With the nation’s best coaches gathered together at the sixth annual USA Coaches Awards and Reception at the 52nd Adidas Easter Bowl, USTA Southern California Player Development Manager Trevor Kronemann proudly accepted the 2018 Team USA Developmental Section of the Year award.
“You’re only as good as your team and we really have a great one at the USTA,” Kronemann said. “It really comes down to three things that we’ve tried to focus on. We’ve really worked hard on team, on innovation and on sportsmanship. And I feel like that simple focus has been such a plus for our section. The late great Arthur Ashe said, ‘From what we get we can make a living. From what we give, however, makes our lives.’ And that’s what I try to tell my team all the time; to keep it simple. Keep working hard and keep educating the parents. So we do that every single day. We’re all excited where Southern California is headed and we can’t wait for the future.”
In its national press release, the USTA reported the following about the accomplishments and player achievements of USTA SoCal:
“USTA Southern California was the home section for players succeeding at every level of the game in 2018. Along with the continued success of Serena and Venus Williams and Mike Bryan, both Sam Querrey and Taylor Fritz reached career-high rankings and CoCo Vandeweghe won the US Open doubles title and competed in the WTA Finals in doubles. Southern California juniors also turned in solid results at: The USTA Boys’ and Girls’ National Championships – Brandon Nakashima (Boys’ 18s finalist earning a wild card into US Open Men’s Qualifying), Kayla Day (Girls’ 18s finalist) and Dylan Charlap (Boys’ 12s finalist); Easter Bowl and USTA National Spring Championships – Anessa Lee (Girls’ 16s’ champion) and Maxwell McKennon (Boys’ 16s finalist); and the 14-and-under ITF World Junior Tennis Competition, where Katrina Scott was a part of the third-place Team USA Girls’ team. Led by Player Development Manager Trevor Kronemann, Southern California also hosted one Team USA Sectional Camp and multiple Early Development Camps.”
“The Southern California Section has obviously been a hotbed for tennis talent for many, many years, and players from Southern California proved that even further in 2018,” Kinnear said. “From the highest level of professional tennis to every level of the juniors, Southern California once again solidified itself as an epicenter for development, with top juniors and pros moving up the ranks both nationally and internationally. A big congratulations to Trevor Kronemann and the entire SoCal Section for their support of the coaches, players, and parents throughout the section as they work together developing players at every level of the pathway.”
Kronemann said the future is bright for Southern California. “I think the development is in place and we are excited about bringing red, orange and green to the section. Junior Team Tennis is growing so I think right now we are firing on all cylinders. I think we are going the right way.”
Also honored during the USA Coaches Reception were Team USA Legendary Coach Award: Jose Higueras; Team USA Developmental Coach of the Year: Joseph Gilbert; Team USA Developmental Program of the Year: Lakes Tennis Academy in Frisco, Texas.