Image by Cindy Wu

McNeil welcomes Jay Krishnan to his first year coaching tennis.

Especially among sports teams, each school year brings hope and determination for new records and achievements. Last year, head tennis coach Mandy Murphy stepped down from  her coaching position, making room for second-year teacher and experienced coach Jay Krishnan along with assistant coach Roger Grass. Players look forward to new records and a new learning experience with a different team. Krishnan was hired to teach Chemistry and IPC (Integrated Physics and Chemistry) and quickly won the approval of many students.

“I liked him as my teacher because he helped me learn a lot of stuff and made me understand it,” junior Jalen McCou said. “He seemed like a more relaxed person. [I] even thought he was  funny.”

Krishnan graduated from the University of Michigan with a biology degree. While he did not always want to be a teacher, he knew he enjoyed tennis and being around young learners.
“I always tutored and taught tennis,” Krishnan said. “When I realized I did not want to be a doctor (in college),  I knew I wanted to be around kids.”

So much so that, in his second year here at McNeil, he was asked to step into the role of head tennis coach.
“I have played since I was 8,” Krishnan said. “It is a game of class; a gentleman’s game.”
While sports may be fun and games with friends, it is also composed of teamwork, effort and rules.

“The number one rule is not winning or losing; it is sportsmanship.” Krishnan said. “Academics come first. Tennis is great, tennis is fun, and there is much to be learned, but only after school.”
Also taking on new experiences is new full time Geometry teacher and assistant coach, Roger Grass. Together, the coaches are here to help students learn, to be a successful team, to aid tennis players in order to find the natural beauty in the sport.

“The exciting part is the students,” Grass said. “They’ve been helpful in the transition of new coaches, and I look forward to the team’s success.”

Having worked with one another in the classroom, it was an easy transition for both Grass and Krishnan to go from teaching to coaching duties on the court. Although Grass had never had experience being an official coach, he has played for more than 30 years and has worked in the classroom for years prior to this new position.

“(Mr. Grass) is an amazing person and is way more organized than I am,” Krishnan said. “The team would exist (without Grass) but would never even make a single match without the really important stuff needed in a public school classroom. They might have played but never competed.”