BYU coach enjoys what he does
» David Porter
» BYU-Hawaii
» Women’s & men’s tennis coach
Two questions continually asked of David Porter:
"Why aren’t you coaching at a big-name school?"
"When are you going to retire?"
He’ll answer both the same way, with a question of his own.
"Why would I do that?" the coach for the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Brigham Young-Hawaii said. "I enjoy what I do, being out on a tennis court, watching matches. I’d be there anyway, so why not be out there as the coach?
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"And if I were coaching any place else, I’d be saving my money for trips to Hawaii. Why do that when I’m already here?"
Porter has been very good at what he does for nearly 30 years at the Laie campus. His combined record since the fall of 1992 is 1,119-137 (552-16 women, 567-121 men), with both teams defeating College of Idaho yesterday.
The second-ranked Seasiders women remained unbeaten with their 22nd victory and, "We’ve got a pretty good core of players back with a lot of experience," Porter said. "I think there’s a half-dozen teams that have a chance to win (the national title) and we are among them."
Porter considers Armstrong State, the three-time defending NCAA D-II champion that handed BYUH its lone loss last season, and Lynn (Fla.) the biggest competition.
The Seasiders spent two weeks on the road earlier this month, dropping just four sets in 12 matches. Porter said the team was still recovering from the trip and was looking forward to a bit of a break; BYUH doesn’t play again until next Monday.
Yesterday’s match with College of Idaho was the only one of the week.
Porter likes the rest of the schedule, which includes hosting the PacWest championships April 13-16. "It’s always good when you don’t have to travel, can sleep in your own beds, play on the courts you’re used to."
The NCAA II Championships are in Altamonte Springs, Fla., the same site as last year, in mid-May. Competition finishes right before Porter turns 60.
Asked if winning his 10th women’s title would make for a great early birthday present, Porter replied:
"That would be wonderful."
