FRI 30 JAN 2004
UI still lacks tennis coach
By Mark WilliamsArgonaut Staff
The spring season is getting under way for the University of Idaho men’s and women’s tennis teams, and with the resignation of coach Greg South on Nov. 21, both squads will be starting fresh in more ways than one.
While a true head coach has not yet been named, South has been replaced on an interim basis by two of his former assistants: Katrina Perlman, coach of the men’s team, and Karen Human, who is in charge of the women’s squad.
South resigned last fall in order to complete his doctorate degree in sports psychology after 10 years at the helm of the tennis program. His departure left the program in somewhat of an awkward position in finding a full-time replacement before the beginning of the spring season.
“Basically, we didn’t have time to find anybody because of it being right in the middle of the season,” athletic director Rob Spear said. “We couldn’t get any interest from any candidates at this time of the season, plus it wouldn’t be looked upon favorably by other athletic departments.”
After the season is over the search for a full-time replacement will begin. Spear said he does not know if the two current interim coaches will be candidates for the position.
For now, however, Perlman and Human are running the show.
Perlman is a former UI player who graduated in 1999 and had previously been working as an assistant for the women’s team before South’s departure. The men’s squad officially begins its spring season Saturday as it travels to Lewiston to take on Lewis-Clark State College starting at 5 p.m. in the Tennis Center.
“It’s quite hard to believe, but it’s nice,” Perlman said of being the coach. “I think we’re just going to roll right along. We’ve got an experienced group of guys; (three seniors and four juniors on an 11-man roster) they know what they want so it’s not going to be to difficult to jump right in there and help them.”
Human graduated from Indiana State University in 2002 before arriving in Moscow as an assistant last year. The women have already been involved in three matches, including back-to-back wins over LCSC and the University of Portland before falling to the University of Washington on Sunday.
“We’ve got a really good group of girls who are fun to work with,” Human said. “They’re really responsible and mature, so I knew it would be an easy transition for me.”
The women’s squad is more inexperienced than the men’s team, with six freshmen arriving on campus at the beginning of the year. Monica Martin returns as the lone senior on the squad, followed by one junior, Sunel Nieuwoudt, and one sophomore, Kareen Konishi.
Human doesn’t see the inexperience as a problem in adjusting to a new coach.
“I think it makes it kind of easier because they haven’t been with the old coach as long,” she said. “As freshmen they came in during August and were around him for three months, and they knew me from the start. I don’t think it was that big of an adjustment for them.”
Spear said he has been impressed with what they have done so far.
“I think they’ll be fine; Katrina has helped us out with getting a few more tournaments for the men,” he said. “I think they’re doing a great job.”
Saturday
UI men’s basketball vs. UC Irvine, Cowan Spectrum, 7 p.m.; UI women’s tennis vs. University of Utah, Boise, 1 p.m.; UI track at Cougar Indoor, Pullman; Intramurals: men’s and women’s 3-point shootout entry deadline; Outdoor Program: Silver Mountain day trip, departs 6:30 a.m.; telemark instructional clinic at Silver Mountain.
Tuesday
UI men’s basketball vs. Idaho State, Cowan Spectrum, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday
Intramurals: wallyball entry due.
Thursday
UI men’s basketball vs. UC Santa Barbara, Cowan Spectrum, 7:05 p.m.; Intramurals: singles table tennis entry due; Outdoor Program: snowboard instructional clinics class session, 7 p.m.
Note: Intramurals — Entries for team sports will open one week before entry deadline. For more information call Campus Recreation Office at 885-6381. Outdoor Program — For more information call office at 885-6810.
Sports calendar items must be submitted in writing or e-mailed to arg_sports@sub.uidaho.edu by Sunday or Wednesday before publication. Items must include a date, deadline or some other kind of time element.
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