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This fall a new era of tennis will begin with Cris James taking over the head coaching position. He brings a wealth of tennis experience as a player, coach, and instructor at the junior, collegiate and professional levels to his first head coaching job, and his first year at the helm of the Illinois State program. James has excelled as a player and coach at every level he has been. Growing up James was coached by his father, who worked as a tennis coach. His early career was peaked by a junior national doubles championship. James arrived at Purdue in 1995. As a four-year letterwinner for the Boilermakers, James gathered a wealth of accolades. James was three-time All-Big Ten, Academic All-Big Ten and team MVP selection. Additionally he was named a team captain and achieved an NCAA ranking of No. 26 in singles and No. 7 in doubles. James graduated from Purdue in 1999 with a degree in political science. After his outstanding career at Purdue, James went on to play professionally. Despite dealing with several injuries that would eventually cut short his professional career, James still won three ATP doubles tournaments and achieved professional rankings in both singles and doubles. While playing professionally, James financed his career by working at the University of Alberta Tennis Center. James initially began working at the tennis center in 1996 and continued to do so through college and into his professional career. In addition to assisting with the daily operations of the club, James had the opportunity to teach camps, programs and private lessons for all levels, including elite junior players. James spent the summer of 2002 as the head professional at the Riverbend Tennis Club, also in Alberta. While there he taught lessons and gained valuable experience marketing club events and scheduling, organizing and conducting programs, leagues and tournaments. During his five-year tenure as an assistant coach at Purdue, James was instrumental in developing players, including Paul Rose, whom started his career as a No. 4, but under James' tutelage improved to a No. 1 and garnered All-Big Ten honors in 2004. James, born on July 29th, 1976, hails from Edmonton, Alberta Canada where he lived until leaving to play tennis at Purdue. As a kid James enjoyed participating in many sports, but it became clear that he was exceptionally talented at tennis. While coaching at Purdue, James also found time to complete his masters in sports management. James resides in Bloomington with his wife, Emily, whom he wed July 5, 2008. Tennis Philosophy: James has one central philosophy when it comes to his tennis program: daily improvement. He expects his players to work hard every single day at improving at least one aspect of their game. For James this philosophy goes beyond the tennis courts. "This applies to everything I do. It goes beyond tennis and applies to all of life, whatever I'm doing... I'm always trying to do better," James said. "I feel that even if you are the best in the world, you can always be better." His philosophy is evident to others as well. "He is one of the toughest competitors we have had in our program, both as a player and an assistant coach," said Tim Madden, Purdue's head coach. "He demands hard work of those around him and his philosophy is centered around daily improvement." James plans to use this philosophy to churn out quality players and people from his tennis program. "When players leave this program as graduates, I expect them to not only be better tennis players than when they came in, but more importantly to leave as more mature and better people as well," said James. What Others Say About Cris James: Tim Madden, Head Tennis Coach at Perdue Bob Bayliss, Head Tennis Coach at Notre Dame Roger Follmer, Head Tennis Coach at Washington University in St. Louis |
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