News & Features

by TennisRecruiting.net, 4 February 2015

This weekend, Inside College Tennis with Tony Minnis returns with the first of three all-new episodes. The first show, featuring the HBCU National Championship, premieres this Saturday, February 7, at 7pm EST / 4pm PST on The Tennis Channel.

The entire Tennis Recruiting community should be excited about Inside College Tennis. The television program highlights college tennis programs and stories from around the country - featuring programs of all shapes and sizes.

We talked with host Tony Minnis earlier this week to learn what is coming...

Questions and Answers

Tennis Recruiting (TR): Congratulations on the success of Inside College Tennis. You did four great shows in 2014 - TCU, Tulane, Texas Tech, and Wichita State. What episodes do you have scheduled for 2015? When will they air?

Tony Minnis (TM): We have three episodes with scheduled premiere dates on The Tennis Channel over the next month, starting with our episode featuring the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) National Tennis Championship that airs this weekend [at 7pm EST / 4pm PST on Saturday, February 7].

Our second show is scheduled for next weekend [Sunday, February 15] featuring one of the most beautiful schools I have ever visited - Southern New Hampshire. Finally, our show on the University of Minnesota premieres a couple of weeks later on March 1.

I like that The Tennis Channel is going to broadcast all of these epsiodes multiple times over the next three months. If you miss a show, you will have the chance to catch it again some time in the future.

TR: What lessons did your team learn in 2014 that will improve the quality of your upcoming broadcasts?

TM: I really like the quality of our first four shows, but we did try to make some changes - some improvements.

The first thing we did was to look for great stories. Our Tulane episode was a story that featured the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and that was very compelling. We wanted to do more of that.

Our first episode coming up this weekend featuring the HBCU institutions is such a great story. I also think our show about Southern New Hampshire will be very eye-opening to many people - that is a good story about a D-II program from a school in New England that most of America does not know.

We also tried to be more fun and entertaining. Each episode has some light moments - some that I think show differences between universities. The fun can really enhance the experience - and help the audience grasp what we are trying to show.

TR: You have mentioned your HBCU episode a couple of times, and it is obviously different from the others since it does not focus on a single school - but rather on historically black institutions. Could you give us an overview of that episode? How did you go about making that show?

TM: I am very proud of that episode, and it is another great story that tennis players should know about. The show explores the long-time bond between HBCU institutions and the American Tennis Association - which is the oldest African-American sports organization in the United States.

The history of the ATA is similar to that of the Negro leagues in baseball. The ATA was formed so that African-American tennis players would have a place to play. The ATA did not have many options when it came to venues, so many ATA tournaments were played on campuses at HBCU schools.

The episode goes into that history, and we get lots of great comments from people like the USTA's Jean Desdunes and Albert Tucker of Fort Lauderdale. It's very humbling when you realize that the ATA gave opportunities to household names like Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson.

TR: What is the most unique school you have visited with the Inside College Tennis crew?

TM: Without a doubt, the most unique school is Southern New Hampshire. I was absolutely blown away when we went up there. The campus is so beautiful, and it had such a great feel. And the tennis program is very strong with quality players. I think we are able to show a lot of those qualities in our episode.

Visiting that school really opened my eyes. American college tennis has so many options. I truly believe that everyone can find a school that offers a great education and an appropriate level of tennis.

TR: What surprised you the most when you made these episodes?

TM: I was honestly surprised by our visit to Minnesota. When you think of Minnesota, you think of cold weather rather than tennis. But the U of M has a gorgeous campus and very impressive facilities. The Baseline Tennis Center has ten indoor courts in the nicest indoor facility I have seen. We are still finishing up post-production on that episode, but I know we are featuring the campus and facilities prominently in that episode.

TR: Most of our community at Tennis Recruiting is interested in exploring college tennis. What advice do you have for junior players - and what should they be on the look out for in your upcoming episodes?

TM: I have always felt that junior tennis players and their parents need to keep an open mind - and they need to watch and listen. Those feelings are only stronger now that we have filmed seven episodes.

When I was a coach, I had lots of kids walk on to my team, and they knew from the outset that they would have few opportunities to compete. Many of those kids could have had opportunities to get scholarships elsewhere and have a much different - and more exciting - athletic experience.

As I said before, there are so many opportunities in college tennis. Players and parents owe it to themselves to look around and identify the best fit for their situation. As you will see in these shows, there is so much available if you look around.

TR: Is there anything else you want to mention?

TM: I am really excited about these episodes - and very proud of them. I think we ended up with a lot of variety, and the quality of the product speaks for itself.

The HBCU episode of Inside College Tennis with Tony Minnis will premiere on The Tennis Channel this Saturday, February 7,, at 7pm EST / 4pm PST. Check out the full coverage schedule on their Facebook page, and watch all four past episodes by clicking here.

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