I really can't believe the reaction of this board at the hiring of Steve Denton as tennis coach at Texas A&M. It is not only embarassing to Aggies, of which I am NOT one of, it is totally inappropriate. Here are the reasons why...

#1 Steve has more skins on the wall than any head tennis coach in the NCAA period,maybe ever. Fact!!!! He can walk into any living room of any recruit anywhere in the country with instant credibility. Who can do that?

#2 He is an excellent coach. Just ask some of your own guys. Like your own players. Ask Jerry Makowski, ask Connor Pollock who they wanted as there coach. They wanted Steve as coach. Pollock played for him on the Junior Davis Cup team. Players know who can coach. Steve has the ability to coach and recruit...period.

#3 He is a great guy off the court. Ask some his players at Corpus Christi. He cares for those guys. He recruited internationally almost exclusivly. Why? Cause they were the only ones who wanted to come. Elite American players don't go to ATMCC. With so many international guys so far from home he became like a surrogate father in some ways. How do I know this. Good Sources!!!!! He cares about his players on and off the court.

#4 He is a tirless worker. The program at
Corpus required lots of big time fund raising. He was the point man for that. Tim Cass gave his ringing endorsment of Steve Denton on the ATM athletic web page. Seems like enough for me.

AND!!!!!!

With all of that said, at the end of your first day as coach you go to the Texags website under the Other Sports tab,hoping for a howdy and a welcome, and low and behold what a greeting!!!! Aggies everywhere should be ashamed and embarassed for some of the insults and trash thrown at your new coach. Especially Cory Hubbard. He should know better. Steve has forgotten more tennis than you will ever know.I assume you want to be a head coach some day? As a current assistant coach it is not in your best interest to toss around this refuse. And do you think it will go unnoticed by Aggie Athletic officials that you decided to just trash their hiring of Steve Denton on an Aggie message board? I think not!!!! You need to just stop...now...


I have listened all my life about how Aggies support their own. They take up for them. They lift them up and call them their own. Steve Denton deserves your best. He is now one of yours. Start acting like it.

Put aside the petty garbage about " but he's a sip..." Just get over it and enter the real world. Bill Byrne is your AD and he hired a former all american Tennis icon from The University of Texas. Big Deal!!!!! He is a great selection for the job and if you fail to step up and support him you will show the college athletics world what many already think. Your preoccupation with your rival has become more of an obsession than a competition.

Oh and one other thing. The Aggie's just got tougher to beat today...

I don't think that the man's alma mater has anything to do with it.

Chicken I dont think it made Bill Byrne any difference.

Thanks, rik, hope you're right. appreciate your insights, have to understand for many ags it was a bit of a stunner for Byrne to hire a sip. I'm behind him 100%, hope he can keep getting top American players coming to Aggielnd. Gig 'em.

Isal..I am glad to hear you will support him and I believe there are many who will...Byrne's stated purpose is to get who he thinks is best....

Rik: I appreciate your insight. Steve's hiring is at least a little unconventional. I honestly think it caught a number of people off guard and the tenor of the message board is a reflection of uneasyness that is felt in the A & M tennis community. That said, the decision has been made, and I am sure Steve will have the support of everyone associated with the tennis program. He has a lot of work to do in a hurry to get everything in place in the next few weeks. Hopefully he can find a good assistant to help with the load, and he has some good kids to work with as he starts his Aggie career. I really don't think anyone cares that he played for Texas. We have had a number of successful coaches over the years who went to school in Austin. Time will tell whether this is a good hire or not. It is a big job, but he will have the necessary resources and support to get it done. Here's hoping he has a great run in Aggieland.

Raven...

As always , nice take. I went to school with Steve and watched him as a pro have great success. I also know of the tremendous support and respect he has among other coaches. What he did at CCATM was impressive.

Just not willing to sit by and watch him get trashed by those who dont know what they have.

I love college tennis and The Longhorns in particular. It will be odd for sure watching Steve coach the Aggies...I guess I will just have to get use to it.....

Of course he deserves support! But in all honesty...the only approval he needs is that of the players. Which he has! So everyone else can give it a rest on that. He has supported and befriended the aggie program and players for a long time (no matter his alma mater). New motivation might be exactly what we need for the team. The team knows him, they like him, and they are ready to be lead by him. So lets see what happens...

rikochet - First off, get over yourself. Don't try to tell us that we cannot express our thoughts on this hire. How can we not be a little underwhelmed with this turn of events? I realize you have some sort of relationship with the coach and you need to keep your emotions out of this discussion. It is impossible for you to look at this thru our perspective. Get off of your high horse, man.

You know he is going to get 100% support from Aggies during his stay in Aggieland. I am past questioning the hire and looking forward to an outstanding season.

Thanks for your glowing recommendation, Mr./Mrs. Denton.

Point is made and I stand by it. I have never understood how you can be underwhelmed when you are getting a top coach. Secondly, my prospective has nothing to do with knowing Steve, it is based on what is fact. He is highly respected in coaching circles and amongest players both current and former.

Many wanted steinburg cause he won a nc. Winning the title is a great achievment. But would that of made him a great fit at ATM? Who knows...

and I am no relation to the dentons.

[This message has been edited by rikochet (edited 8/8/2006 11:11p).]

This a good hire and welcome to Aggieland, Coach.

rikochet....can u say man crush...i think so..maybe because they are close to the same weight

btw why do you like to come to this board and stir stuff up...no one likes you



[This message has been edited by aggie1985 (edited 8/8/2006 11:33p).]

rik - actually my post has nothing to do with wanting to be a head coach, because i am no longer coaching...i am now the director of tennis at cold spring harbor beach club near the hamptons...my opinion was simply based on what i have seen in coaching against denton and what i know from inner coaching circles (which you really know nothing about although you seem to talk like you do)...secondly, you are right denton has had a way more successful playing career then i ever had, but i never refuted his playing ability, i just said most kids he goes to talk to will have no idea about his career...being a former aggie player i was simply stating that i am not enthusiastic about this hire but believe me i will be a full supporter and want the best for the ags...

ag 85...always the funny one!!!!

Cory...one of the things about inner coaching circles is that it requires no qualifications to claim expertise. Actually it is very subjective and random. Nevertheless, I will make this a final post on this subject. It is good to see so many step up and support the new coach. Look forward to additional banter in the spring when the season begins....

Thanks for making it your final post. Yeah, the support is clearly overwhelming.

bump for giving Denton a fair chance.

Can't imagine how difficult it was to find a hire so close to the start of the season.

And these people who bash b/c he's a texas grad.....BIG FREAKIN DEAL and good luck in the real world folks.

Thank you for the positive comments rikochet. I hope all Aggies can rally behind Coach Denton as you have. I believe in discussing coaching possiblities. It is fun to discuss them up to the point of the hiring. The moment he was announced as our new Coach, he became the choice of our AD and the newest member of the FTA family. He will have my full support. I can't wait to meet him and celebrate many wins at George Mitchell!! Gig'em!


"If it is to be, it's up to me"

BTW - 2 of our football coaches are tu grads. Who cares, they are Texans and come from a program that knows success. I don't care where our coaches went to school, I care if they win or not. Gig'em Coach Denton!!

"If it is to be, it's up to me"