Head tennis coach Josh Goffi has to be excited about this upcoming season for his team. The Gamecocks return every starter from a team that was just one game shy of being eligible for the 2015 Men’s NCAA Tennis Tournament.
Of the eight returning starters, six are either juniors or seniors. With so much experience and talent returning, one has to surmise that the Gamecocks will start winning more of those tightly contested matches.
Junior Gabriel Friedrich played in the No. 1 position for the team last year, finishing with a record of 21-18. That may not sound great, but in the SEC, a conference that had six teams finish in the top 25, this is very impressive for a young player. It was so impressive, in fact, that he finished the season ranked No. 49 in the country.
Senior Alex Fennell and junior Harrison O’Keefe are a couple of the other great players on this team. Fennell had a 25-15 record last season, while O’Keefe finished with an impressive 31-13 record. With another year of experience under their belts, it is hard to imagine them not having big seasons in 2016, too.
New assistant coach Kyle Bailey is also a huge addition to this program. He can help the Gamecocks get to the next level this coming season. Coach Bailey is considered one of the best junior development coaches in the nation, and last year he helped lead Monmouth College to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.
The men’s tennis program is on the rise thanks to the hard work of head coach Goffi. It appears as though this will be the season that it will all come together for his program. All eight starters return, and in a conference as competitive as the SEC, that is invaluable. Expect to see this team make a nice run in the SEC Tournament and close the season with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Players to Watch
Wood Benton — Benton is a former five-star recruit and one of only two players on the roster that is from South Carolina (the other being senior Andrew Schafer). In his freshman season, Benton managed to live up to his high rating as he finished the season with a 22-15 record. Benton now has experience to go with his talent, which could lead to a special sophomore season.
Thomas Mayronne — The Louisiana native posted an impressive 28-14 record in 2015 while playing mainly in the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. This type of performance by a redshirt freshman in the SEC is outstanding, and Mayronne should be able to carry his strong play into 2016.
Know your coach
Josh Goffi graduated and played tennis at Clemson University, where he was a three-time first team All-ACC selection. Coach Goffi played professional tennis on the ATP Tour from 2001-2005, where he compiled achievements such as winning the 2001 Masters event in Sardinia, Italy, and winning both singles and doubles titles at USTA Sprint Futures in 2003. He got his first coaching job in 2006 as an assistant coach at Arizona State. In 2008, he took a job at Duke as an assistant, where he coached until 2010 when the Gamecocks hired him as the head coach. In his six years at South Carolina, he has an 84-85 record, three NCAA Tournament appearances and two All-Americans.