Former Tiger tennis player Mark Finnegan has committed to another year as the assistant coach for the Memphis women's tennis program. Finnegan served as an assistant for the women's team for one year following his graduation from Memphis in 2004. Finnegan has since served as an assistant coach with the men's team, where his main duties are international recruiting, private lessons for the players and overall development of Memphis' student-athletes. "Mark has established himself as one of the best recruiters in the nation," Coach Walker said. "Nobody will out-work Mark in this area and that's why he is in irreplaceable asset to Tiger tennis as we continue to move forward. Mark and I share similar values and strategies on and off the court and I look forward to working with him again." Finnegan assisted head coach Paul Goebel in putting together a stellar international recruiting class prior to the 2011 season, and it paid off for the Tigers. David O'Hare, a former fourth-ranked Ireland U18 player, was named to C-USA's Singles second team and Memphis posted the most wins (16) under Goebel. In Finnegan's first year as assistant coach, the Tigers produced their most successful season under Goebel, finishing with a 14-11 mark. Finnegan also helped coach Jorge Vazquez to All-C-USA first team honors. Finnegan also helped guide the Tigers to an 11-12 mark in 2010. Finnegan graduated from Memphis in 2004 with a degree in finance after playing two seasons following his transfer from Georgia Southern. He battled a shoulder injury his first season for the Tigers, but bounced back to post a 28-21 career singles mark in a Tiger uniform. In doubles, Finnegan posted a 12-6 mark with former Tiger assistant coach Alex Jago. Prior to his arrival at the U of M as a player, Finnegan had a successful stint at Georgia Southern where he was honored as the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year in 2002. Finnegan was also named to the All-Southern Conference team and was the team MVP for Georgia Southern. After his graduation and a stint with the University of Memphis women's tennis team, Finnegan returned to his native Ireland and worked for the National Irish Bank. In January of 2007, he returned to the U.S. and went to work as the Program Director at the Cliff Drysdale Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, Fla. There, Finnegan worked with a high performance academy and coached highly ranked juniors in the state of Florida. Finnegan also spent a period of time at the Point Clear Tennis Club with fellow Irish touring pro Joseph O'Dwyer. While at Point Clear, Finnegan coached several players who were highly ranked in the state of Alabama, many of whom now compete collegiately around the country. Finnegan married his wife, Molly, in May of 2008. The couple currently resides in Memphis. |
Memphis Tigers
|
|||||||||||
