Weathering The Storm
Tennis|Nov/Dec 2017

After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina suspended the Tulane men’s tennis program, head coach Mark Booras embraced the challenge to rebuild the team and continue its proud legacy.

Dan Johnson
Weathering The Storm

There was no blueprint left behind for Mark Booras to follow when he accepted the job as head coach of the Tulane University men’s tennis team in 2008.

Following the catastrophic destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which displaced more than a million people in the Gulf Coast region, Booras was stepping in to rebuild a program that hadn’t played a match in three years. It was also a program steeped in success: Tulane won the NCAA Championship in 1959, claimed 18 Southeastern Conference team championships from 1939 to 1964, and five Conference USA titles from 1997 to 2005.

In 2005, Tulane was nationally ranked in the Top 20 and competing in its ninth consecutive NCAA tournament. Three years later, Booras was starting back at zero. He didn’t have any tennis balls, let alone players to fill his roster.

“We had to do everything we could just to find people to come and attend the school at first,” says Booras, who is now in his ninth year as head coach. “The image of New Orleans that people had was that the city was underwater, and that Tulane wouldn’t be a school again. We had to fight against that perception and tell our story of how the city and Tulane were rebuilding, and if a kid chose to be a part of this, they were going to be a part of something special.”

A year later, Tulane men’s tennis was back in action. With a lineup featuring nine freshmen—six of whom were walkons—the Green Wave went 3–16 for the season. Of course, they could have lost every match and it would still have been a successful year. Tulane had a team again, and simply competing was a necessary step on the long road to restoring the program’s legacy.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Nov/Dec 2017-Ausgabe von Tennis.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Nov/Dec 2017-Ausgabe von Tennis.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS TENNISAlle anzeigen
The Tennis Conversation: Jenson Brooksby, a piano man
Tennis

The Tennis Conversation: Jenson Brooksby, a piano man

Billy Joel may be a New York City icon, but the fans in Queens should start getting to know this piano man

time-read
4 Minuten  |
September - October 2021
The Five-Step Sit-Down Plan
Tennis

The Five-Step Sit-Down Plan

Don’t neglect the value of a smart changeover routine

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September - October 2021
MAKING THE TURN
Tennis

MAKING THE TURN

Six years after saying goodbye to the protour grind, Mardy Fish may be more active than ever—on the court, on the course, and helping combat a struggle anyone can encounter

time-read
9 Minuten  |
September - October 2021
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Tennis

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Queens is known for its gastronomy as much as its tennis. Daniil Medvedev, equal parts sugar and spice, hopes to add a unique flavor to the borough as he vies for his first major

time-read
9 Minuten  |
September - October 2021
SUMMER IN THE CITIES
Tennis

SUMMER IN THE CITIES

Broadway may not re-open until mid September, but tennis offers its own brand of live theatre in the preceding months

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September - October 2021
REOPEN SEASON
Tennis

REOPEN SEASON

The pandemic halted tennis as an up-close experience— but is now giving way to pandemonium among crowds. As the pro game reopens this summer and fans gather again, we’re realizing what we’ve been missing for so long

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
September - October 2021
Court of Appeals
Tennis

Court of Appeals

Resolving Your Rules Questions&Quarrels

time-read
3 Minuten  |
September - October 2021
An Open Mind: New York's Slam has no shortage of history, but it always evolves
Tennis

An Open Mind: New York's Slam has no shortage of history, but it always evolves

In the last decade, Arthur Ashe Stadium got a roof, and a new Grandstand and Louis Armstrong Stadium debuted.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September - October 2021
Those Fall Feels
Tennis

Those Fall Feels

The end of summer may be bittersweet, but getting lost amid the backroads of NEW ENGLAND adds a silver—and golden—lining to the season change. Pack a few sweaters along with your tennis kit and prepare for leaf-peeping, scenic drives and delicious autumnal ingredients to pair with your forehands

time-read
6 Minuten  |
September - October 2021
Tennis

Court of Appeals

Resolving Your Rules Questions & Quarrels

time-read
3 Minuten  |
May - June 2021