MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine men’s tennis team added Brazilian Marcelo Ferreira to its coaching staff, head coach Adam Steinberg announced today. Ferreira will serve as the Waves’ associate head coach.

 

Ferreira spent five seasons at Texas Tech as an assistant coach before being promoted to the role of associate head coach during the 2012-13 season.

 

“I am so excited to have Marcelo join the team,” said Steinberg, starting his 12th season at the helm this fall. “We really hit a homerun adding him to our staff, and I know he will make a tremendous impact on our program right away.  Marcelo is a great coach, but an even better person. He’s just a great fit for Pepperdine.”

 

"I feel extremely honored to become part of the Pepperdine family,” commented Ferreira after his hiring. “The men's tennis program here is so well respected and it has accomplished so much over the years. I cannot wait to help Coach Steinberg further the success of it. The history of the program, the possibility of winning conference and national championships and the opportunity to work alongside some of the best tennis coaches in the country were key factors in my decision. I want to thank Coach Steinberg and Dr. Potts for trusting in my abilities and for giving me such an incredible opportunity."

 

Ferreira was twice named the ITA Texas Region Assistant Coach of the Year during his tenure with the Red Raiders, first in 2010 and again in 2012. Texas Tech went 103-54 (.656) with Ferreira on the coaching staff, and made five-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2008-12.  In his six years on the sidelines – by far the most successful six-year span in program history – the team finished ranked in the ITA top-25 an unprecedented four times.

 

He helped recruit and develop perhaps two of the finest tennis players ever to come through Texas Tech – Raony Carvalho and Gonzalo Escobar. To date, Carvalho and Escobar are the program’s only ITA All-Americans.

 

After graduating from Georgia College & State University in 2006, Ferreira remained in Milledgeville, Ga. for a year to serve as the assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s tennis programs.

 

Ferreira got his coaching start in 1998 at the Mauro Menezes Tennis Academy in São Paulo, Brazil. His expertise was also lent to the Alphaville Tennis Club.

 

After moving to the United States, Ferreira founded 2SV Sports Management, a company that organizes events and tournaments for foreign prospective tennis players. Not soon after, he became the director at Future Stars Tennis Camp in South Hampton, N.Y.

 

Ferreira graduated from GCSU in 2006 with a physical education degree. He was a three-year letterwinner on the tennis team and earned Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll status every season. He later went on to earn his master’s degree in education, with a focus on human performance and sports management, from Texas Tech.