PEARLAND – Coming off a successful 2018-2019 campaign, the Shadow Creek Sharks Tennis team looks to make noise this upcoming season. At the helm of this growing program is third-year head coach Brett Bernstein, who has led the program since its inception in 2017. Bernstein boasts impressive credentials, garnering All-American honors as a player at Texas Pan-American and earning his coaching stripes during stints at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and Brigham Young University.
Only in its third-year of existence, the team has enjoyed success usually uncommon for a new program. Bernstein credits much of the team’s accomplishments to its “blue collar” approach, which has led to huge strides and improvements from season to season.
“We are not the most talented team out there, so we are going to have to work very hard to get the results we want.” – Head coach Brett Bernstein, Shadow Creek Tennis
This philosophy has allowed the program to develop all-around athletes, not just tennis players. “We get into the weight room and get out on the track as well as the tennis court, ” said Bernstein. “I think this gives us the confidence and the edge when we are in tough matches. Work in the weight room has led to increased mobility and movement for the players. This as allowed the team to be less injury prone.” According to Bernstein, his players do the extra work which separates them from other programs.
Not to be outdone by on the court performances, the Sharks have enjoyed achievements in the classroom as well. Many of the team members are involved in the Honor Society, various clubs, and UIL academics. For the past two years, the team’s overall GPA has led the campus and during the 2019 spring semester the team graduated 18 members with a 6.0 GPA or higher with two players in the top 20 of said graduating class. Though accolades in the classroom often comes at the expense of less time on the practice court, this is a price Bernstein is elated to pay. “We have a good number of players getting pulled in different directions which can make for hectic planning and scheduling, ” said Bernstein. “Academics comes first, I love being around a group of kids that are highly motivated and have totally bought into what we are all about here with the SCHS tennis program.”
Though clearly a team on the rise, navigating the young program has not been without its challenges. In a state where football is king, tennis can often be a small blip on the radar screen. Bernstein does not shy away from this reality and chooses to embrace it as an opportunity to promote his team and grow the sport. “Once people start coming out, seeing what we are all about and how hard the team works, they can’t help but become a fan of the sport, ” said Bernstein. “We have people that come out and don’t miss a home game here at SCHS.”
Moving forward, Bernstein sees nothing but positives for his program and the area tennis community as a whole. “The tennis interest is definitely growing in the Alvin/Pearland area, ” said Bernstein. “Last year’s incoming freshman and sophomore classes have been huge. ” Bernstein acknowledges that the Houston region for high school tennis is very tough, so the Sharks will have to continue working on developing players once they get into the program. “We are also getting ready to start an after school tennis program that will focus on developing elementary and middle school players before they transition into competitive high school. ”
Indeed, the future appears bright for the Shadow Creek Sharks tennis program.
Big win tonight over a tough Foster team 11-8! 2019 District Champs! Proud of these guys put a ton of effort in, super coachable and always ready to work hard. All they asked for was chic-fil-a !👍🐔@ShadowCreekHS @TexasTeamTenni1 @texashstennis @COPearland @PrenticeCJames pic.twitter.com/VdnrIbmzgU
— SCHS Tennis (@SCHSTennis1) October 2, 2019
Note: For more information regarding the Sharks tennis program, Coach Bernstein can be reached at Bbernstein@alvinisd.net
| Shadow Creek High School Tennis Highlights |
| 2017-2018 Season |
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2018-2019 Season
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2019-2020 Season
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Love hearing about a balanced student/athlete program. These kids and amazing and eager to succeed On the court and in the classroom. Congrats to Coach Bernstein for his leadership and enthusiasm for his kids.
I truly enjoyed covering this team and the brief time I spent with Coach Bernstein. Grateful that he gave me peak inside the program he is building. I definitely plan to following them as much as I can.