Clancy Shields admits he doesn’t have a checklist for milestones as Arizona’s men’s tennis coach, but the defending Pac-12 Coach of the Year has taken the program to unprecedented territory over the last two seasons.
Shields coached the Wildcats to a program-best 21 wins and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2021. And this year, the 14th-ranked Wildcats brought home a Pac-12 men’s tennis regular-season title for the first time in school history.
Now, the Wildcats (20-5) will try to win the Pac-12 Tournament. Top-seeded Arizona will take on No. 8 seed Washington in Thursday's conference tournament quarterfinals in Ojai, California.
Shields joined "Spears and Ali" on ESPN Tucson earlier this week to discuss the blueprint for winning a championship, his principles for the program and his thoughts on the senior group that fuels the team:
How do you reflect on the celebratory moment once your group was named Pac-12 champions?
A: “It was an incredible weekend. … Just an incredible run for our team. In a lot of ways, winning the regular season and going undefeated, in many ways, is much harder than winning in the tournament. For our team to keep their focus and do it over the last few months is really impressive. To be a part of it and to be with those guys, and just know that it took five or six years of real hard work, it just culminated into a special day, and I couldn’t be more proud of the team and how they represented Arizona. They’re the greatest group of guys you could ask for.”
What is the blueprint to turning a tennis program from conference cellar-dwellers to contenders?
A: “It’s funny, I was talking to someone today and I actually put in my interview six years ago with (former Arizona athletic director) Greg Byrne — I put in my presentation that we would win the Pac-12 championship in five or six years. To see that come true is really cool. I don’t even know if I believed it. We set a goal, we had a dream and a goal, and we worked hard for it. I told the team the night before our last match a Jimmy Valvano quote: 'Ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things all the time.' That’s our team in a nutshell. We’ve had a bunch of ordinary guys who’ve worked hard and dreamt big, and they did something extraordinary. I’m just really proud of our guys for bringing that one home for Arizona."
If someone wants to become a part of your program, what are the principles you instill into the players?
A: “One: Having something to do. Our guys who are college athletes got a lot to do. They’ve got a lot on their plate with practice, weights, school and we keep them really, really busy, so we give them something to do. No. 2: Having something to look forward to. Competing to win a Pac-12 championship — the Pac-12 has won 54 of the last 70-something national championships, so it’s the premiere tennis conference in the country. Having something to look forward to — I mean, to compete in the best conference in the country, there couldn’t be anything to compete for. The third thing: Having love in your life. There isn’t a moment that goes by where these guys aren’t telling each other that they love them. There’s so much love in that locker room, and sometimes as a coach I have to remind them that I’m the coach, because they’re so much fun to be around and they’re so easy to banter with and have fun with.
"There’s a lot of love on this team. The thing that I’m most proud of is this championship will be the bond that keeps this group for 10, 20, 30 years and weddings. They’ll always be able to come back together because of this moment. This group will always be bonded through the rest of our lives.”
Carlos Hassey, a senior and a Surprise native, and Gustaf Strom, the 2021 Pac-12 Rookie of the Year, were the doubles group that locked up the championship; what can you say about how they performed this season?
A: “Carlos is an Arizona native and he’s the ‘Pride of Arizona,’ that’s what we call him. He has a lot of pride in playing for this school and this state and this university. It’s crazy when you get someone who is playing with motivation. … He’s been the catalyst for our program. Our seniors in general have been our leaders. We kind of had a hiccup this season, but every year, our motto is to play for our seniors. Last year, we had a senior that our team played super hard for. This year, it’s the same thing. Now we have three seniors and we’re playing for them. … Playing for the seniors really does matter.”
What was the most challenging part about turning Arizona into a Pac-12 champion?
A: “Belief. That’s the biggest thing, when you’re sitting there and talking about something and nobody in the room believes you that this can happen and become a reality. That’s why it’s so important to dream big and set goals for the team. You set a pathway for it, and over the last six years we’ve been chomping away at it. We’ve been getting closer and closer, and finally it was our destiny and our year to do this. … That belief really emboldened our team that we can really do something. … It’s easier when you’re the hunter, because you don’t have much to lose. When you’re the hunted, it sure feels a little bit different.”
