June 15, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. – University of South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman announced today that he has named Josh Goffi head men’s tennis coach for the Gamecocks. A Charleston, S.C., product, Goffi was named 2010 ITA Carolina Region Assistant Coach of the Year while serving as an assistant coach at Duke University. He takes the reins of the Gamecock program with a lofty reputation as an elite recruiter with a solid strategic mind and excellent motivational tactics.

“We are very excited about the future of the South Carolina men’s tennis program with Josh Goffi as our head coach,” Hyman said. “It’s a daunting task to replace someone who has done as much for a program as Kent DeMars has done for South Carolina men’s tennis. We are forever grateful to Kent for the stellar reputation he’s given this program, and his success made this a position that attracted a large pool of highly qualified candidates.

“After meeting with our program’s current and former student-athletes to develop a profile of the best coach for our program, we quickly found that Josh leapt out of the pack as the best fit. The success he has had in recruiting and player development at Duke is impressive. His integrity, intelligence, high energy level and enthusiasm are what our program needs today and will continue to benefit from well into the future.”

“I am truly honored to have the opportunity to lead the men’s tennis program at South Carolina,” Goffi said. “Eric Hyman and his staff have built a culture of accountability, honesty, integrity and hard work, which are some of the building blocks to my program. So, I immediately had a sense that this was the right place for me, and I believe this position presents a unique opportunity to fulfill my personal aspiration of building and maintaining one of the nation’s top collegiate tennis programs. I am truly excited to be back in my home state, and I am proud to represent the Gamecock nation.”

Goffi joined the men’s tennis staff at Duke in July 2008 with an eye on helping newly-named head coach Ramsey Smith return the Blue Devil program to national prominence. The duo wasted little time in accomplishing that task as Duke turned a sub-.500 record in 2007-08 into a 16-9 mark in 2008-09 and a No. 14 final ranking in 2009-10, during which the team posted a 20-9 record. The dramatic improvement was built first on recruiting, of which Goffi took control immediately. He was the primary recruiter of Brazilian Henrique Cunha, who was named ITA National Rookie of the Year and earned 2010 ACC Player and Freshman of the Year honors and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Singles Championship. As a team, Duke advanced to the 2010 ACC Championship final and reached the 2010 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

Prior to his two-year stint at Duke, Goffi was an assistant coach with the Arizona State women’s team for two seasons. Serving under legendary head coach Sheila McInerney, Goffi worked closely with individual players on setting goals and strengthening their strategic, tactical and mental abilities. He was named Wilson/ITA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2008 following a 15-8 season for the Sun Devils that saw them finish the season ranked No. 23 in the nation.

After completing a standout collegiate career at Clemson in 2001, Goffi played on the ATP Tour through September 2005. During that stretch, he claimed a pair of singles titles and 18 doubles championships. Ranked as high as No. 480 in the world in singles, he scored six wins over player ranked in the top 100. In doubles, his ranking peaked at No. 121 behind three wins over top-10 tandems. Goffi also represented Brazil in the 2004 Davis Cup.

As a three-time All-ACC selection for the Tigers, Goffi was the ACC’s singles and doubles champion in 1999 and was a member of the 2000 and 2001 NCAA All-Region teams. He rose as high as No. 9 in the singles national rankings and No. 3 in doubles while leading Clemson to three NCAA Tournament appearances and a spot in the 2001 ACC Tournament final.

Goffi graduated from Clemson in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in financial management. He is married to the former Nancy Augustyniak, a former professional soccer player who spent time in United States national team training camp in 2001 and 2002. Goffi’s father, Carlos, is an internationally recognized tennis coach who was named 1991 World Coach of the Year.