Anastopoulo grabs SCTA coaching honor - CofCSports.com--Official Web site of College of Charleston Athletics
5/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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This is a year Angelo Anastopoulo won't forget anytime soon. The College of Charleston's director of tennis has reached several significant career milestones in 2003.
First, his women's team at the College as well as the Cougar men's team won Southern Conference titles last spring. As a result, Anastopoulo has been named State Collegiate Coach of the Year by the S.C. Tennis Association.
Anastopoulo also is proud that Charleston's women's tennis team has been named an Academic All-American Team for the fifth straight year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
To top off the year, the Cougar teams are preparing to move into their new tennis complex at Patriots Point. The first six courts of the facility's nine hard courts will be ready for play this week. The new courts will be officially broken in on Jan. 17 when the men's team, coached by Phil Whitesell, plays Clemson and Charleston freshman Ryan Young.
Yes, Anastopoulo has plenty to be happy about going into the holiday season.
It's something of a dream year for the youngest member of the Anastopoulo family that sent all four children to college on tennis scholarships -- older sister Patty played for the College of Charleston, middle brother Akim played at the University of Louisville before becoming a prominent attorney in Charleston, oldest brother Arthur was a tennis All-American at South Carolina, and Angelo played at The Citadel.
"I am real thrilled," Angelo said about the SCTA coaching award that he will receive Dec. 6 at the state association's annual Hall of Fame Banquet at Hilton Head Island. "More than anything, it was a combination of the great success we had last year and our continued academic success."
The Academic All-American Team recognition is the longest streak in the country. The women posted a combined 3.48 GPA last year in addition to performing community service with the Habitat for Humanity in constructing a house on Meeting Street, working with the inner-city Courting Kids tennis program and serving as a session host for Leslie Allen's Win4Life children's program.
Beginning his 13th year at the College of Charleston, Anastopoulo owns a 214-80 women's record. Last season's women's team finished 22-4, losing to seventh-ranked North Carolina in the NCAA playoffs. Prior to giving up coaching the men's team three years ago to become director of tennis, his men's coaching record was 172-79.
But Anastopoulo, 36, is most proud of the new tennis complex that will replace the on-campus courts just off Meeting Street. The facility will have nine lighted courts and a 3,000-square-foot clubhouse, as well as a two-tiered terrace that overlooks the tennis courts on both sides. It will have a computerized scoreboard for all nine courts, allowing the players to input the scores on changeovers.
"We're going to have rocking chairs instead of bleachers," Anastopoulo proclaimed. "It's called 'Help Rock The Cougars.' You can sponsor a chair for $149.99, and we're looking to put about a hundred chairs out there. You can put your name on it for the life of the chair.
"We want to make it as comfortable as possible for people to come to our matches and stay for the entire match."
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