2005-06 Men's Tennis
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2005-06 MEN’S TENNIS QUICK FACTS TABLE OF CONTENTS The University 2005-06 Outlook . 2 Location. Philadelphia, Pa. 19131 Head Coach. 3 Founded . 1851 Assistant Coaches. 4 Enrollment . 4,250 Denomination . Roman Catholic (Jesuit) 2005-06 Roster . 5 Nickname . Hawks Finnesey Courts . 6 Colors . Crimson and Gray The Hawk. 6 Athletic Affiliation. NCAA Division I Hawk Profiles . 7-8 Conference . Atlantic 10 Home Court . Finnesey Courts Year In Review . 9 The Team 2004-05 Statistics . 10 Head Coach . Al Laveson Atlantic 10 Conference . 11 Tennis Office . 610-660-3368 Record Book . 12-13 Career Record/Years . 283-321/41 years Record at SJU/Years . Same All-Time Roster. 14 Assistant Coach . Gene Miller All-Time Results . 15-16 . Francisco Velazquez Administration. 17-18 Letterwinners Returning/Lost . 4/5 Support Staff. 19 Starters Returning/Lost. 4/2 2005 Overall Record . 8-8 Saint Joseph’s University . 20 2005 Atlantic 10 Finish . 6th Athletic Communications Asst. A.D./Communications . Marie Wozniak WWW.SJUHAWKS.COM Assoc. Dir. of Athletic Communications . Phil Denne Asst. Dir. of Athletic Communications . Jack Jumper SAINT JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITY Athletic Communications Assistant . Amber Tyson ATHLETICS MISSION STATEMENT Men’s Tennis Contact . Phil Denne E-mail . [email protected] The Mission of the Athletics Department at Saint Joseph’s University Athletic Communications Phone. 610-660-1738 reflects the Mission of the University by using the programs within Athletic Communications Fax . 610-660-1724 Athletics as a way to develop the whole person and preparing men and Saint Joseph’s University women for others. President. Timothy R. Lannon, S.J. Vice President for Student Life. Dr. Linda Lelii • To educate the whole person by complementing the academic Assoc. Vice Pres./Athletic Director . Don DiJulia experience with athletic and recreational programs and activities Asst. Vice Pres./Athletic Business Affairs . Jim Brown outside the classroom. Assoc. AD/Facilities . Kevin Quinn • To create an environment for personal growth through openness, Assoc. AD/Varsity Programs . Ellen Ryan respect, and a concern for others. Assoc. AD/Marketing & Corporate Partnership . Tim Curran Asst. AD/Rec. & Intramurals . Dave Leach • To communicate the value of community and family through team Exec. Director of Athletic Development . Katie Shields work and sportsmanship. • To provide opportunities for students to learn self-discipline, CREDITS responsibility, decision-making, and attainment of goals. The 2005-06 Saint Joseph’s University Men’s Tennis Media Guide was • To provide opportunities for students to participate and compete designed by Phil Denne. It was written and edited by Phil Denne. Editorial in a first-class manner. assistance Jack Jumper, Amber Tyson and John Saeger. Photography by Laird Bindrim and Greg Carroccio. Printing by Saint Joseph’s University • To provide equitable opportunities for all students and staff, Press, Philadelphia, PA. The front cover features seniors Jimmy Holland and including women and minorities. Antonio Aniello. The back cover features seniors Chris Spencer and A.J. Garabedian. Special thanks to Al Laveson, Gene Miller, Francisco Ve l a z q u e z • To advance the University regionally and nationally through and the 2005-06 Hawk men’s tennis team. intercollegiate athletics. 2005-06 Men’s Tennis 1 SEASON OUTLOOK Despite the graduation of the two winningest players in program history, optimism surrounding the Saint Joseph’s men’s tennis team could not be higher. With a senior-laden core or returnees and arguably the pro- gram’s most celebrated collection of newcomers, the Hawks have hopes for an Atlantic 10 Conference title in 2005-06. The most successful class in program history, SJU’s senior quartet of Jimmy Holland, Antonio Aniello, A.J. Grabedian and Chris Spencer have helped to elevate the Hawk program among the East’s best. Possessing both talent and experience, they believe they have the ability to stake a claim to the Conference crown. An All-Conference choice as a sophomore in 2004, Holland battled through an injury plagued junior season. Still one of the East’s most gifted players, he is poised to ascend to the #1 singles slot after holding down the #2 position for three straight years. Aniello, Garabedian and Spencer are also prepared to step up in the lineup. Extremely vesatile, Aniello took turns at #2 through #5 singles as a junior and paired with four different doubles partners, racking up wins wherever he played. Third in career victories at SJU, he could become the program’s all-time leader in wins before the spring season opens. Versatile senior Antonio Aniello is on pace to become the Look for him to team with Holland in doubles to give the all-time winningest player in program history. Crimson and Gray a formidable duo at #1. Garabedian has been a steady cog in the center of the excelling in doubles. Like his father, who was a Hawk SJU singles lineup thoughout his career, while also captain in the early 1970s, A.J. hopes to help SJU capture a Conference crown in his final time around the circuit. Spencer, the final senior, comes off a breakout junior season in which he was named team MVP after topping the squad with 17 victories. Playing at #5 singles, he set- tled in regaining the confidence and displaying the ability he flashed at various points early in his career. While the seniors will be the catalysts, a deep and tal- ented group of newcomers, that includes sophomore transfer Phil Garabedian, as well as freshmen Pat Adams, Phil Bayliss, Brian Costello, Fred Duncan and Brent Kahl, mean that no slot in the lineup is safe. The renewed com- petition should bring out the best in the team’s veterans, while allowing the first-year players to rapidly develop. With an experienced group of seniors setting the tone and perhaps the most talented group of newcomers in program history pressing for time the Hawks have high expectations for 2005-06. If the Crimson and Gray can stay healthy and the first-year players provide a boost an A-10 title is within reach for SJU. A healthy Jimmy Holland looks to regain the form that earned him All-Atlantic 10 honors as a sophomore in 2004. 2 Saint Joseph’s University HEAD COACH Al Laveson Head Coach Temple ‘53 - 42nd Season Hawk Hall of Famer Al Laveson, the dean of coaches at Saint Joseph’s University, is the win- ningest coach in the history of the school. The 1953 Temple grad has compiled a 445-492 record in 41 seasons with the men’s tennis team (283-321) and 24 seasons with the women (162-171). His coaching tenure at Saint Joseph’s is the longest in school history. The long-time coach has helped lead a resurgence for the men’s tennis team in the past three seasons. In 2002-03, the Hawks tied a school record with 15 wins and recorded a then best- ever showing at the Atlantic 10 Championships, placing fifth. The past two seasons, Laveson upgraded the schedule to include several nationally-ranked teams and SJU bettered its A-10 per- formance with a fourth place finish in 2004. Laveson, who was inducted into the Saint Joseph’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001, was the first Hawk mentor to reach 400 career wins with a men’s tennis victory over Towson in the fall of 2002. He became only the second Hawk coach LAVESON’S RESUME to reach the 300-win plateau in 1994, joining the legendary Bill Ferguson, who guided the Men’s Tennis Head Coach Saint Joseph’s 1965-2005 Hawk basketball team to 309 victories over 25 years. He became the winningest Hawk coach Women’s Tennis Head Coach one year later. Saint Joseph’s 1977-1990 Captain of the Temple tennis team as a Saint Joseph’s 1994-2005 collegiate player, Laveson has been a teach- ing professional for the United States LAVESON’S RECORD Professional Tennis Association for the past YEAR-BY-YEAR 39 years. He is also a past vice president of Year W L the organization. 1965 2 13 Laveson retired from his full-time teach- 1966 2 13 1967 1 9 ing position at Central High School in 1968 6 7 Philadelphia just before the 1994 season. Prior 1969 9 5 1970 14 2 to his arrival at Central in 1987, he taught for 33 1971 15 3 years at Penn Treaty Junior High School. 1972 10 3 Besides coaching at SJU, Laveson coached 1973 14 1 1974 10 2 the boys’ tennis team at Father Judge High for 1975 9 2 two years in the early 60s. He won City 1976 9 5 1977 8 4 Championships in badminton and tennis at 1978 8 0 Central, along with a gymnastics title while at 1979 9 5 Penn Treaty. Laveson also coached girls’ field 1980 8 4 1981 10 5 hockey at Central. 1982 9 4 Laveson, who resides in Philadelphia, is 1983 8 6 1984 7 6 the father of three sons, Bob, Dave, and Peter. 1985 3 6 The two eldest were both SJU tennis team 1986 2 12 captains under their father. 1987 1 7 1988 2 10 1989 6 5 1990 5 6 1991 5 9 1992 5 11 1993 5 8 1994 4 12 1995 5 14 ALL-TIME SJU COACHING RECORDS 1996 2 12 1996-97 4 15 1997-98 5 13 COACH SEASONS W L PCT. 1998-99 6 16 Mike Boland 1947 to 1955 58 40 .592 1999-00 8 10 2 0 0 0 - 0 1 6 1 9 George Graef 1957 to 1958 7 24 .226 2 0 0 1 - 0 2 8 1 3 Bill Leonard 1960 to 1964 19 43 .306 2 0 0 2 - 0 3 1 5 6 2 0 0 3 - 0 4 1 0 1 0 Al Laveson 1965 to present 283 321 .468 2 0 0 4 - 0 5 8 8 TOTALS 1947 to present 367 428 .461 To t a l s 2 8 3 3 2 1 2005-06 Men’s Tennis 3 ASSISTANT COACHES Gene Miller Francisco Velazquez Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Navy ’79 - Sixth Ye a r Saint Joseph’s ’05 - First Ye a r Gene Miller is entering his sixth year as Joining the Saint Joseph's coaching an assistant coach at Saint Joseph’s staff in 2005-06 is former Hawk standout University.