Piric's Bigger Impact
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – When Aljosa Piric accepted the head coach position for the University of Miami men’s tennis team, he combined the best of his two favorite worlds: Elite-level tennis and an opportunity to make a difference.
“I want to impact lives on the highest possible level where we are going to have the opportunity to compete for national titles and the University of Miami is it,” Piric said.
Prior to UM, the Bosnia and Herzegovina native left a trail of success during his five-year coaching campaign at Old Dominion University. In his final two seasons, Piric and the Monarchs posted an impressive 37-8 record. Piric was named the 2016 Atlantic Region Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year after he led the Monarchs to a season-high No. 28 ITA ranking.
He is familiar with the Atlantic Coast Conference after serving as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech for three seasons prior to taking the head coaching job at Old Dominion. During his stay in Atlanta, Piric helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the NCAA Sweet 16 and a No. 13 ranking in 2011.
In July, Piric hired assistant coach Petar Danolic to help him lead the Canes. Danolic has assistant coaching experience at his alma mater, Texas Tech University, and the University of Arizona. He helped both squads achieve top-25 rankings.
When it comes to enhancing the culture of the Miami men’s tennis team, Piric is confident in his coaching philosophy.
“I think it starts with myself and Petar showing and leading the way,” Piric said. “Our intensity and passion is going to show up every time we step on the court.”
That intensity and passion has set the bar high for his players. Piric believes building trust between his athletes and the coaching staff gives his players the best chance to meet, or exceed, those high standards. Piric can only push his athletes as much as the trust he has built with them. That type of trust is built off the court.
“I am looking forward to getting to know the guys on a personal level. That builds culture for the years to come,” Piric said.
Setting goals is vital to Piric. There are many to be set at the start of a new era but Piric demonstrates wisdom with his players, setting the pace one step at a time. Outcome and result goals are not in the forefront of Piric’s mind at the moment.
“My primary goal is to establish the right pillars for this program. That is goal number one,” Piric said. “You have to be able to walk before you can run.”
Long-term goals include competing for ACC titles. In such an elite conference, Piric is well aware that doing so also means competing for national titles. Although winning is important to Piric, it is not the sole reason why he is coaching the Canes. Piric’s primary reason for coaching at Miami extends far beyond the lines of the tennis court.
The reason I got into this profession is to impact people’s lives through the game of tennis.” Piric said.
That is Piric’s personal mission statement when it comes to his job. With the city of Miami being a mecca for the sport of tennis, Piric is eager to see how far his inspirational reach can extend. Coaching the elite and impacting the elite is exactly what Piric wants to do.
Piric’s selfless mentality gives him an incredible opportunity to be a tremendous coach for the Canes both on and off the court.
