Sept. 5, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University athletic department named Derek Mills head men's tennis coach today. Mills, who was the men's and women's head coach at Saint Louis University, will begin his duties immediately with the fall tennis season just weeks away.
"I am excited to come to another Jesuit university after coaching at St. Louis University in the past," said Mills. "There is a solid core of players here and I look forward to working with them. I would like to thank (Director of Athletics and Recreation) Dan Coonan and (Senior Associate Athletic Director) Jonathan Clough for bringing me to Santa Clara. We want to contend for the WCC championship every year and a spot in the NCAA Tournament."
Mills, who attended high school at Sacred Heart Prep in San Francisco, has spent the past six years working with some of the top juniors as a tennis professional in Honolulu, Hawaii. A number of former students have gone on to play Division I tennis around the United States, while his players have also won four Hawaii state championships.
"We believe that Derek Mills will do an outstanding job as our men's tennis coach," said Coonan. "He has a long history in coaching at both the youth and collegiate level, and he has proven to be a strong recruiter. We believe that he will continue to build on the success that has been established with our men's tennis program."
Prior to teaching in Honolulu, Mills spent two seasons at Saint Louis University as the head men's and women's coach. During those two seasons, he had three of his players earn All-Conference USA honors, while the team maintained a GPA of 3.3 or better. The team also won an All-Conference USA Sportsmanship Award. Two of his recruits on the men's team, Lance Vodicka and Ikaika Jobe, are currently earning points on the ATP tour.
During the 1997-98 season, Mills served as the assistant coach for both the men's and women's programs at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. During that season, he coached a number of Division II All-Americans as the women's team won the national championship and the men's team finished third.
Mills also spent time as an assistant coach for Northwest Missouri State from 1994-97, helping the men's team win three Mid-America Championships.
Transaction: Santa Clara University (College) - Names Derek Mills head men's tennis coach.