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Last week, it was announced that Virginia men’s tennis head coach Brian Boland will be leaving Charlottesville at the end of the season to take over as the head of USTA Player Development. This caused great sadness for Virginia fans, who have had the pleasure of watching Boland lead the Hoos to three NCAA team titles in the past four years.
On Tuesday, Boland penned this open letter to the Virginia Tennis community on Facebook. The letter was also sent out via email to UVA tennis supporters:
Dear UVA Tennis Family: I wanted to take a moment to personally thank each and every one of you for your unwavering...
Posted by Brian Boland on Tuesday, April 4, 2017
There’s no doubt that Boland goes down as one of Virginia Athletics’ all-time greatest coaches, and Virginia fans everywhere should be proud that Virginia had the opportunity to call him one of our own.
What stands out to me in particular about his open letter is that he’s not spending the entirety of it reflecting on the great memories he’s formed at Virginia or how proud he must be of the three national championships the team has earned. Instead, he’s continuing to look towards the future of the program — this year and beyond.
It has “taken a village,” Boland says, to get UVA Men’s Tennis to where it is today, and its future success depends on the continued development of our “world-class” players, a term he uses three times in the statement. That development hinges not just on finding the best replacement for his role, or even the top players, but on the continued support of the entire Virginia Tennis family.
“I plan to stay engaged with the future of our program and I am ever hopeful that all of you will as well!”
There is still a lot of tennis to be played this season. The No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers are 18-1 overall, with the only loss coming at the hands of No. 1 Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons head coach, by the way, is Tony Bresky, in his fifth season at Wake. Bresky was Virginia’s associate head coach under Boland from 2002-2010 and was the 2005 ITA Assistant Head Coach of the Year.
Virginia’s back in action in Charlottesville Friday afternoon against Virginia Tech. They’ll also host No. 11 North Carolina on Sunday. As always, the matches take place at the Snyder Tennis Center by Mem Gym (unless moved indoors to Boar’s Head due to weather) and are free.
Watch Boland in action in Charlottesville and give him -- and the team — the support they deserve!