July 24, 2007

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - Former Tiger men's tennis player Alex Jago will return to the Tiger sidelines as an assistant coach with both the men's and women's tennis programs at Memphis it was announced Tuesday.

"I'm excited to work with both Coach Paul (Goebel) and Coach Lee (Walker)," Jago said. "I helped the team out for the year I was injured as sort of a student assistant coach, and that was what got me interested in the other side of tennis. Being a proud Memphis Tiger, it's always good to come back to where it all started. "

Jago, who graduated from Memphis in December of 2006, spent the last six months in his native Australia as the Membership Service Coordinator for Tennis Tasmania. There, he helped staff professional tournaments, as well as men's and women's open and junior tournaments, as well as handling the website for Tennis Tasmania.

"Our team is really excited to have Alex back in Memphis and coaching," men's tennis coach Paul Goebel said. "He'll do an outstanding job replacing Lee Walker for us. Alex is extremely hard-working and has an excellent background in conditioning. He is leaving a top tennis job from Tennis Tasmania, where he coached some of the top national junior players and got great experience in fundraising and promoting tennis. He will have the full range of coaching activities here at Memphis from coaching to scheduling to recruiting. "

At Memphis, Jago will serve as an assistant coach with both the men's and women's tennis teams.

"Alex made huge gains on and off the court from the time he came here as a freshman to the day he graduated from Memphis," women's head coach Lee Taylor Walker said. "He was a young player who worked hard to make the adjustment to being a college athlete, both on the court and in the classroom. Now, he's a man of good character and a positive leader who graduated Magna Cum Laude and was a top 10 ranked doubles player, the highest-ever by a Memphis Tiger, in his senior season. He really knows what it takes to improve and reach one's maximum potential and I am thrilled to have him on staff."

Jago graduated Magna Cum Laude from Memphis with a degree in sports management, and was a four-year letterwinner for the Tigers from 2003-2006. As a senior, Jago teamed with James Spence in doubles and the tandem ranked as high as No. 8 in the country at the end of the fall semester after going 6-4 in doubles and picking up wins over the No. 8 and No. 14 ranked doubles teams before Jago was diagnosed with a career-ending wrist injury.

At Memphis, Jago was a three-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete and was a three-time member of the Conference USA Academic Honor Roll. He was also a member of the Tiger Academic 30 in 2004, for having one of the 30 highest GPAs in the entire athletic department.

A native of Launceston, Australia, Jago will begin his duties at Memphis in August. With the men's tennis team, Jago will replace Lee Taylor Walker, who was named the women's tennis team's head coach in May. Jago will join Walker and former Tiger head coach Phil Chamberlain as staff members for the Lady Tiger tennis program.