Manny has been the UIS Men's Tennis Coach for more than 20 years. A fomer professional player, played at the U.S. Open, led the UIS team to the national tournament 7 times.

Coach Velasco enters his 21st season at UIS and his 38th year in the sport with a tradition of winning tennis. In 1994, Velasco was named the NAIA Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year.

In 1997, Velasco's squad finished the regular season with a 17-3 record going into the NAIA Great Lakes Regional Tournament. Under Velasco, UIS has dominated the District 20 and Great Lakes Regional courts for more than 10 years.