Arizona may not have hoisted a trophy this season, but Wildcats men’s tennis coach Clancy Shields still has plenty to smile about.
Arizona advanced to its first-ever Sweet 16 in 2021 before the Wildcats fell to SEC champion and eventual Final Four team Tennessee 4-3. Along the way, the UA beat Pac-12 powers USC and UCLA, 14-0 at home and beat ranked teams Michigan and Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
And that’s just the beginning. The Wildcats lose senior captain Alejandro Reguant to graduation, but otherwise return four out of five starters — including Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year Gustaf Strom, who became the first Wildcat to ever receive that award and the first since Roger Matalonga in 2006 to be named to the all-conference first team.
Shields, a two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, recently joined the Star’s Justin Spears on “Spears & Ali” (1490-AM, 104.9-FM) to reflect on Arizona’s historic season, his relationship with UA’s tennis-playing football coach, and other topics.
Here’s what Shields said:
How was the experience coaching Arizona to uncharted territory for the program?
A: “It was incredible, man. It is the most incredible team I’ve ever been a part of. I feel like my heart has been ripped out to say goodbye to this group … we said goodbye at the airport yesterday. It was just an incredible season. You know, to get to the Sweet 16, we had to go through this group of death. We played Michigan in the first round, who was No. 12 in the country; and then we had to beat Kentucky, which was No. 14 in the country and 16-0 at home. It’s funny, we had our selection show party and I invited (UA football head coach) Jedd Fisch, and he used to work at Michigan and knows the tennis coach there. When (our matchup) popped up, he was like, ‘Oh, this is going to be a tough one,’ but we were able to get through Michigan and then beat Kentucky.
“I’m just so proud of our team. They’re an incredible group of kids and they really represented the U of A and Tucson in the very best way. I’m so proud of this team and excited to be a part of this journey. … We’re just trying to think about ways for next year. Now that we’ve had a taste of it, how do we get back and how do we do it more?”
Considering Fisch’s strong tennis background — he was an all-state high school player in New Jersey — what’s your relationship with him like?
A: “Jedd is the best thing that’s happened to this university since I’ve been here. He’s brought everyone together and he’s made us care more about each other. He’s connected all of us coaches together — administrators. He’s just brought everyone together and it’s been special for me, because you dabble in and try to support other programs, but then you see what he’s doing and how much time and energy he’s putting into other programs, and I’m so jacked up to go watch the Arizona football team play this fall — and I know my team will and everyone else in Tucson.
“Jedd’s been great. It’s funny, we met early on and he came out to talk to our team a little bit after he was hired; he and I just started hitting on the courts and got to know each other a little bit. He’s a super down-to-earth guy, but also an incredible ambassador for the University of Arizona.”
How are his tennis skills?
A: “He’s a competitor. We were hitting a little bit, but then he wanted to compete and I was like, ‘I like this guy’ instantly. He didn’t want to do drills; he didn’t want to play to get a feel for it — no, he wants to go out there and compete. I could just tell this is going to be incredible for our football team, because he’s all about competing, getting in the trenches and grinding. It was cool to see it first-hand.”
What was the recipe for the UA men’s tennis team’s success this season?
A: “The culture wins. We just had incredible seniors. During the (COVID-19) year, we had to tell (Reguant), ‘Hey, buddy, I got the phone call and the season is over. It’s over and your career is done.’ A few days later, we found out he was going to have another season (of eligibility) and then the whole team just re-dedicated themselves to have this magical season and play for the seniors that we have. It was just so cool to see how everyone raised their level to play for this individual, and it really just woke me up as a coach. My role on this team is to create a culture of, ‘We’re playing for our seniors and we are giving our best for them.’ The younger kids like the freshmen and the sophomores realize, ‘I can’t wait to be a senior, have that moment and have the guys play for me.’ We had one player who was the driving force of our team and made our team play two or three levels above what their level was.
“We’re going to build off of this and continue to create this model of guys playing for each other and something bigger than themselves. Tennis is such an individual sport. You’re out there by yourself, but when you get into a college environment, you realize it’s about more than yourself. And that’s why I love this job.”
Filip Malbasic pumps his first during Arizona's first-round win over Michigan in this year's NCAA Tournament.
Have you had a chance to assess the 2021-22 roster?
A: “I think the future is very bright, but like I told the kids at our banquet, ‘Now that you’ve tasted this, our whole mission is to get back here and go one step further and find new ways to reinvent ourselves. We did it pretty well this year, let’s examine everything we did and how we could do it better next year.’ The belief on this team is off the charts. They believe they can do it and that’s the biggest piece of the puzzle is getting the kids to believe it. … You look in these kids’ eyes and just know we’re coming back next year. We’re going to do something special again next year.”
