in Boca Raton.