Tom Rees enters his second season with the University of Illinois Springfield men's & women's tennis programs.
In his first year, Rees saw the development of the GLVC Freshman of the Year Jane Carter who is the first UIS athlete to garner a major conference award. Under his leadership, the women won their first conference match in three seasons, while the men's team posted double digit wins with 11 victories. Faith Hook was named an ITA Scholar Athlete, while the men's team garnered the UIS academic award for best team GPA and earned ITA Team Academic Honors.
Rees was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) men's tennis Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year in his second season with University of North Georgia.
During his two-year stint with the Nighthawks, Rees led the men's team to the No. 23 rank in NCAA Division II and helped UNG earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. He developed the program's first-ever ITA All-American and All-Peach Belt Conference honorees. On the women's side, Rees helped the Nighthawks to program-best records in both 2013 & 2014.
He played three years of tennis for the Bulldogs at No. 3 to No. 6 singles and No. 1 through No. 3 doubles. He was a two-time Big South Conference All-Academic selection (2011, 2012) as well as an ITA Scholar Athlete. He was the No. 2 Flight Doubles Champion in 2012 and helped lead UNCA to its highest-ever regular-season finish of second in the Big South Conference in 2012 when he went 7-0 in conference doubles action.
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Prior to UNC Asheville, he played one season at Tusculum College where he played at No. 1 singles and doubles as a true freshman. That year, he helped the Pioneers finish runner-up in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
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During the summer of 2012, Rees played on the International Tennis Federation's professional circuit in Europe.
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A native of Worcestershire, England, Rees is a graduate of UNC Asheville where he majored in French with a business emphasis. He also has a master's degree in public administration from North Georgia.
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What they're saying about Coach Rees:
"I had the pleasure of working with Tom at the University of North Georgia for two years. His role at UNG supported his dream of becoming a head tennis coach. We are all so proud of Tom for what he accomplished with both teams. His highest honor was receiving the ITA southeast region assistant coach of the year award. UIS won't regret their decision bringing Tom on board, and we can't wait to see what he can accomplish. All of the North Georgia family would like to say good luck to Tom!"
- Kent Norsworthy, Head Tennis Coach at North Georgia
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"UIS has made a great hire in Tom Rees. I have never met anyone quite as passionate about college coaching as Tom. His intelligence, his personality and his work ethic are all such that he is going to be one of the top coaches in the college game in the not too distant future."
-Lise Gregory, Head Tennis Coach at UNC Asheville
