Taylor to Leave USTA, Join Virginia as Men's Assistant; Other College News; Clay Court Recaps at Tennis Recruiting Network

Dustin Taylor, who early in 2013 became the USTA's National Coach for Collegiate Tennis, will be leaving that position to join the Virginia men's program as assistant coach beginning on September 1st.  Andres Pedroso, who was Brian Boland's assistant for five (correction: four) years, is returning to South Florida, where he grew up, and will be doing private coaching there.

Taylor, who has been with the USTA since 2010, as professional players before accepting the new Collegiate Tennis position, told me his young family and the appeal of less travel led him to consider the possibility of coaching in college.

"I truly love what I do at the USTA and I believe in the road that they're going down, with working together and bringing the country together, and I hope I've exemplified that in my time with the USTA," said Taylor in a telephone conversation from his current coaching stop at the Lexington Challenger. "So this isn't a decision to leave the USTA; this was a decision to work with Brian and the University of Virginia. It's about another wonderful opportunity to learn and grow professionally and personally and learn from one of the best and most successful coaches there is at an institution that's as storied and famed athletically and academically as any in the world, really."

Taylor said he is advocating the USTA fill his position with Steven Amritraj, the former Duke star now working with young professionals, many of them former collegians, as a National Coach at the USTA's Carson Training Center. But whether the position is filled internally or from the outside, the announcement of Taylor's replacement is unlikely to be made in the next month.

Taylor will continue to travel with collegiate players through the US Open's qualifying and first week. The USTA National Collegiate Team, one of the centerpieces of Taylor's plan to enhance college tennis, will be named in mid-August, based on the WTA and ATP rankings of the eligible players. Clay Thompson and Marcos Giron of UCLA and Mitchell Frank of Virginia are three of the six men already on the team, with three spots available. Jamie Loeb and Danielle Collins, who did have wrist surgery and is expected to return to competition at the Landisville $25K in two weeks, are the two women who have earned their place on the team, with four more spots open.

It's been over a week since my last update on college coaching changes, so here's what's happened since that July 10th post.

The University of Memphis named its new head women's coach, with Hayden Perez, longtime women's assistant at the University of Nebraska, getting the job. Perez left Nebraska in 2013 to take the women's assistant coaching position at Texas Tech.

The Pepperdine men's head coaching position has been assumed by assistant Marcelo Ferreira.

Sander Koning has been named men's assistant at Indiana.

Former player Tanner Stump will return to Mississippi State as the assistant to new coach Matt Roberts.

Luc Godin has been hired as women's assistant at the University of Arkansas.

The University of Texas women's head coaching job has not yet been filled.

Paul Goldstein, who took over the Stanford men's head coaching job last month, received his first blue chip commitment, with Sameer Kumar announcing he will join the Cardinal in 2015.

The Tennis Recruiting Network has begun its recap of the USTA Clay Court Championships, with James Hill and Marcia Frost providing the first updates, on the Boys 12s and Girls 12s.