Oct. 18, 2011
By Chardonnai Johnson, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - There's something different about room 204 in the East Area Locker Room Building, and it's not the pile of boxes stacked in the corner. It's not the paintings resting against the wall waiting to be hung up. It's not even the unopened paint cans, set of brushes, and miniature box frame filled with tiny tennis rackets and a trophy.
It's the new face in the office, the newly appointed men's tennis coach, Jeff Zinn.
When Zinn first heard the news of his new job at Penn State, he was absolutely thrilled.
"It was great," Zinn said with a smile. "I felt happy, not to overuse Happy Valley, excited. Coming to a Big Ten school, a large state university, I think I felt all of those things at once."
Zinn was excited not only about coming to a new place and coaching at a Big Ten school; he said that the move was good family-wise too.
"I have two daughters," Zinn said. "They were excited that I got the job because they live in New York City and it's a lot closer to visit them. So that was like elation in this family."
Before joining the Penn State community, Zinn spent 15 years as a coach at Wake Forest. During his time there, he turned the Demon Deacon tennis team from a top-75 team to a top-25 team and led the squad to 12 NCAA appearances.
He has only been living in State College for about six weeks and is still adjusting to the move he said. He had no concerns when coming here, now he's just looking for a place.
"I'm living in a hotel right now," he said laughing at himself. "But it's nice. I mean you get free breakfast and dinners at night, lobby service, all that stuff is good. You get used to it, you get spoiled."
While there were no general concerns about the move, Zinn said there was a bit of worry on how the players would respond to him.
"I think there was apprehension when I first came in," said Zinn. "Obviously I don't know any of the players, I mean I knew a few from the recruiting process, but I was apprehensive about how they would take my approach, my system. Luckily it has turned out great. They've embraced me. I've embraced them."
Zinn feels like the team and he have already established a good working relationship. He thinks very highly of the team and is confident that they've all adjusted.
"They're a good group of young men," Zinn said. "They work hard. They listen. They want to get better and that's my job."
Zinn discovered his passion for tennis at the age of nine. He said it was something that he would never forget.
"I remember my parents taking me to a public tennis court with these metal nets," he said. "I remember it was all torn up and I was 9 years old and I just loved it. I loved hitting the ball, loved just everything about it right off the bat. I just loved it."
It wasn't until years later when Zinn was running a tennis facility that he first got into coaching the sport.
"I was director of the tennis facility at the time and I just wanted a little bit more," said Zinn. "I just missed that sort of competition from my college days. I missed that feel."
Zinn started his coaching career at a Division II program in Northern Kentucky University. The job was on a part time basis and he was the head coach.
The key to a successful team is a good assistant coach said Zinn especially his assistant coach, Chris Cagle, who also came from Wake Forest University.
"I think it's important that you have an assistant coach that you can sort of bounce ideas off," said Zinn. "And luckily I have one of the best assistant coaches in the country in my estimation."
When it comes to a coaching style, Zinn said that it's a term that is sometimes overused. He said it's all about relationships with your players and recognizing that the sport is individual even though there is a team.
"In tennis you have 10 different personalities," said Zinn. "You have to have a relationship with each of your players to get the most out of them because they are different. It's a different sport, a different mentality."
Coach Zinn credits his ability to deal with all the different personalities to his psychology degree earned at the University of Cincinnati in 1984.
"I think what helps me a lot is my psychology degree," he said. "It has helped me many, many times in dealing with different personalities and molding a team concept out of a lot of different individuals."
Psychology also comes in handy when on the sidelines during a match. Control of your emotions is the most important thing to keep in mind, he said.
"You have to control your sideline demeanor," said Zinn. "Always keep that calm façade so your players don't get nervous or animated because you are. That's one of the secrets or the keys to coaching."
Zinn has been in Happy Valley for nearly two months now, a transition of the largest amount and one that he welcomes with open arms for what it has done for him.
"It's transition, but everyone has to have something that rekindles something in them," said Zinn. "That's what Penn State has done for me."