1st MTA College Showcase

USTA Mississippi hosted its first annual College Tennis Showcase on July 22 at River Hills Club in Jackson.

The College Showcase is an event designed for rising high school juniors and seniors to connect to college coaches and get exposure. Junior players get the opportunity to show their skills on court with a warm up followed by doubles and singles matches, while also getting to talk to the coaches to learn more about college tennis and the recruiting process. 

The event was limited to 24 boys and 24 girls, for 48 spots total, with each group having two hours of on court match play with coaches looking on.

Thirteen college coaches were on hand as well, gaining a valuable opportunity to see and recruit future collegiate players as well as getting an information sheet on each player with details such as their grades, extracurriculars, and future aspirations. USTA Mississippi also built in a one-hour Q&A with the college coaches in attendance, where the coaches had the opportunity to inform players and their parents on the best practices along the recruiting pathway. All players from both groups were in attendance and could ask questions related to college tennis, the recruiting process, and what coaches are looking for when building their teams. 

“This event provided us a great opportunity to be a resource to connect aspiring future college players and college coaches,” said William Foreman, Competitive Pathway Director at USTA Mississippi who also served as the director of the College Showcase.
“A lot of junior players have the ability and the desire to play tennis in college, but aren’t always sure how the recruiting process works, how to get recognized, what all the different levels of college tennis are all about, or who the coaches at each school are,” Foreman said. “So this event not only served as an opportunity for both players and coaches to scout one another, but also as an education on how college tennis and the recruiting process work.”