Nearly three weeks after men’s tennis head coach Tony Bresky abruptly resigned to accept the top job at Wake Forest, Athletics Director Andy Noel comfirmed that Silviu Tanasoiu was hired for the position. Tanasoiu has served as an assistant coach at Oklahoma, his alma mater, since 2006. He was a three-year letter winner there during his playing days.
“A number of head coaches at Top-10 schools in the NCAA mentioned that he was certainly among the top assistant coaches in the nation, if not the most impressive,” Noel said of his decision to hire Tanasoiu.
The 30-year-old officially accepted the position on Thursday afternoon, at which point Noel informed the players of his decision.
Noel offered Tanasoiu the job on Tuesday night after the conclusion of a search process in which players had the opportunity to meet with the former Oklahoma assistant and another finalist during their on campus interviews.
While this is not a common practice, Noel said he believed it was appropriate to involve the student-athletes given the timing of Bresky’s resignation.
Tanasoiu was twice named the ITA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year during his tenure on the sidelines with the Sooners, where he worked under head coach John Roddick — the older brother of U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick — since 2009. The elder Roddick called his former assistant “a tireless worker and tremendous recruiter.”
Noel said he was most impressed with Tanasoiu’s tennis philosophy, adding that he possesses that “special ingredient” necessary to guide the program for the foreseeable future.
Tanasoiu will remain with Oklahoma for its matches this weekend before joining the Red for the Northeast Regionals.
Original Author: Dani Abada