Green Wave hires men’s tennis coach
June 30, 2008
Green Wave hires men’s tennis coach- NOLA.com
Ex-LSU assistant has impressive résumé
Sunday, June 29, 2008
By Nakia HoganTulane has hired LSU assistant tennis coach Mark Booras to take over as men’s coach for the Green Wave, Tulane athletic department officials announced Saturday.
With the team slated to begin competition in 2009-2010, Booras will have a little more than a year to help restart the program, which was suspended after Hurricane Katrina.
“I am excited and honored to be selected as the head men’s tennis coach at Tulane University,” Booras said. “This tennis program has had a great tradition of success, and I look forward to working with the athletic department and the community to restore it to a championship level once again.”
Booras, 37, is the fourth coach hired by Tulane to restart a suspended program, joining women’s golf coach John Thomas Horton and women’s tennis coach Terri Sisk, who were hired last summer, and Lena Guarriello, who was hired earlier this month to relaunch the women’s swimming and diving program.
The Green Wave also will add women’s soccer and women’s bowling next summer, giving the Green Wave 16 varsity programs and returning the athletic department to full strength for the first time since 2006.
Booras will take over at Tulane after spending the previous 10 years at LSU, where he was associate head coach his final four years.
At LSU, Booras became one of the country’s top assistant coaches, helping the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his seasons with the program.
In 2007, Booras was selected the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s National Assistant Coach of the Year. He also was recognized in 2004 and 2007 as the best assistant coach in the ITA Southeast Region.
“After a long and exhaustive nationwide search, which attracted many prominent successful head coaches and top associate head coaches, we believe Mark stood above the candidates because of his passion for developing the total student-athlete,” Tulane Athletic Director Rick Dickson said. “He is widely recognized for his skill development, excellent match strategies and unique ability to identify and develop top collegiate-level talent as evidenced by his selection to direct the USTA Summer Collegiate Team.”
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