Boland to be head of player development
March 29, 2017
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., – The USTA today announced that University of Virginia men’s head coach Brian Boland has been named as USTA Player Development’s next Head of Men’s Tennis. Boland will report directly to USTA Player Development General Manager Martin Blackman out of the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla.
As Head of Men’s Tennis, Boland will oversee all training and coaching of male juniors, collegians and pros by USTA Player Development and will manage all USTA National Coaches on the men’s side, in the Team USA – Pro, Collegiate and Junior bands.
Boland replaces Jay Berger, who chose to step down this year after nine years in the position. Berger will remain in the role through June to assist with the transition, as Boland finishes the collegiate season with the reigning NCAA champion Cavaliers.
“Brian brings a unique skill set to Player Development, a combination of management and coaching expertise, which enabled him to build a championship culture at the University of Virginia,” Blackman said. “He’s long been an innovative leader in the world of college tennis and athletics and is the right person at the right time – a person who can build on the great foundation that has been laid by Jay Berger and our men’s coaches and take us to the next level.”
Boland has been the head men’s coach at Virginia since 2002 and has guided the Cavaliers to a 419-57 record (prior to this season) and three NCAA team championships (2013, 2015-16). Boland has been the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Coach of the Year twice (2008, 2016) and has coached his players to three NCAA singles titles, three NCAA doubles titles, three ITA National Player of the Year and 42 ITA All-American honors. Boland’s Virginia teams have been ranked No. 1 in 10 different seasons and have reached the NCAA title match five out of the last six years. From April 2006 to February 2016, Boland’s Cavaliers won 140 straight matches against ACC opponents, the longest winning streak by any team in any sport in ACC history.
Prior to Virginia, Boland was the head men’s coach at his alma mater Indiana State for five seasons, going 121-32, giving him a 540-89 record (prior to this season) as a college head coach.
“This is an incredible opportunity for me and my family, and I feel honored and privileged to lead our Men’s National Coaches and serve all of Team USA,” Boland said. “This is a very exciting time for American tennis. I believe wholeheartedly that Team USA is blessed with the brightest coaches in the game, a pipeline of players that merit our support and a sense of urgency nationwide to propel American tennis to the top of our global sport. I look forward to building close and trusting relationships with the entire Player Development team and building on the great foundation that has been laid by Jay Berger, in working together with the private sector to grow the game and develop the future of American men’s tennis.”
In January, USTA Player Development relocated its headquarters from Boca Raton, Fla., to the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando, where its adidas Performance Center features eight outdoor hard courts, six European red clay courts and six indoor hard courts, as well as a state of the art athletic training area and a player lodge, which can house up to 40 players participating in Player Development programs. Additionally, the National Campus features a ‘Team USA’ area, where coaches and players from each of the USTA’s 17 sections can utilize to work collaboratively with Player Development.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 715,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships and helps under-resourced youth and individuals with disabilities, and supports wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans and their families. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com, “like” the official Facebook page, facebook.com/usta, or follow @usta on Twitter.