Mike Gennette

Head Coach

Mike Gennette recently completed his 18th season as Head Coach of the CLU men's tennis program.

The most recent recipient of United States Professional Tennis Association's California College Coach of the Year Award - an open-division honor that was bestowed upon Peter Smith, head men's tennis coach at USC last year - Gennette also serves as the Regional Vice President for the USPTA.

Gennette coach Andrew Giuffrida who earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-America status in each of his three years at Cal Lutheran. The Kingsmen reached the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and have been nationally ranked as high as No. 3 over the past three years.

A USPTA board member for the last six years, Gennette also organizes and presents one of the most well-attended seminars at the annual high school coaches convention.

Gennette played four seasons (1987-89, 1991) for the Kingsmen before becoming an assistant coach in 1992. He was a four-year starter for the Kingsmen and was an NAIA All-District 3 selection in singles and doubles his last three seasons. As a sophomore, he won the Golden State Athletic Conference doubles title with Chris Groff. He was ranked in the top-20 in NAIA singles and doubles. He was also ranked in the top-10 of the men’s open for Southern California and played on the USTA Pro Satellite Tour.

During his tenure at CLU, Gennette has coached Kingsmen players to nine NCAA All-American honors, led by the 1996 NCAA singles champion Mark Ellis and the 1997 NCAA doubles champions Ellis and Jenia “Eugene” Karimov. He has also coached five SCIAC Players of the Year.

Gennette is a certified USPTA pro 1 and certified by the USTA in Sport Science. He is one of the few coaches in the nation who is certified by the USTA as a High Performance Coach. He is also the USPTA District 1 President, is on the USPTA California Board of Directors and serves as the California Director of Tennis Across America.

In 2007 he was named the USPTA’s California Tennis Director/Manager of the Year. Also, in 2007 he was named by the USTA to coach the Southern California junior zonals team in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 2005, Gennette was named the USTA/ITA National Community Service Award winner for helping to promote tennis in his community. More than 2,000 college coaches were eligible for the award.

Gennette runs summer tennis camps at Cal Lutheran. He also owns Total Tennis Academy which manages the tennis programs in the five surrounding cities and park districts.

A lifelong resident of the Conejo Valley, Gennette, his wife Dyan, and daughters Allison 12, and Cate 7, make their home in Newbury Park.