Newberry Elevates Jim Greene To Head Tennis Coach

NEWBERRY, S.C. - Newberry College athletics director Brad Edwards announced Thursday that interim head tennis coach Jim Greene will move to the head coach position on a permanent basis.

"We believe Coach Greene's skills coupled with his enthusiasm will be the right combination to elevate our tennis programs to the next level," Edwards said.

Greene served as Newberry's interim head coach for the 2009 tennis season after helping to rebuild the men and women's tennis programs at Spartanburg Methodist College from 2004-2008.

"I'm very excited to have the opportunity to continue coaching at Newberry College," Greene said. "I'm proud to be given the chance to put together a program here that will represent Newberry College well and bring us success in tennis that we haven't seen before."

Greene guided the Newberry men's team to an 8-8 record in 2009, including a 6-2 record in South Atlantic Conference play, tying the team for second in the SAC standings. The team carried a three-match winning streak into the first round of the Food Lion SAC Tournament, where the scarlet and gray defeated Lincoln Memorial, 5-3. Three players won at least nine singles matches last season under Greene's tutelage. Felipe Sobrinho (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) earned second team all-SAC honors.

Greene will put his program-building talents to work this season with the women's team, pursuing new achievements and building around Newberry's talent, like former All-SAC team member Autise Mortimer (Nassau, Bahamas). Highlights from the 2009 season included Greene coaching Mortimer to singles wins over conference foes Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate, who finished third in the SAC.

Prior to coming to Newberry, Greene's talents helped the SMC men's team to their first Men's National ITA ranking in school history, a feat he reached again with SMC the following season. In 2008, he also coached four players who participated in the nationals of the ITA NJCAA in Houston, Texas.

Greene also guided the SMC women's team to the program's highest preseason ranking in 2007. Yet Greene's experience with coaching women's tennis in South Carolina doesn't stop with Spartanburg Methodist. He also coached the women's team at Greenville High School, served as associate director for Paul Scarpa's Tennis Camp at Furman University and has retained teaching professional status with the United States Professional Tennis Registry since 1996.

Greene also honed his coaching skills at the club level before joining the collegiate ranks. From 2002-2005 he was the head pro at The Westside Club in Spartanburg, S.C, where he conducted clinics for players at all skill levels and ran a beginners program for over 500 participants.

Greene has also worked at the Green Valley Country Club, the Pebble Creek Country Club and numerous clubs around the Spartanburg-Greenville area.

Greene received his degree in 1985 from the University of Hawai'i where he studied Electrical Engineering. He also studied art at North Greenville University.