For a complete list of Coach of the Year winners, click here.
2007 TTCA Coach of the Year ~ 2A
David Hettick, Wall HS
Bio/Career Information & Coaching Philosophy:
1989-1996 Lewisville ISD
· Teacher and Tennis Coach – Marcus High School
o San Angelo ISD
· Teacher and Tennis Coach – Lake View High School
· 1998-Present Wall ISD
· Teacher and Tennis Coach – Wall High School and Wall Middle School
· Personal Information
· Wife of 22 years – Tracy
· Two Sons – Bryan and Brandon
· Graduate of Lubbock Christian University
· 19 Years of teaching and coaching tennis
· Wall Tennis
· Junior High
· 7th and 8th Grade – 50 players (total enrollment 160)
· High School
· 9-12 Grade – 80+ players (total enrollment 300)
· Highlights
· 10 District Champions
· 20 Regional Qualifiers
· 11 State Qualifiers
· 3 State Titles, 2 Runner-up Titles
· 3 Appearances in TTCA State Team Tennis Tournament
· 1 - 2nd place finish, 1 – 4th place finish
o Junior High District Champions 2006 & 2007 (7th and 8th grade)
2006 – 2007 Season
Although every year has its’ great memories, our 2007 season was very special. On the teams I have had the privilege to coach we have had many individual successes. This year, our goal was to maintain those successes and to add to the list the goal of taking our team back to the TTCA state tournament. My kids pulled together as a team like never before and worked incredibly hard to reach that goal. Although we fell to Mason in the finals of the regional tournament, we rebounded to defeat a tough Sonora team in the playback. We entered the state tournament seeded #4, but we knew we could do better. After winning two tough matches, we reached the semis and played a very talented Comfort team. We fell behind 2-8, but we refused to give up. We fought our way back to win the match 10-9 with my #6 girl taking the deciding match with well over 100 people yelling and cheering. Although we again fell to Mason in the finals, I was incredibly proud of my team because they truly gave everything they had and more. We finished out the season with many medals and trophies and we had two doubles teams qualify for regionals. This season will be one that I will always cherish.
Coaching Philosophy
I have always considered tennis one of the greatest sports because it is the sport of a lifetime. I believe tennis is an excellent arena in which to learn and build many crucial skills that can make us successful in life. As a coach, I believe we can teach our students the fundamentals of the game of tennis. But more importantly, we can teach our kids the values of integrity, sportsmanship, and leadership. Without umpires and referees, they must learn to trust themselves and their opponents. I strongly believe that winning at all cost is not an option, but that always giving everything they have makes them a winner no matter what the score is at the end of the match. As a coach, my hope is that we will be long remembered for the way we played the game, rather than whether we always won or lost