Bryce named assistant women's tennis coach
James Bryce
Mississippi State head women’s tennis coach Daryl Greenan has named James Bryce as the new assistant coach for the Lady Bulldogs, replacing Courtney Steinbock, who accepted the same position at Oklahoma State this summer. The hiring is pending the approval of the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.
Bryce comes into the Bulldog family from Saint Leo University, where he has served as the head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams since August 2009. He took over programs that were unranked when he arrived. In just his second season, he had both the men and the women’s teams in NCAA Division II’s top 35 nationally. In year three, the teams were 12th (men) and 13th (women) in the final rankings. And this past spring, both squads ended the year rated No. 8 nationally.
He helped make history for the Lions’ tennis teams in 2011-12 as they accumulated 34 wins combined, of which the women’s team set a program-record of 18. Aside from those impressive records, Bryce was also named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s South Region Coach of the Year.
“I am excited to have James on board here at Mississippi State,” Greenan said. “He has been a successful head coach and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with our program. I am looking forward to working with James as we move into an exciting new chapter of our Bulldog Women’s Tennis Program. This season should be exciting, as my first senior class and the rest of the team prepare to take our team to the next level.”
Before his time at Saint Leo, Bryce was assistant coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Columbus State University, another NCAA Division II university. During his two years coaching the Cougars, he earned much experience and led both teams to NCAA postseason tournaments.
Prior to finding success at Columbus State, Bryce’s first collegiate coaching stint was at his alma mater, Samford University. Before becoming a coach at Samford, he fulfilled his four-year role as a player on the men’s tennis team, where he was a member of the 2005 Ohio Valley Conference regular season champions as well as the program’s Most Improved Player during the 2002-03 season.
During his collegiate coaching career, Bryce has led nine teams to NCAA appearances, helped produce nine all All-Americans and multiple players who have achieved first-team, all-conference status. His players have produced excellent academic honors with multiple ITA Academic awards on both the team and individual levels.
Although Bryce possesses much experience as both coach and player in the U.S., he started his coaching career in his native home of Solihull, England, as a Development Tennis Coach for the Lloyd Leisure Club from 2000-05.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with coach Greenan and to be a part of the Mississippi State family,“ Bryce said. “The SEC has so much tradition, and I’m looking forward to the success of the program in the future.”
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