“Hugh has such a tremendous legacy at Cal Poly,” first-year head coach Damon Coupe said. “Even though he retired as head coach, he definitely wanted to stay on as part of the program. I’m thrilled to have him as our volunteer coach. He know the players so well and with him, we have a very strong coaching staff.”
Bream’s final 2011 spring campaign with Cal Poly produced, arguably, the program’s finest season to date at the Division I level. Powered by a program-record nine-match winning streak between Feb. 20 and April 2, Cal Poly reached as high as No. 36 in the Campbell’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings (marking the ninth-successive year the Mustangs had earned a national ranking). En route to earning a spot in the NCAA Championships, seven of Cal Poly’s 16 victories came against ranked opposition. Cal Poly also set a program record with seven Big West victories to claim the program’s first share of the conference regular season title.
In rising as high as No. 52 in the ITA rankings, the 2010 Mustangs posted a 16-7 dual record and the program’s 6-2 finish in Big West play produced a second-place showing in the conference standings. Individually, the doubles tandem of Brittany Blalock and current Mustang assistant coach Suzie Matzenauer teamed to post a 17-3 mark and earn a spot in the NCAA Individual Championships. Blalock, the only four-time All-Big West singles first team selection in program history, also teamed with Steffi Wong in 2008 to reach the NCAA Individual Championships.
Bream’s 2003 Mustang squad established a new level of excellence for the program. Cal Poly won a program-record 20 dual matches, earned its first national ranking and, as the top-seeded team at the Big West Championships, defeated Long Beach State to earn the program’s first NCAA Championships berth. Bream earned Big West Coach of the Year praise for his efforts.
Under Bream’s tutelage, Cal Poly players earned 52 All-Big West honors, including 11 first team singles awards and 15 first team doubles recognitions. During Bream’s final six seasons with the Mustang women’s team, Cal Poly finished in the bottom half of the Big West standings just once.
Previously, Bream – who owns a 377-182 record at the collegiate level – coached the Cal Poly men’s team (1980-88), where he directed the program to the 1986 NCAA Division II national championship, and San Diego State (1988-93), which posted four-successive top-25 rankings under his watch.
A former coach on both the ATP and WTA circuits, Bream has worked with, among other professionals, Jared Palmer and Ginger Helgeson. Palmer reached the world No. 1 men’s doubles rank in 2000 and Helgeson progressed to a high of No. 28 in women’s singles play.
Between 1986-88, Bream also directed the United States U-16 Boys National Team, a side that included Palmer and future standouts Michael Chang and Jim Courier.
Bream earned his undergraduate degree from Cal Poly in 1980 before completing a master’s in physical education in 1982. Prior to transferring to Cal Poly for the 1977-78 season, Bream played No. 1 singles and doubles at Pima Community College (Tucson, Ariz.), helping the program reach a high of No. 7 in the NJCAA ITA rankings.
Still a competitive player, Bream has ascended as high as No. 5 in southern California and No. 35 nationally in men’s 40-plus competitions.
A certified member of the United States Tennis Association’s High Performance Coaching Staff, Bream continues to develop top junior talent. Recent protégées include North Carolina senior and 2007 ITA South Rookie of the Year Stefan Hardy and Cal Poly sophomore and 2009 Big West Freshman of the Year Andre Dome.
