Q&A with Billy Martin, UCLA men’s tennis coach

Every UCLA student knows the legends of the men’s tennis program even if they don’t think they do.

Arthur Ashe, Bill Ackerman, J.D. Morgan. They’ve become household names in Westwood and beyond. Maybe one day, undergraduates will be strolling to class along Billy Martin Walk.

For the last decade and a half, coach Billy Martin has been the face of the Bruins. This weekend at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, his team will host the first two rounds of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, an event Martin knows quite a bit about.

As a coach, this will be his 17th straight trip. He has never failed to make at least the quarterfinal round in a run that also includes three finals appearances and the 2005 national championship.

Back in 1975, as one of the best American juniors to ever play the game, Martin led the Bruins to the team title and won the individual draw as well.

On Saturday, Martin’s No. 9 Bruins will face Sacramento State with the hopes of facing either California or UC Irvine the following day. The winner of that match will then join 15 other teams traveling to Athens, Ga., to crown this year’s champ.

The Daily Bruin’s Eli Smukler sat down with Martin earlier this week to discuss the team’s draw, its most surprising win of the season, and the value of such a long track record.

Daily Bruin: UCLA has always hosted the NCAA Regionals during your tenure, but it was a closer call this year. What does it mean that you get to start the tournament at home?

Billy Martin: For the first time ever, I felt I really needed to tell the guys to be mentally prepared to go on the road for the Regionals. I didn’t want us to be caught off guard when we were watching (the Selection Show).

I think it really is a big advantage to be at home, but quite honestly when it comes down to it, we still have to play well. We’re still going to have to beat two good teams. Sacramento State has an unbelievably good No. 1, who’s undefeated at No. 1 singles. We’ve had some weaker teams in the past for the Regionals but this is definitely a legitimate team. And we’ve had two good battles with (California), so we have to be ready for them too.

DB: Does it scare you at all to see a Pac-10 opponent in your own Regional?

BM: I really wasn’t expecting it. I’m not fearful, but we have to respect that team. I know if we go into it with an “Oh, we’ve beaten them twice” attitude, we’re going to get our asses kicked. But if we go into it prepared saying, “Nobody is going to keep us from our goal of getting to Athens and winning a national championship,” then I think we’re OK.

DB: I know this is jumping ahead a little bit, but what was your reaction to seeing a possible rematch with Stanford in the Round of 16?

BM: It was totally expected. I knew we were going to play either (No. 7) Baylor or (No. 8) Stanford. Baylor beat both Stanford and ourselves at our places, so with a good conscience I couldn’t say that we deserved to be ahead of them.

I think it takes the mystery out of it though. I would prefer an opponent we’ve played before, from a coaching and a playing standpoint.

DB: After getting blown out by USC twice this year, your team ended the regular season with a huge upset victory over the then-No. 4 Trojans on their home court. What was the mood like in the locker room after that win?

BM: I’d say ecstatic. Going into it, I wasn’t overly optimistic, quite honestly. They’d given us a couple good thumpings earlier. I think they’re probably one of a few teams with a good chance to win this whole thing.

I don’t think anybody was expecting us to win that match, but just remember they still have to earn it. They had a fair amount of pressure on their hands and I’ve been on that other side, so I just told our guys to be real loose and be as competitive as anything, and let’s see what happens. I think they did a fantastic job at that.

DB: Freshman Max Tabatruong scored possibly the team’s biggest win of the season by defeating USC senior Jason McNaughton to give UCLA the 4-3 dual match victory. How did he pull that off?

BM: (Max) really rose to the occasion. I felt the ‘SC senior, for some reason, didn’t really feel good about being in that position, which is surprising. You never know how it’s going to go until you get into that spot. I’ve seen seniors buckle. I’ve seen freshmen buckle. It’s kind of hit-or-miss when all eyes are turned to that particular match, and it’s not just for you but for your whole team. And that’s such a pride thing with ‘SC-UCLA. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

DB: Has that match changed Max’s outlook on the upcoming tournament?

BM: Absolutely. I think we know what he’s capable of. It’s just a matter of how he handles it. Hopefully, this season has matured him. He was very nervous at the beginning of the year, but he’s really calmed down a lot on the court. I don’t think he feels that he has to impress us or earn his spot. I think that ‘SC match will really help him. To be in that sort of a big match, with those circumstances, to come through I think would give anybody some confidence.

DB: Junior Nick Meister went 14-5 overall in singles, with a 6-2 record at the No. 1 spot, as well as earning Pac-10 first team honors. Was he UCLA’s regular season MVP?

BM: Well, I hadn’t given it a lot of thought, but listening to that, it’s hard to imagine someone with better statistics. But even more so, he’s without a doubt the most improved. When you think last year at this time, he was playing (No.) 6. It’s just a testament to what a hard worker he is. He’s a good person to look at as a freshman who we weren’t even sure was going to play at all to playing (No.) 6 and moving his way up to (No.) 1.

DB: This will be your 17th straight time coaching in the NCAAs. What lessons has that experience taught you about how to approach this tournament?

BM: Do I know some things that a newer coach might not about what it’s like to be there at the last site? Yes, but every year is a little different.

I think it helps to have players that have been there before. That’s probably more important than my experience. I don’t get to play anymore, thank God, but some of the things hopefully can help. There are so many good experienced coaches there, I don’t want to even pretend that I’m a lot better coach than some of these other guys because they might be better, and I might just be lucky to be at UCLA coaching all these great tennis players that love to come here.

DB: With the way the collegiate tennis season is structured, you are in some sense evaluated solely by how you finish in the NCAA Tournament. Does that fragility affect you anymore, and how do you prepare the players for the possibility that a single match might end the team’s entire season?

BM: We talk about that from day one. You have to put yourself up for huge disappointment. That’s what sports is, in my opinion. Hopefully you’re busting your chops, trying to do everything you can to reach an ultimate goal but putting yourself up for ultimate disaster emotionally.

I think I had a tough time at first with that disappointment. It would take me sometimes a month or so after the NCAAs to not feel so doggone down, but now I think I bounce back and take it in stride. As much as you want to win the NCAAs and that’s your ultimate goal, you have to feel good about the things that built up to it.

We didn’t win the Pac-10 this year, so we don’t have that to say we did, which we’ve had for quite a few years leading up to this. We’ve had more losses this year than we’ve had in many, but I think we have to be realistic. Now, for the first time in awhile I think we’re as healthy as we’ve been and can go into this tournament feeling pretty good about our chances. I do think we have a chance and that’s what I told our guys: All you want is a chance to be able to do it. I think other teams will respect us and know that they’re going to have a battle.

E-mail Smukler at [email protected].