Brandon Lupian, City College men’s tennis coach, is a man on a mission to find players for this season’s tennis team and is stopping at nothing to bring success to a team that has had a shaky few years to say the least.

“When I look at the last few years I see that we have definitely had a strong team collectively, but we either have a strong one and two position strength, or a three through six position strength,” Lupian said. “The trick is to have a strong team across the board. The number one agenda for this year will be how the players progress socially, psychologically and physically. We live in a very result-driven society. What matters to me are those things that make up a player, things that are unseen, not necessarily who wins or loses.”

The way the tennis team works is they have six players who make up the team. They are placed 1-6 in order of strength. Those six will play a singles match and then they pair off into three doubles teams and play doubles.

“We do have a good start for the upcoming spring season, but we are always looking for new players. The tough thing here at City College is finding players that can commit to the schedule. I am currently recruiting and will be up until we start next semester,” Lupian said. “There are many perks to being on the team. We offer great camaraderie, equipment and uniforms. There is also the opportunity to travel. Last year we went to Arizona and Ojai as a team and we are doing that this year as well. All expenses are paid for and it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and compete.”

Lupian comes to City College after starting the tennis program at Otay Ranch High School and after being an assistant coach at Southwestern College for two years. He has been the coach here at City College for the last three seasons.

“I am really looking forward to this upcoming season. We have a lot to look forward to. New uniforms, hats, fund-raisers and our trips to Arizona and Ojai-it should be a great season,” Lupian said.

This year was the first year for the City College tennis team fund-raiser, sponsored by the San Diego City College Athletics and Barefoot Fitness www.barefootfts.com. They plan on making the fund-raiser an annual event. This year, $500 was raised for the tennis teams, and players got the chance to play with the many alumni who made it back to City College to lend a hand.

If anyone is interested in becoming a part of the City College tennis team, please contact Coach Brandon Lupian at 619-252-9455 or email him at [email protected]. Spring season starts Jan. 26.