Commonwealth Times

[Click to enlarge]

VCU men's tennis coach Paul Kostin claimed his 800th victory earlier this month, making him the fifth head coach in Division I to reach that milestone.

The men's tennis team defeated the University of Denver 4-2 on April 12, rounding out Kostin's victory count.

While the wins are a great achievement, the coach isn't making a big deal of it.

"I don't feel any different now that I have 800 wins," Kostin said. "I just try to take it one match at a time and go from there."

Kostin said he never sought to win so many games and that 800 wins wasn't first on his list of things to accomplish. "I honestly did not think that I would win 800 games. The goal is to try to win championships," he said.

Under Kostin, the men's and women's tennis teams never have had a losing season. Kostin has led the men's teams to 16 straight NCAA tournament berths. He has won 14 conference championships with the men's team and two with the women's team.

Kostin led the men's and women's teams back to the NCAA tournament this season. The men's team received an automatic berth for winning the Colonial Athletic Association tournament while the women's team received an at-large bid.

Kostin, who has been coaching tennis for 27 years - the last 18 being at VCU - said the goal at the beginning of the season is to have a winning season, to win the conference championship and to win the national title. However, Kostin said it is his players, not he, who is most responsible for the wins.

"I have been blessed with great players. It doesn't matter how good a coach is, he can't win without the right type of players," he said.

Kostin said his players and the love of the game keep him going.

"I have been doing this a long time. I love to be around young adults, and I love what I do," he said. "For me, the most rewarding thing about coaching is seeing the players grow up and be successful in life outside of tennis."

Kostin also said he likes to be able to influence his players, and he enjoys the relationships he has with the players after tennis.

"I want to make sure the players reach their potential, on and off the court," he said.

Article Tools

[Click to enlarge]

VCU men's tennis coach Paul Kostin claimed his 800th victory earlier this month, making him the fifth head coach in Division I to reach that milestone.

The men's tennis team defeated the University of Denver 4-2 on April 12, rounding out Kostin's victory count.

While the wins are a great achievement, the coach isn't making a big deal of it.

"I don't feel any different now that I have 800 wins," Kostin said. "I just try to take it one match at a time and go from there."

Kostin said he never sought to win so many games and that 800 wins wasn't first on his list of things to accomplish. "I honestly did not think that I would win 800 games. The goal is to try to win championships," he said.

Under Kostin, the men's and women's tennis teams never have had a losing season. Kostin has led the men's teams to 16 straight NCAA tournament berths. He has won 14 conference championships with the men's team and two with the women's team.

Kostin led the men's and women's teams back to the NCAA tournament this season. The men's team received an automatic berth for winning the Colonial Athletic Association tournament while the women's team received an at-large bid.

Kostin, who has been coaching tennis for 27 years - the last 18 being at VCU - said the goal at the beginning of the season is to have a winning season, to win the conference championship and to win the national title. However, Kostin said it is his players, not he, who is most responsible for the wins.

"I have been blessed with great players. It doesn't matter how good a coach is, he can't win without the right type of players," he said.

Kostin said his players and the love of the game keep him going.

"I have been doing this a long time. I love to be around young adults, and I love what I do," he said. "For me, the most rewarding thing about coaching is seeing the players grow up and be successful in life outside of tennis."

Kostin also said he likes to be able to influence his players, and he enjoys the relationships he has with the players after tennis.

"I want to make sure the players reach their potential, on and off the court," he said.

Article Tools