July 1, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C. – University of South Carolina men’s tennis head coach Josh Goffi announced today that Ryan Young will join his staff as an assistant coach. Young spent last season as an assistant at Michigan State following five years on the professional circuit competing in more than 20 different countries.
“Ryan’s integrity and his reputation in the game are what drove me to bring him into our program,” Goffi said. “The first things that came from people I talked to about him were `solid,’ `great guy’ and `man of his word,’ and that’s really the culture we have here. So, he is right in line with that in terms of providing a good foundation for our players. Ryan’s experiences as a player are important to our program as well. He grinded it out on the Pro Tour for five years, similar to me, and that’s important because it shows he’s able to digest a lot of information about coaching techniques. He’s not just teaching out of a book; he’s teaching out of personal experiences that he’s had to work through. That’s where he’s going to be able to connect with our players a little more than some other coaches.”
“I’m excited to be at South Carolina because of Josh [Goffi],” Young said. “I reached out to him just before I got into coaching to try to learn what it was about. I had a great respect for him in the hardworking culture of his program and the professional way he works with his players on and off the court. Josh makes sure their tennis games are right, but he also makes sure they’re taking care of the other parts of their lives as well. I know I will learn a ton from him and will add my experiences as a player to instill a little more confidence in the team that the way we’re working here is the right way, the right philosophy to ultimately bring success.”
After closing the books on his playing career, Young helped Michigan State to a 14-14 overall record that earned the program a No. 45 final ranking and its first NCAA Tournament berth in its 100-year history. The Spartans picked up seven wins against nationally ranked opponents, highlighted by a 5-2 victory over then-No. 29 Northwestern in early April. The win sparked a rally that saw Michigan State win five of its last seven regular-season outings.
Young launched his professional playing career after a four-year career at Clemson where he earned All-ACC honors in 2007 and posted a 110-40 career singles record. As a junior, he helped the Tigers climb as high as No. 5 in the national rankings, and Clemson turned in a 31-10 record in his senior season. Young’s solid performance at No. 3 singles helped him to a 9-2 ACC record in 2006-07.
Young earned his bachelor’s degree from Clemson in 2009.
