STARKVILLE — Things weren’t promising when Matt Roberts became the head coach of the Mississippi State men’s tennis team in the summer of 2014.
Roberts had been an assistant coach under Per Nilsson for the prior two seasons, but when Nilsson left to take over the women’s program at Pepperdine and Roberts took over, the Bulldogs’ players were wary.
“It was tough going from an assistant to a head, because in their eyes I was still an assistant,” Roberts said at Monday’s meeting of the Starkville Rotary Club.
Four players transferred out of Mississippi State, and coupled with a graduation, Roberts was left with just two players for the upcoming season, which started in late September.
“‘I don’t know if I can be a head coach,'” Roberts confided in his girlfriend, Marina Bohrer — now his wife, Marina Roberts. “‘This is really hard.'”
But that summer, Roberts hit the recruiting trail like never before. He and an assistant each made separate, monthlong trips to Europe to meet with prospective players. By the start of the season, Roberts’ team had filled out its roster with seven freshmen. The young team and its first-time head coach impressed, making the semifinals of the SEC tournament and reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
“That’s when we realized if you recruit guys that have great character, that want to learn, that want to be coached — great students — you can create a really good team,” Roberts said. “You can create a great culture.”
Now in his sixth year as Mississippi State’s head coach, Roberts told a packed house at the Starkville Country Club that his guiding philosophy hasn’t changed. He said his program seeks to shape its players into better young men rather than simply better tennis players.
And five years, two SEC tournament titles and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances later, Roberts still remembers that first season — a year that assuaged the doubts about his coaching ability and the program he had inherited.
“That really assured me that I can do this and that this is what I want to do with my life,” Roberts said.
A professional culture
As Roberts learned quickly in his first summer in charge of the Bulldogs, recruiting is the biggest key to building and maintaining a successful program.
And to see who measures up, he employs unconventional measures. Many schools hold recruiting visits over the weekend, so prospective student-athletes can enjoy a tailgate and take in a football game.
Not Roberts, who prefers Tuesdays and Wednesdays when recruits come to town. Instead of the fanfare, the crowd and the celebration, he wants potential Bulldogs to see the “real time” the sport entails — attending class, tutoring, studying, individual workouts, team practice, conditioning and rehab. Roberts wants recruits to know collegiate tennis is a “full-time job.”
“I try to be very honest with them, and they either like it or don’t,” he said. “If they like it, I like them.”
While the daily routine of the sport may not be alluring to some recruits, the on-court success recent Bulldogs have enjoyed — both during their collegiate careers and in professional careers to follow — goes a long way.
In May 2019, senior Niclas Braun and junior Giovanni Oradini reached the individual doubles final of the NCAA tournament. Senior Nuno Borges — a three-time SEC player of the year who Roberts called Mississippi State’s best tennis player ever — reached the individual singles final.
“Having guys like Nuno helps,” Roberts said. “He’s living it. He’s a pro tennis player, and he’s gonna be on TV one day.”
Borges’ success has helped the Bulldogs develop a roster from around the world. While the Portuguese player and Braun, a German, have graduated, the team’s international flair is still there. Mississippi State has two players from Germany, two from Italy (including Oradini, the team’s No. 1 singles player) and one from New Zealand, Spain, Canada and Austria. The Bulldogs’ only American player is Stedman Strickland from Jackson.
“We’re kind of like the United Nations,” Roberts said.
Roberts and assistant coach Jake Jacoby aren’t afraid to fly out to meet players — they’ll go to Europe for three weeks to a month and spread the word — or fly recruits in for visits.
“When we recruit globally, I like to bring them in and show them the true culture we have here,” Jacoby said Monday. “The work ethic, the professionalism, the exposure to professional tennis, professional training — things like that.”
And although on occasion Roberts and his staff will decline to offer a player for their own reasons, when they take a liking to a player, the Bulldogs usually get their man.
“When we do like a guy, I’d say we go after him pretty hard,” Roberts said.
From dreams to reality
The Bulldogs’ new indoor tennis facility is another point in Roberts’ favor when he’s on the recruiting trail.
Set to open in May, the $8 million Mississippi State Tennis Pavilion will be adjacent to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, the team’s current outdoor facility.
Like the Pitts Centre, the new building will have six courts, while a second phase of its construction (valued at $300,000) will add a conference room, training room and team lounge underneath.
Roberts said Mississippi State hopes to have both phases complete this summer, in time for the school to host the Intercollegiate Tennis Association regional tournament in the fall. Between the Bulldogs’ outdoor and indoor facilities, Roberts said MSU’s amenities will be among the top 10 nationwide.
“We’re getting there,” Roberts said. “It’s been a really exciting time to see the indoor facility. It’s been a dream of mine since I’ve been here.”
The indoor facility will allow the Bulldogs to host professional tournaments as well as collegiate competition, an important addendum and a big piece of the puzzle for recruits. The team will play a few professional tournaments throughout the season.
“We’re giving them opportunities to play pro tennis while they’re here, and that’s very appealing in the recruiting process for these guys we recruit,” Roberts said.
And as the foundation of the facility is built up, the roots tying Roberts to Starkville grow even deeper. The coach has entertained offers from Oklahoma, LSU, North Carolina State and SMU, but Athletic Director John Cohen’s investments in the tennis program and the close-knit atmosphere at the school always made Roberts’ answer the same.
“People say Mississippi State’s like a family,” he said. “I’ve had many opportunities to leave, and it’s really hard for me to leave.”
His team is currently sporting a 9-6 record on the season and a 1-2 mark in conference play, so Roberts knows he still has plenty of work to do with the Bulldogs. Trying to defend its SEC title and host another NCAA regional at the Pitts Centre, Mississippi State hosts Texas A&M at 3 p.m. Friday and LSU at noon Sunday in Starkville as the Bulldogs enter the thick of SEC play.
“With this young group, our hope is to make the NCAA tournament and get back to hosting as soon as possible,” Roberts said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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