Beginning his fourth season as men's and women's tennis coach, Brian Etzkin has totally changed the attitude at Cleveland State. His work ethic and energy that he brings to the table everyday is evident in his players and their commitment to him.
In 2004-05, Etzkin guided the women's team to the most wins in school history and a 14-12 record. It was the first winning season for the program since 1983-84. Etzkin took both programs to new heights in 2004. He led the women's team to a 10-17 record, the highest win total in 20 years. For his efforts, he was named Horizon League Women's Coach of the Year. He also coached the men's team to a 13-11 record, their first winning season since the 1989 season, and a third-place showing in the Horizon League Tournament.
Etzkin has had success coaching individual players, guiding one Viking to conference player of the year honors and two to newcomer of the year. Sarah Galon was named Horizon League Player of the Year following last season, as well as a trip to the All-Horizon League first team. As for the league's top necomer award, Jay Tee picked up the award in Etzkin's first season, while Galon was named the top newcomer in 2004. In addition, three Vikings have received multiple all-league honors, with Galon earning first-team honors and Eric Winn and Tee getting the second-team nod. Galon and Eric Winn earned first-team honors and Tee was named to the second team in 2004. Winn and Tee both earned second-team all-league honors in 2003.
In his first season at CSU, Etzkin led the men's team to nine wins, up from two the year before. The women's team, hampered by a lack of numbers, played solid tennis down the stretch, but finished with just two wins.
Etzkin, who was born in Cleveland and grew up in nearby Wooster, Ohio, returns to Northeastern Ohio after a two-year stint as assistant men's tennis coach at Michigan State, where he helped the Spartans to a 21-30 mark, including a 14-12 record during his second season. At Michigan State, Etzkin assisted in every area of the program, including serving as recruiting coordinator. He also was the Assistant Tennis Professional at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility along with being the Head Tennis Pro at Walnut Hills Country Club. Prior to his time working with the Spartans, Etzkin spent two seasons as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's teams at Western Illinois (1998-00). In addition to his collegiate coaching duties, Etzkin coached the 2002 Midwest Junior Davis Cup team to the national championship in Columbia, S.C. He is also a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Certified Teaching Pro.
As a student-athlete at Southern Illinois-Carbondale, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology in 1998, Etzkin was named a GTE Academic All-American as a senior in 1998, and was a two-time Academic All-Missouri Valley Conference selection. He carries that same dedication to academics into the coaching ranks, as two members of the Viking men's team, Paul Haley and Eric Winn, were named ITA Scholar-Athletes following the 2003-04 season. In addition, Winn and Shawn Whitehouse were named ITA Scholar-Athletes following the 2002-03 season.
