Last year, the Alabama men’s tennis team won only 10 matches in its entire season. This year, though, the Crimson Tide has managed to win 12 already, and many credit the turnaround for Alabama to its new head coach, George Husack.
Husack was named the new head coach of the Tide on June 13, 2012. Before taking the reins at Alabama, Husack was an assistant coach for three years at Southern California, the defending, four-time national champions. In 2012, Husack was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Assistant Coach of the Year.
Husack said it has been a good experience coaching in his first year in the Southeastern Conference.
“The game has been the same in my last 18 years of coaching, but it has been good down here,” Husack said.
Husack said his plan is to use the lessons learned from successes in his assistant coaching position and replicate them Alabama.
“The main difference, which has been really exciting for me, is kind of doing my own thing,” Husack said. “The last five years I was fortunate to learn from some good head coaches and am taking that experience and plugging it into the program here.”
Senior Jarryd Botha said Husack has done a good job coaching the team this year.
“Coach Husack has changed the culture here,” Botha said. “He has held us to a much higher standard, and it has shown in our results this season. I think we can only move forward with his guidance.”
There are quite a few differences between last year’s team and this year’s team, including the type of play.
Botha said the main difference with having Husack as coach is everyone is more focused on becoming a better team.
“This year we are focused more on improving every single practice,” Botha said. “We are focused on, once again, the things we can control, and we don’t worry on the things we can’t control. We are focused on the expectations so we can try to become a better unit and have great results.”
Husack said there are a few differences between coaching in Alabama and coaching in California, but the main difference is the weather.
“Certainly playing indoors here is much different for me,” Husack said. “There is not an indoor facility in all of Southern California. But playing indoors allows us never to miss practice.”
Despite having a nice indoor tennis facility, Husack wants the Tide to play outside as often as it can because it will help the team prepare for its ultimate goal.
“We want to play outdoors as much as possible,” Husack said. “Our national championship is played outside, and we want to get better for that.”
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