For a complete list of Coach of the Year winners, click here.
2007 TTCA Coach of the Year ~ 5A
Fred Scott, Abilene HS (Co-recipient)
Bio/Career Information & Coaching Philosophy:
1977-1979: Head tennis coach at Mason Public School, Mason, Tx
· Men’s and women’s district champions 2 times
· Qualified 13 players to regional tournament
· Qualified 9 players to state tournament
1979-1982: Head tennis coach at New Braunfels High School, New Braunfels, Tx
· Men’s and Women’s district champions 3 times
· Qualified 8 players to the regional tournament
· Qualified 2 players to the state tournament
· Finished 3rd in the state in team tennis
1982-1988: Head tennis coach at Sweetwater High School, Sweetwater, Tx
· Qualified 12 players to the regional tournament
· Qualified 7 players to the state tournament
· Finished 3rd in the state in team tennis
1988-1992: Head men’s and women’s tennis coach at the University of North Texas, Denton, Tx
· 1991 Men’s Conference Champions (all Texas high school players)
· 1991 Southland Conference Men’s Coach of the Year
· 1991 Southland Conference Women’s Coach of the Year
· 1990 Women’s Conference Champions
· 1990 Southland Conference Women’s Coach of the Year
1993-1997: Head tennis coach at Plainview High School, Plainview, Tx
· Won 1st district championship in history of the school
· 7 players all-district
· Boys 45-0 in district play
1997-present: Head tennis coach at Abilene High School, Abilene, Tx.
· Won 8 district 3 5A championships
· Won regional championship 1999
· Won state championship 1999
· Qualified 26 players to regional
· Qualified 10 players to the state tournament
· Ranked in the top 10 in the state all 11 years
· During the 2006-07 year, we were district 3 5A champions and region 1 semifinalist.
· We qualified 5 to the regional tournament and 2 to the state tournament, where they were state finalists.
· We were ranked #5 in the state for most of the fall season.
My coaching philosophy is that hard work and discipline equals success. I believe that dedication and determination is one of the keys to a successful program. With all of these qualities, they will also enjoy the sport. I believe improvement happens all year round, even in the summers.
The key elements of my program are:
1. start working with the kids in the middle schools
2. getting them involved in USTA
3. have a structured workout daily
4. having full schedules for the 9th grade, sophomore, junior varsity, and varsity teams.
5. let the kids know that you care about them off the court
6. make sure they do well in academics
Morgan Walker, Plano West HS (Co-recipient)
Bio/Career Information & Coaching Philosophy:
Born: 4-21-1971….Cotulla, TX
1989 Graduated from Rochester High School
1993 Graduated from Howard Payne University
1993-1997 Middle School Coach/High School Asst…Andrews, TX
1997-2002 Head Coach…..Andrews, TX
2002-Present Head Coach ….Plano West
· 5 straight district, and regional titles
· 5 straight state tournament appearances
· 1 state semi-finalist finish
· 1 state runner up finish
· 3 state titles (’04, ’05, ’06)
· Plano West hasn’t lost a district match since 1999
· Last loss vs a 5A school…state finals ’03 (Lubbock Coronado)
I began coaching in Andrews in the fall of 2003 working under Novice Kniffen. While there, I was in charge of the middle school program, and assisted with the high school program as well. For 4 years I did this until Novice retired. At that point, I took my first head-coaching position and held that job for five years, leaving in the summer of 2002 to accept the head-coaching job at Plano West Senior High School.
I have great kids to work with, great parents, and tremendous support from the administration. We definitely have a family atmosphere amongst all the kids and families when it comes to the team, and routinely have more fan support than our opponents even at away matches.
I have definitely been blessed with opportunities to make a difference in young people’s lives. I learned from Novice Kniffen how important it is to be a positive influence in the lives of the kids, because there are always some that you coach who won’t get that influence unless it comes from you. Our job as coaches is to teach…not just the game of tennis, but things like teamwork, the benefits of hard work, perseverance, and handling triumphs and setbacks with class and integrity. We impact so many kids each day of our lives with the jobs we have, and I believe we should challenge ourselves daily to make the most of that opportunity.