By BRANDON ZINN
Brandon@newsroom.byu.edu
The men's tennis team has a new part-time assistant head coach to help them this Friday, Feb. 11, against Air Force and throughout the season.
Brad Pearce brings experience and recruiting connections to the table.
While playing professionally, Pearce won three single titles and was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 1990.
During that same year Pearce was selected as a traveling member of the U.S. Davis Cup Team.
The new part-time assistant played at UCLA for two seasons. While there he was PAC-10 singles and doubles champion in 1986.
Pearce said his main reason for helping to coach at BYU is because he currently lives in Provo.
The second reason for accepting the position, Pearce said, is because he has always had great appreciation for BYU and what it stands for.
The 'part-time' tag to his title is due to the fact that while helping coach the men's team he will keep his full-time job as a senior account executive at a multi-media company.
Coach Jim Osborne said Pearce is the best assistant coach in the country.
Osborne also said Pearce's main responsibilities will be in player development and recruiting.
'He's great. He brings a lot of experience and he's a great motivator,' said Damien Ward, a senior on the team.
Osborne said that because Pearce works with the United States Tennis Association, coaching the top juniors in the country, he can help BYU recruit some great players.
One thing Pearce will be working on besides player development and recruiting is getting alumni more involved.
Pearce said he is working on a mailing list of everyone they can find that played tennis for BYU. The alumni located will receive a T-shirt and a letter.
Pearce is also concerned with improving the current tennis facilities.
'It's an important part of building a top quality program,' Pearce said.
His first task will be to aid the Cougars in their competition this Friday against Air Force Academy.
'It's always a battle with Air Force. They are well conditioned athletes,' Osborne said.
BYU moved up two spots in the standings to No. 41 and hopes to continue its progress against the Falcons.
The game against Air Force will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 11, at the indoor tennis courts behind the Smith Field House.