RENO, Nev. — Gregg Donnelly has been coaching Robert McQueen’s Girls Tennis Team since 2015. Prior to that, he was the Girls JV Basketball coach from 2012-2017, and then the Girls Lacrosse coach from 2013-2017.

Coach Donnelly’s background story is unique and explains his love for so many sports. “While I played basketball in high school, I never got into tennis until my younger brother started during my senior year. It was too late for me to play. But, not too late to help my brother. My brother was an All-American in high school in 1983. I spent a million hours feeding him balls and doing drills to help him get his college scholarship. When I got the job as McQueen Girls Tennis coach, I hadn’t picked up a racquet in nearly 30 years. Thankfully, YouTube helped me catch up quickly on drills and strategy,” he shared.

Coach Donnelly sees team bonding and looking at competition throughout the season as the key ingredients to training a successful team. “Team Bonding is the first thing that I try and create. This is important since I usually have about six to nine new players each year. It is also important for the future years in that the veteran girls help the younger girls learn the game and to fit in with the team. Competition through the season helps the new players improve. This also helps veteran players stay sharp. The ranking you start the season at may change by the end of the year,” said Donnelly.

Proud moments as a coach include having six players qualify for State. The team improved from ninth place to third place. “We have been third place the last four years! Upsetting Bishop Manogue in 2018 was a great team accomplishment. Having over 95% of the players return each year and watching them grow as individuals and tennis players from freshman to senior year has been great. Nearly everyone on the team didn’t play tennis until they picked up a racquet that summer before freshman year or even during the week before tryouts! Watching them improve and watching the veteran players wrap their arms around the newbies is very satisfying,” Coach Donnelly said.

Winning is great, but I wanted to know how he encourages the team after a disappointing loss. “I don’t say anything after the game (win or lose). I wait until the next practice and emphasize what we can improve on. My practice is centered around that. I also keep the atmosphere lighthearted so that improvement can happen. I don’t want players worrying about making mistakes. Mistakes are a large part of athletics, so I ask them to accept their mistakes and to move on. No need to apologize to anyone for making a mistake. My overall philosophy to coaching/teaching is that if I want someone to do better, why would I make them feel worse? I also ask the parents to not talk about the match until the next day. The player knows how they did. No need for the parent to harp on that during the ride home,” Coach Donnelly said.

When it comes to biggest life lessons, Coach Donnelly believes athletes are people first. While he sets up practices to coach technique and strategy, he remembers that they have a life outside of tennis. He gets to know his players and their lives. They also get to know his world. Donnelly’s players know that he cares about them as people.

In closing, I asked what legacy he hopes to leave behind as a coach. “I hope my players develop a love for tennis and continue to play for the next 60 years! I also want them to know that coaching is about teaching, teaching, and teaching—with kindness, patience, and listening. No yelling, ridicule, or swearing is needed to improve performance. I also want the person to have the courage to improve in whatever they are doing by allowing mistakes to happen and to not beat themselves up emotionally about the mistakes,” he concluded.

A fan?

Follow your favorite teams

This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.