Projects

On the 194th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Ivan Ozerets talk tennis with Dave Anderson. Dave, a frequent guest, is a veteran coach with an outstanding track record. He has worked at the Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas for over 30 years.

Their discussion is the fourth of four Dave’s Do’s & Don’ts. The first three lists were centered on parents, players and coaches. The last focus on the work of tennis administrators.

Owners, operators, and directors surely will benefit by listening to David’s input. To create a healthy and productive tennis culture parents, players, coaches and administrators certainly need to understand their roles and responsibilities.

In this episodeOn the 193rd episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Ivan Ozerets interview Javier Palenque. Their guest has an unstoppable passion for the improvement of tennis. He is totally committed to researching how tennis is governed around the...

On the 192nd episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith, Ivan Ozerets and Dave Anderson address the USTA Player Development (USTA PD) program.

The following are attached:

1) A letter written by Jose Higueras on American tennis
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m8rnoacjivjOMt3sc5lRDo9Nccub9wgQ/view?usp=sharing

2) A letter written by Wayne Bryan on American tennis
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wIEoZk1rEZKlP3M_g9uZCEyCCVeB9I88/view?usp=sharing

3a) Patrick McEnroe holding three significant tennis positions – spoof by Steve Smith
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d_T6m_bo3EP4_7VaQUIYEwYf7X_sS9Ie/view?usp=sharing

3b) Craig Tiley turning down the opportunity to direct the USTA PD – letter by Steve Smith
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JmPx3pIfvp3FWlCYoZu5rGmarbVhHqIz/view?usp=sharing

Additional input from numerous podcasts and various blogs were also interfaced with the experience of Smith and Anderson.

A book should be written on the subject. One title for consideration: Honey & Money Isn’t Funny.

In this episodeOn the 191st episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Lawrence Hyde. The Englishman recently spent 350-plus hours studying with Steve. The primary topics covered were: tennis, tennis teaching, coaching, character...

In this episodeOn the 190th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith has a conversation with Ilja Semjonovs. The theme of the session was based on the title of a hockey podcast called 32 Thoughts with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek. Ilja, who has spent...

On the 189th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Ilja Semjonovs interview Andy Durham.

Andy has a lifetime of diversified experiences in tennis. The veteran tennis educator has a deep connection with match analysis. He was mentored by Bill Jacobson, the father of electronic charting and the founder of Compu-Tennis.

Andy is leading a campaign to have Bill inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Bill is one of the best tennis minds the game has ever known. His intellect and innovative thinking reached millions of fans watching televised tennis from their living rooms.

Andy is shining a bright light on Bill’s contributions with https://www.racketstats.com/. Mr. Durham’s project offers a free and simple introduction to match charting.

We are confident that our listeners will thoroughly enjoy spending time with Andy. To make an understatement, he has an extremely high Tennis IQ.

In this episodeOn the 188th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Lawrence Hyde talk tennis and life with Mark Bey. The discussion starts with Mark's beginning days in junior tennis. He also shares his experience playing college tennis under the...

On the 187th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Dave Anderson shares Do’s and Don’ts for Players.

Dave previously shared a similar list for parents and coaches. His next list will be for tennis administrators.

Dave joined Steve in 1985 as a student. Steve revised a general recreation curriculum into a comprehensive curriculum for students seeking occupational competency as tennis-teaching pro-managers. Dave spent a third year in the two-year program working as a lab instructor. Then he had autonomy directing one then two tennis clubs in a nearby town. In the second five years of the ten-year project, the collective efforts of their small group produced more Texas state champions than Dallas and Houston combined.

On another podcast, Steve and Dave have promised to discuss the Florida academy scene. For a short period of time, the two led the program at the now-defunct Seguso-Bassett Tennis Training Center; which is now the Chris Evert Tennis Academy.

Since then, Dave has spent more than 30 years in Dallas. He is based at the Brookhaven Country Club and has led a junior program that has produced more than 500 college tennis players. To make an understatement, he has a wealth of knowledge and experiences to share.

In this episodeTribute to Andy Brandi1952-2024 Our condolences to Andy's wife, Nancy, and their son, Chris. Our thoughts also go out to their family members and their close friends. On the 186th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith discusses his...

On the 185th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Ivan Ozerets have a conversation with Lisa Pugliese LaCroix. To make an understatement, she has a story to tell. From hitting a backboard in her family’s garage that her father painted with Wimbledon colors to becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist to establishing a non-profit organization called Love Serving Autism.

As a junior player, she held numerous number-one rankings. As a college player, she was a member of an NCAA championship team while playing for the University of Florida. Unfortunately, her pro career was cut short by a back injury that demanded surgery.

During the conversation, Lisa discussed the opportunity and privilege she had playing for the late Andy Brandi. Andy connected Steve with Lisa because he simply loved what she was doing with young children with autism.

By listening to Lisa, one can quickly tell that Lisa has a heart of gold. She has found a way to combine her tennis background with her education and experience in the field of personal and interpersonal communication. Research more about her altruistic and heartwarming project by visiting Lisa’s website (https://loveservingautism.org/).