As Penn State men's tennis head coach Todd Doebler held practice on Tuesday, there was a look of achievement in his eyes, and confidence in his step. Donning his usual swoosh pants and small-rimmed glasses, Doebler shuffled around the courts, speaking words of encouragement and advice to each player.
With only a few weeks left in his first season as head coach of the No. 41 Nittany Lions, Doebler is proving that he belongs. Despite two recent setbacks on the schedule, Doebler has the Lions (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten) making noise this season not only within the conference, but also across the country by exceeding middle-of-the-pack preseason conference expectations.
Through his mild-mannered approach and watchful eye, Doebler has been able to turn the Lions' play around. The team has already equaled its win total from last season, with two matches and the conference tournament still to come.
"So far, I love it here," Doebler said. "I think Penn State is a great place to coach, mainly because it's a great university both academically and athletically."
Doebler stepped into the position in July 2006. His impact was felt the first day, as he sat the team down and told it he expected great things.
"He kept telling us that there was no reason why we couldn't contend for a Big Ten title," senior co-captain Bradley Hunter said. "He helped instill a lot of confidence in all of the guys from day one."
While Doebler attributes most of the team's success to outstanding play by all of the Lions, it is the importance he puts on developing his players both on and off the court.
"It's really important to be not only a great tennis coach but also a mentor for the students," Doebler said. "I try my best to be there for the players whenever they need."
Hunter said Doebler is unique because he helps out each individual more than the team as a whole.
"He introduced semi-individual sessions, which really helped us to focus on our weaknesses and hone in to develop our skills," Hunter said. "That definitely helped improve my game this season."
Doebler began his tennis career at Bloomsburg University, where he graduated in 1996 with a degree in psychology.
His first coaching stint came with one of the top Division III schools in the country, as Doebler landed the assistant coaching position at Trinity College in 1997.
After a brief stay at Pepperdine, Doebler's career took off while serving as associate head coach at Notre Dame, where over his four years, he helped guide the Fighting Irish to multiple top-20 rankings. He was also honored as the 2004 and 2006 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Assistant Coach of the Year.
"Coaching here at Penn State has been pretty similar to my previous schools in the sense that I've been fortunate enough to be surrounded by great people and coaches," Doebler said. "I'd say I definitely get a lot less sleep though now that I'm a head coach."
The Lions are heading into the final weekend of the regular season with two tough conference opponents awaiting them.
No. 3 Ohio State will come to University Park tomorrow, and No. 64 Indiana will visit the Lions on Sunday.
While these will be the final regular season matches of Hunter's career, he believes Doebler will have a strong future in Happy Valley; one that will see years of success in the Big Ten.
"He'll be around for a long time," Hunter said. "He's been able to get us off to a great start, and he'll help build Penn State into an even greater program in the near future."
