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Head Coach Jay Harris is entering his eighth season at the helm of the Men's Tennis Program, and in the first seven years has led the team to its highest national ranking ever (#33) and its seventh straight NCAA Tournament Appearance along with two straight Ivy League Titles in 2005 & 2006.
In his time at Brown, Coach Harris has accomplished what many spend lifetimes trying to achieve, coaching two All-Americans (Adil Shamasdin and Phil Charm-2005), 31 All-Ivy selections, and leading the Bears to two Ivy Championships and five NCAA Tournament berths. Harris, the 2005 ITA Regional Coach of the Year, has also coached four recent Brown graduates who are currently on tour - Chris Drake '03 (has won 14 professional titles and has been ranked as high as 92 in the world), Jamie Cerretani '04 (has won 13 titles and has been ranked as high as 42 in the world), Adil Shamasdin '05 (All-American 2005), and Justin Natale '04 (has won 3 professonal titles).
The 2002 season was the first time the Brown Men's Tennis program had entered the national rankings and Coach Harris has had them in the rankings ever since. The team has been ranked as high as #33 nationally twice, and five different players have earned national singles rankings (Cerretani #42, Dan Hanegby #57, Shamasdin #74, Goldberg #89 & Eric Thomas #124).
But where the Coach Harris has really put a stamp on the program has been with its doubles success. In six years, he has had 12 doubles teams in the national rankings (Shamasdin/Cerretani #7, Thomas/Ratnam #11, Shamasdin/Charm #17, Drake/Cerretani #22, Goldberg/Shamasdin #24, Hanegby/Lee #25, Hanegby/Charm #25, Shamasdin/Goldberg #25, Cerretani/Brier #36, Kohli/Lee #50, Kohli/Thomas #59, Kohli/Ratnam #50). In 2003 Brown had three different doubles teams ranked nationally and in 2007 were the only team in the country to have two teams in the top 25. In the past six years, Brown has been a part of the NCAA Doubles Tournament four times with the team of Shamasdin and Charm advancing to the 2005 NCAA Quarterfinals and becoming Brown's first ever All-Americans.
Brown has also been a part of the NCAA singles championships twice in the past five years with Adil Shamasdin beating Virginia's Doug Stewart (ranked #12) in 2005. That year also marked the first time in school history that Brown qualified for the NCAA Team, Singles & Doubles Tournaments in the same year. The Bears backed the Team Tournament bid up in 2006 where Brown lost a first round heartbreaker to #12 Notre Dame, 4-3. The Bears have been a part of the NCAA Team Tournament in 2002, 2003, 2005 & 2006.
In regional competition Brown has faired extremely well, winning four of the last six ITA Regional Doubles Titles and taking the singles title in 2003. The Bears have also been ranked among the top three teams in the region in each of the last seven years.
While at Brown, Harris' teams have also been recognized for their off court success, with Nick Goldberg earning First Team District I Academic All-American honors in 2005 and Phil Charm being named an Academic All-American in 2006. Charm, Ben Brier, and Chris Drake have all won the Rafael Osuna Award (an award given regionally and nationally to the players demonstrating the best leadership and sportsmanship).
Prior to arriving at Brown, Harris coached at Bowling Green from 1996-2002, leading the team to the Mid-American Conference Championship in 2000, while winning the Conference Championship for the first time in 36 years. In 2002, his team captured the Conference Championship again and Harris was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year.
In six years as head coach at Bowling Green, Harris coached 16 All-Conference selections, one Conference Player of the Year, and a Conference Newcomer of the Year. His 1997-1998 team was one of only 17 men's tennis programs in the nation to earn Academic All-American Team honors. The 2002 Conference championship team posted a 19-11 record and a Top-75 ITA National Ranking.
A 1993 graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Harris was a first team All-Great Midwest Conference selection in 1992 and 1993. He also earned Great Midwest Conference All-Academic honors as a junior and a senior. Harris went on to earn a Master of Science in Sports Studies (with a double concentration in Sports Psychology and Sports Management) at Miami (OH) University in 1996.
Prior to going to Bowling Green, Harris was as assistant coach for the Miami (OH) University women's tennis team for two years, from 1995-1996, winning the Mid-American Conference Championship in 1996.
Harris has also worked as a tennis instructor at a few
prestigious clubs, including the International Tennis Hall of Fame
in Newport, RI, the College Tennis Academy in Tampa, FL, the
Saddlebrook Tennis Resort in Tampa, FL, and the Lakewood Racquet
Club in Lexington, OH.
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Nestor Bernabe, a 2003 Division II All-American, joined the Brown men's tennis coaching staff as an assistant in the fall of 2008. Bernabe came to Brown after spending the past 17 months as the Assistant Junior Director at the Stamford Indoor Tennis Academy.
Prior to his time at the Stamford Indoor Tennis Academy, Bernabe spent a year as the Director at the Sonoma Tennis Academy (2006), a year as an Instructor at La Cantera Racquet and Swim Club (2005), and two years as an Independent Youth Coach (2003-2004). In addition to these coaching positions, Bernabe was also playing professionally from 2003-2007, earning rankings in both singles and doubles. He was also a WTA Tour Practice Partner for Justine Henin-Hardenne for the 2004 US Open.
A 2003 graduate of Sonoma State with a B.A. in American Multicultural Studies, Bernabe was a four-time MVP of the Sonoma State Men's Tennis team. He capped his collegiate playing career by earning First Team All-American honors as a senior in 2003. The Sonoma State University Alumni Association Athlete of the Year in 2003, Bernabe was ranked #16 in singles at the end of the year and had a U.S. National Open Ranking of #130. During his career, Bernabe was ranked as high as #10 in singles (2002) and #4 in doubles (2001), while posting a career-record of 142-49.
During college, Bernabe was also an instructor at Evert Tennis
Academy and the co-founder and head pro at One Love Tennis Academy.
In addition, he also served as Vice President for the Sonoma State
Student Athlete Advisory Counsel during his junior and senior
years.
