Coach Profiles: Mr. Fagan

Oct 24

Oct 24 Coach Profiles: Mr. Fagan

All photos submitted by Mr. Fagan.

Addie Hess

Mr. Fagan, an Advanced Algebra and Geometry teacher at Hamilton for the past four years, is the Varsity Head Tennis Coach for both boys and girls. He started playing tennis his sophomore year of high school at Hartford Union and the rest is history. Outside of tennis, Mr. Fagan bowls in several leagues, hikes, and spends time off with friends and family.

Many players had great things to say about Coach Fagan, such as junior player Ishani Shastri, who mentioned, “Mr. Fagan is incredibly nice and never fails to have a positive attitude, which really motivates the team. He genuinely cares about our growth, and his dedication and support creates a great team atmosphere. We appreciate everything he does for Hamilton Tennis, and we’re lucky to have him as a coach!”

Senior Natalie Gehrke stated, “Coach Fagan moved up to coaching varsity this past year and has done his best to make the transition as smooth as possible. He’s always asking us for our opinions on things to practice and takes them into account. He’s always listening to what we have to say and never ignores our opinions. This was a great season for us with the help of Fagan.”

Senior Raj Ramathan, said, “Mr. Fagan is a great coach and an even better person. He always makes my day better with his motivational quotes, and no matter what happens he is a big supporter.”

Nicole Moore, a senior here at HHS shared, “Fagan was able to coach us on the court in a very sincere way that showed that he really cared about our success and the sport itself. He was always dedicated no matter how we were doing or when it was.”

Read more to hear from Mr. Fagan!

Tell us more about some of your tennis accomplishments!

I started playing tennis my sophomore year of high school. I didn't know anything about tennis prior to that. I was a baseball player growing up, but I moved onto tennis after my freshman year. I made it to varsity my Junior, a year after I started playing tennis. I finished 2nd in sectionals my senior year as the 4-singles player. I am not nearly as accomplished as the players that I currently coach!

Who is your favorite pro tennis player and why?

Roger Federer. He's retired, but his game is so smooth. He makes everything look insanely easy. My favorite current player is Coco Gauff. She's a lot of fun to watch, plus she's the best American player right now!

How long have you been the Hamilton tennis coach?

I've been a coach all four years, but just became the varsity coach one year ago.

What is your favorite part of coaching tennis?

I love coaching for a couple reasons. Now that I coach varsity, I get to watch some really good tennis each day. The players that I coach are much better than I ever was. Plus, we play in a difficult conference, so the competition level is high. I get to watch really good players play. Each player on the boys and girls teams are really coachable and are fun to be around. It doesn't feel like a job when I'm there. Plus, you get to see the growth from start to finish, and that feels rewarding.

What are the biggest challenges to coaching?

Coaching players that are way better than I ever was. Some players know more about the sport than I do, so I learn more from them. I feel pressure trying to help make them better.

What is your coaching style?

Because I don't know the most about tennis on the team, I balance my ideas with theirs. During practice, I just focus on keeping everyone moving and hitting. I've gotten a bunch of my drills from them. During a match, I mostly do a lot of talking. I try to talk through a game plan beforehand. Sometimes, I have the plan, sometimes, they have the plan. I spend most of the time during the match encouraging them, keeping their mindset positive, and sticking with that game plan.

What are/were your goals this year for the teams?

My goal each season is to field a very competitive team, but also be aware that this is a sport we really love and we should have fun getting better together. I want them to be challenged with our schedule each season and I want to get as many individuals to state as possible, preferably, the seniors.

What is your favorite, all-time best coaching memory so far?

I really enjoyed my first time going to state last year. Taking everyone to Madison. Staying in Madison. Also, state tennis is played at the Nielson Center on the UW Madison campus. It's an arena dedicated to tennis. It's insane. It's a cool place to be and an honor to be coaching at.

Do you play or coach other sports?

I don't coach anything else, but I still bowl most of the winter months. I bowled in high school and I am still way better at bowling than I am at tennis.

Other than tennis, who’s another athlete you admire and why?

Giannis. Not only for how amazing he is at basketball, but his life journey, and his humility.