Wurtzman played at Ohio State from 2002 to 2004, was an assistant coach at Ohio State from 2008 to 2009 and was an assistant head coach at Michigan from 2013 to 2014.
That’s why Wurtzman said it was an easy transition to become the new IU coach.
“It definitely makes it easier because there’s not much you have to learn about the different teams, schools and coaches,” Wurtzman said.
Wurtzman accepted IU’s offer to become a new coach Dec. 10, 2014, 19 days after Randy Bloemendaal was fired for violating department policies in addition to secondary NCAA rules violations.
That meant Wurtzman was coming into a program that had already completed its fall season, one month away from starting its dual season.
“I’m still going through the transition,” Wurtzman said. “Getting moved, saying goodbye to the team (at Michigan) midseason, moving the family and all the things that come about had to really be in quick mode because the season was going to be starting.”
Coaches often use the fall season to judge player development during the summer, begin to formulate a lineup and try to pair up doubles partners.
Wurtzman didn’t have any of these opportunities. While most coaches were busy doing that with their teams, he was trying to figure out how Michigan’s team might look for this year.
This could make for a difficult transition, players not totally buying into a new coach and a lost season. Wurtzman said he was determined not to let that happen.
“I think probably the next day (after I was hired) I got all the phone numbers and called each player personally and tried to get to know them,” he said.
A week later Wurtzman was in Bloomington to take the team out to dinner, trying to form synergy and trust with the team. He said it worked. He also said the team wants to win and learn how to get better.
Wurtzman is perhaps the perfect coach for a young college player looking to improve. As a senior at Ohio State, he won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Indoor Championships, the ITA Midwest Championships, was the No. 1 ranked player in the country and was eventually named co-national senior player of the year in 2004 by the ITA.
Wurtzman was also a three-time All-Big Ten member and an All-American during his senior season. He finished his collegiate career with a 132-45 record in singles and an 86-49 record in doubles.
During his three-year professional career, Wurtzman was ranked in the top 30 of American singles players, beating John Isner, currently ranked No. 18 in the world, in straight sets in 2005 in their only match.
In the end, though, Wurtzman said he knew he wanted to return to college tennis.
“I always had a great experience as a college player, and I loved the college environment and being part of a team in an individual sport,” Wurtzman said. “It was always something I wanted to do.”
Wurtzman had a role model for collegiate coaching success. His coach at Ohio State, Ty Tucker, has a 428-65 record since becoming the coach in 1999.
“I’ve been lucky enough and fortunate enough to have been around one of the best in the country and get to see what he did day in and day out,” Wurtzman said.
Tucker himself was a star at Ohio State and a two-time All-American, similar to Wurtzman when he was playing under Tucker.
Wurtzman said he hopes to impart the knowledge he gained through his playing experiences, both collegiate and professional.
During a match he said he can understand what his players might be feeling, what the opponent might be trying to do and how best to approach the situation.
But Wurtzman said the best thing he would contribute from his experiences would be the approach to the game and the mentality needed to succeed.
“I try to use my playing experience to talk about preparation and how hard work in practice, being disciplined to your tennis and your fitness, can contribute to having a successful collegiate career,” Wurtzman said.
Wurtzman will be imparting this knowledge upon a team that has lost one player from last season, Dimitrije Tasic, to graduation. Every other player is back, and two new freshmen have joined the team.
So far this season IU is 4-1, including a 2-0 weekend at the Kick Off Classic at Dartmouth. IU registered 4-3 wins over both No. 65 Cornell and No. 47 Dartmouth. IU’s one loss this season was a 4-3 defeat at No. 26 Vanderbilt.
IU started the spring season ranked No. 64 and has risen to No. 49 in the latest ITA rankings.
Wurtzman said he believes this team has the capability to achieve great things, but he tells them to think smaller in order to not lose themselves in expectations.
“We don’t just say we want to be top 10, top 20 in the country, even though that’s our goal long term,” he said. “The expectations right now are to make the NCAA tournament.”
