Women's Tennis

Coach Harris enters his second season as Head Coach of Cypress Women's Tennis. He joined Cypress after spending 4 seasons as the assistant for men's and women's tennis at Irvine Valley College (IVC) where he was mentored by Ross Duncan, 2019 Wilson/ITA junior college coach of the year. At IVC, Harris helped lead the men’s tennis team to two state titles and 3 OEC championships. He also led the women’s tennis team to their first OEC championship in 19 years. 

Harris was hired in August of 2019 and brings more than 20 years of leadership & coaching experience to the program. He made an immediate impact in his first season. With his enthusiasm, work ethic and coaching philosophy of being “1% Better Every Day”, he was able to recruit 11 student-athletes from campus. This was the first time in several seasons that the school fielded a complete roster. He also led the team to its first victory in over two seasons. The season was cut short due to COVID-19, but prior to the abrupt end, the team was poised to finish the season strong. Coach Harris believes that if the team commits to improving, builds friendships, competes and has fun while striving for excellence, then the team will experience great success. 

Coach Harris has a Kinesiology Master’s degree in Coaching & Student-Athlete Development. In addition to coaching at Cypress College, he is a faculty member at Long Beach State University. He specializes in instructing courses in sports psychology of coaching, sports psychology of behavior and performance, advanced strength & conditioning and social issues in sport. He applies his sports science knowledge and experience to the classroom and the courts. He takes a holistic approach to coaching and sees the importance in training both physical, mental and emotional aspects of the individual. This enables the individual to set and achieve goals, improve physical skills, learn mental strategies to cope with adversity and in turn perform their best in the class, on the courts and in life. 

With over 20 years of coaching experience from the youth to the NCAA DI level, Harris is well equipped to lead the team and develop cohesion by understanding group dynamics. He is in tune with the needs and challenges of community college student-athletes. In addition to helping teams achieve excellence, he has helped several individual athletes improve their recruiting and academic status. Most notably, tennis player Bjorn Hoffman (Corona del Mar High, '16) who rose from a 4 star to a blue-chip recruit (top 25 nationally) in eight short months, winning his first USTA 18-and-under singles title and moving him from a mid-major tennis recruit to a Pac-12 signee (UC Berkeley). Additionally, more than 10 former community college student-athletes have moved on to play tennis at 4-year colleges and many more have graduated with their AA and continued on their journey in pursuit of their academic goals at colleges and universities around the country. 

Harris is a consummate coach and brings a wealth of leadership and coaching experience to the program. He constantly reminds his student-athletes that success in life is more than an outcome, it is a process, it is a continual journey of having a growth mindset, setting goals, putting in the effort, keeping a positive attitude and feeling peace of mind knowing you did your best to be 1% Better Every Day. A journey that requires physical and mental skills, strategies and stamina. Go Chargers! 

2020-2021 Season Quote: “Today is the day, this is the moment, now is the time to take action and make progress towards your goals so you can realize your dreams. Do it now, sometimes later becomes never.” 

Outside of teaching and coaching, Harris enjoys spending time with family and friends, surfing, strumming the guitar and training for triathlons. 

Harris lives in Huntington Beach with his wife Kristin, daughter Lily and son Levi.

Coaching Career Highlights 

• Being named Head Women’s Tennis Coach at Cypress College (2019) 
• Fielding a full team – first time in over two season the program had enough student-athletes to field a complete roster and not forfeit points in each match (Cypress College Women’s Tennis 2019-20) 
• First win as head coach - First win of the season was the first victory in over two seasons for Cypress College Women’s Tennis program (Cypress College Women’s Tennis 2019-20) 
• CCCAA Triple Crown: Team State Champion, Singles State Champion, Doubles State Champion (IVC Men’s Tennis 2016) 
• 2 NCAA National Championships (UofArizona Softball 1996 & 1997) 
• 2 Pac-10 Conference Titles (UofArizona Softball 1997 & 1998) 
• 2 CIF State Final Four (University HS Basketball 2010 & 2011) 
• 3 Bay County League-West Championships (University HS Basketball 2009, 2010, 2011)
• NCAA - Big West Conference Champions (LBSU Men’s Basketball 2013)
• Trained 20+ athletes now playing their sport at 4-year colleges
• Mentored by Mike Candrea – USA Olympic Gold & Silver Medal & 8x NCAA National Champion Coach (UofArizona Softball 1995-98)
• Mentored by Randy Bessolo – CIF Coach of the Year (University HS Basketball 2007-2011)
• Mentored by Ross Duncan – Wilson/ITA Junior College Coach of the Year (IVC M&W Tennis 2015-2019)