In athletics, it is easy to get caught up in the physicality of the game, but SMSU’s

new head tennis coach Andrew Cobb holds merit in the mental side of the coin as

well.

“For me, the technique really isn’t important. If you look at the top pros, it is

whoever is smarter that day, they don’t hit the same or anything. It’s all about

the intangibles, the upstairs,” Cobb said.

“I started tennis at twelve, and I didn’t know I wanted to be a coach until I got a

gig at Reinhardt University,” he said.

Even though past experiences had given him great exposure, Cobb’s values and vision of the game had disconnect with the program.

“Reinhardt was more about winning with the focus of team relationships behind that,” Cobb said.

Values that Coach Cobb is trying to further instill include a sense of familial

connection among his team-members as well as a free-spirited attitude on and off

the court.

“My players have to be free-spirited on and off the court, and they really have to want to be a part of the team,” Cobb said. “ The effort that the girls have learned to give from past coaches has been phenomenal for the program. I am excited to build off of that and to have them embrace having a bigger roster as having a bigger family.”

Coach Cobb has had previous coaching successes over the years, including leading

the men’s and women’s teams to success at Montreat, and a position as an

assistant coach at Reinhardt University, Georgia where he aided in leading the

women’s team to its first-ever back-to-back winning seasons and its first-ever

regular season championship.