For the first 11 years of Jeff Brandes’ life, tennis was nothing more than an afterthought. His first love was swimming but his plans had to change when a chlorine allergy forced him to leave the pool for good.
Needing an alternative way to stay active, he decided to give tennis a shot. Soon after, Brandes’ backup plan had become his biggest passion.
“Luckily I was a decent athlete, I could run and track the ball,” Brandes said. “Eventually after some bad strokes, I started to win matches and I wound up making the part of the team that played matches against the other clubs”
Brandes’ talent on the court led to a competitive collegiate career at the University of Rhode Island, and he never left the court when his playing career ended. He got into coaching in 2005, where he was hired as Drew University’s head coach, leading the men’s team to seven MAC Freedom Conference Championships, six Landmark Conference Titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances.
Now, Brandes has taken the helm of both the men’s and women’s team at Temple, stepping into the shoes of Steve Mauro, who won more than 400 matches in his 20 seasons coaching the Owls. With his proven track record and passion for the sport, Brandes hopes to elevate Temple to new heights.
“Temple was an awesome opportunity for me, it fits into the category of bigger and better,” Brandes said. “It seemed like a good time for me to make the transition and the school and conference are just at a higher level. I was uniquely suited to the role as I have always coached both men and women.”
Despite leading his previous schools to success, Brandes’ first season at Temple hasn’t been easy. Both the men’s and women’s squads have had their core depleted which has hampered the ability to find consistent form.
MEN’S TEAM
Brandes is tasked with leading a men’s side that failed to reach 10 wins for the first time in three years last season. The Owls were just one year removed from a first-place finish in the American Athletic Conference and Brandes is aiming at getting them back on track.
Brandes went back to the drawing board in an attempt to find consistency again. The new coach has been trying to use his extensive knowledge of the game to help Temple find success, as he has helped the players find a better understanding of the game.
“He understands tennis very well and that’s why he has been able to help us in various aspects on the court,” said Maj Najvirt Kolaric. “I feel like we are all improving every day so I’m really glad to have him on our team.”
The efforts have paid off as the men’s squad has powered through for a 4-3 record to start the season. The squad has still dealt with inconsistency, losing to Penn State on Jan. 25 and Brown on Feb. 9, but their win against Morgan State on Feb. 15 has proved the team is trending in the right direction.
The veteran pairing of Adam Kresina and Martim Marujo have produced winning results in doubles play with a 5-3 record. After a season to forget, Brandes has been able to build the team back before the bulk of the season begins despite the setbacks.
“The season so far has been good considering some injuries and timely illness that have hurt us,” said Dante Russo. “There’s been some good wins and close losses.”
WOMEN’S TEAM
Brandes inherited a Temple team that soared to success just two seasons ago with a 19-5 record, but the good fortunes were quickly extinguished. Temple had a 7-14 record last year and Brandes was tapped to pick up the pieces. However, he has had to do so with almost an entirely new team.
Temple had just two returnings from last season’s roster, and Brandes went to work, trying to get Temple ready for the challenges of the upcoming season.
“It’s hard to know what’s truly different from last year,” Brandes said. “I would say that our practices are focused on recreating and refining situations that occur in the match.”
It didn’t take long for those challenges to become evident, as the injury bug hit the Owls.
Kelly Richter, who made it to the round of 16 in the AAC championships, injured her shoulder in the first week of practice and has yet to return to the team. Martyna Mackiewicz has also been sidelined with a back issue and elbow problems, which forced her to be pulled from singles play.
While the men’s side has started to turn a page, the women’s team has still been stuck on page one. The Owls hold a 3-5-1 record but showed progression in a 4-0 win against LIU on Feb. 24.
Although the team has faced setbacks, there have been a few bright spots. Irmak Ozturk has quickly established herself as a standout player, compiling a 9-6 overall record.
“Irmak is a phenomenal competitor, one of the best I’ve seen,” Brandes said. “She has a very good tennis mind and she understands when to be aggressive and when to play defense. She’s the whole package.”
With the season still in the early stages, both flocks of Owls are finding their rhythm. Brandes’ experience and his ability to adapt to the challenges ahead will be critical as the Owls push forward, with their sights set on improving and competing at a higher level as the season progresses.“I don’t look at results on paper, I don’t know any of the other conference teams’ results or records,” Brandes said. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. You’re going to play who you play and you’ve got to win three matches in a row.”
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