USTA Mississippi hosted its third annual College Showcase on July 12 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. The high school players can show their skills on the court with a warm-up followed by doubles and singles matches, with the event also featuring a Q&A session with the coaches.

The event was limited to 24 boys and 24 girls, for 48 spots total, with each group having 90 minutes of on court match play while the coaches were able to watch and make notes on the players. 

Sixteen coaches were in attendance from three states, representing NCAA Division 1, 2, 3, and Junior College. Having such a wide range of schools is helpful during the Q&A portion, where all the players could listen to the differences between the schools and the level of tennis. The college coaches value this session as well, as it allows them time to share what information they want everyone to know about their school. Players could ask questions ranging from “What are practices like?” to “How big is the town around the school?”. Most of the questions were about what coaches look for in a player and what are the best things that the players can do to help them get noticed by a coach.

“I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s college showcase!” said Brennen McGlothin, one of the players in the showcase from French Camp Academy. “It is a great opportunity to meet with college coaches and explore future options as a tennis player and I’m very thankful for all the people that made it possible.”

Coach Buffington from Jones College has been at both previous college showcases and enjoyed this year’s as well. “William Foreman and USTA Mississippi did a great job putting on their third annual Mississippi College Showcase. Each year the event is better and runs smoother. Both the college coaches and players are fortunate to have an event like this and people working to put it together. Also, to have a coach's roundtable to be able to communicate the expectations that we have within our programs and to be able to answer questions the players may have is very beneficial. Again, thank you USTA Mississippi.”

The event had over 100 players and parents in attendance, with most being there for the coaching Q&A session in between the two on-court portions. “We would like to thank River Hills Club for being a great partner in making this event the success that it is,” said William Foreman, Competitive Pathway Director at USTA Mississippi who also served as the director of the College Showcase. “Having a great venue for this showcase helps us to provide a first-class experience for the players in Mississippi and for coaches who are looking to recruit players from our state. We are looking forward to continuing to grow this event in the future and are already working on ways to make the 2025 showcase even better.”

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