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Hambrook Hooked
Interim coach gets full-time job after stellar start.
June 6, 2004 LAS VEGAS - Owen Hambrook, who led the UNLV men's tennis team to a 10-win improvement in his first season overseeing the program as an interim coach, was rewarded for his efforts by getting the job permanently, the athletic department announced Sunday.
"Over the past year, Coach Hambrook has more than demonstrated his ability to successfully lead the men's tennis team," UNLV associate athletics director Lisa Kelleher said. "We expect him to further progress the program to strong conference and national recognition."
Now the sixth full-time head coach in Rebel tennis history, Hambrook took over a squad that had set a school record for futility in 2003 with a 2-14 record and eventually pushed the team into the national rankings for the first time in two years. UNLV's 12-7 overall mark in 2004 included a second-place regular-season finish in the Mountain West Conference and the best home record (9-2) since 1997. The year also produced a qualifier for the NCAA Singles Championship in the form of All-MWC honoree Henner Nehles.
"This is an exciting time to be part of UNLV athletics," Hambrook said. "I'd like to thank the administration for making a dream come true for me. Last year the players came together in re-establishing the program in the Mountain West Conference. Now, I look forward to moving the program back into the national college tennis scene."
Before taking over the men's team, Hambrook spent four years as an assistant with Rebel tennis, including serving on the staff of the 2003 MWC regular-season champions, and the 2000 and 2002 league tournament champion women's squads. In 2002, he was named ITA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
The certified tennis professional joined UNLV after having served as director of the state's largest junior program - the Junior Tennis Academy at the Sports Club of Las Vegas from 1996-2000. Previously, Hambrook served as the tennis pro at the MGM Grand Hotel for two years. Active in the USTA, he has been head coach for the Southern Nevada USTA Training Center and was honored as a USTA High Performance Coach in both 1998 and 2000.
A 1991 graduate of Northwest Missouri State, he was a three-year member of the Bearcats' tennis team. Hambrook and his wife, Julie, have a son, Jack and a daughter, Hannah.
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