North Carolina State University Athletics
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Secker Seeks to Soar to New Heights with Wolfpack
7/27/2017 9:33:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Reunited with Earnshaw, Secker Eager to Pursue Greatness Once Again
RALEIGH – The chase, the pursuit, or the hunt. Call it what you please, but new NC State women's tennis assistant coach David Secker is energized and enthused to help an already-rising program elevate to the next level and become a national powerhouse.
It's the adrenaline of the chase and the joy that accompanies accomplishing a goal for the first time that Secker is hoping to impart on a team that has been achieving many 'firsts' recently, including ending the 2016-17 season ranked a program-best 26th in the country, the duo of Martina Frantova and Anna Rogers reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Doubles Championships, most wins in a season, and most ACC wins in a season.
Secker and head coach Simon Earnshaw are no strangers, as Secker played for Earnshaw at Armstrong Atlantic State University prior to joining him as a member of the coaching staff from 2006-2012. They led AASU to seven NCAA Division II national titles (four with the women's program, three with the men's), a 179-6 overall record, a .97 winning percentage and a No. 1 ranked singles player and doubles team for five of their six years together.
Joining a program that achieved a program-best national ranking last season has Secker busting at the seams to get to work.
"The goal short term is to keep creating firsts. I know they had their highest ranking and finish last season, but ultimately they've got to keep pushing forward," proclaimed Secker. "One of the big things is understanding there are some programs here where historically the record is not in our favor, and there will be some firsts. Maybe it's trying to beat teams at their home venue, having the best record we've had in conference, it's the chasing mentality, which is the most fun you can have. People looked at our record at Armstrong and said we had won all these matches, but we weren't always number one. That chasing period was the most fun we've ever had; the bit where you climb up is more fun to us."
While Secker and Earnshaw are different people, Secker believes those differences mesh well together, especially when they have shared core values.
"We're from the same island but different parts of the island, and we have some different ways of doing things but both agree that at the end of the day it has to be about the players," explained Secker. "There has to be a certain level of work ethic and standard of professionalism. Neither of us believes in any tricks or shortcuts; we're big on the basics and doing those well. We share a lot of common core values like work ethic, time management and organization. No matter how different we are from our own experiences, those are shared values."
One of the prominent values they share is never being satisfied on past successes'. Given the Wolfpack accomplished a program-best season in 2016-17, it would be easy to take a casual approach heading into the 2017-18 season, but Secker does not subscribe to that mentality. He speaks of the fact Earnshaw is constantly trying to evolve the program, and that doing well during one season never satisfies either of them. After spending some time apart going through different, unique experiences, Secker believes the pair will have some fresh ideas to overcome problems and help the women become better players moving forward.
Along with those shared values, Secker also believes his time at the Advantage Tennis Academy, an academy for elite juniors in Irvine, California, has bolstered his abilities as a coach and provided him with an entirely new perspective on how he approaches working with players. Given that at the college level, players are already formed and playing at a high level, it was working with juniors that taught Secker how to build a player from the ground up.
"When you study and learn new skills, it only adds to how many ways you can solve a problem" said Secker. "We had a good system at Armstrong and it worked, but I went into the junior world and was forced to learn another way. The more you can keep learning as you get older, the more you can help different players. There isn't just one solution for each player. For example, if you're working on a backhand, and you have two ways to solve it, you might be able to help the player. If you've got seven ways to solve it, you have more chances to help the player and gives you a more well-rounded experience."
Secker also views the fact he is already familiar with many of the women on the team as another positive he is able to add to a group he speaks of glowingly.
"I've met and spent a bit of time with all the girls through juniors previously, but the way the girls think and conduct themselves, they're so eager to accomplish these firsts," he articulated. "That's the goal right now. Obviously reaching the top 25 is an institution wide goal, but in tennis it's the round of 16 that is regarded as the barrier to break through, then world keeps opening up from there. It's not easy in this conference, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't think NC State had everything it needs to do that. The administration shares that view. When he (Simon) tells me we have everything we need to be successful here, I believe him. Just from being here for a short time, I see it."
Time will tell if Secker is able to recreate the magic he had with Earnshaw at Armstrong, but given their track record and the knowledge Secker has gained since then, no stone will be left unturned in their pursuit of excellence.
Excellent is also how Secker describes the welcome he has received from the Wolfpack community, as he is highly appreciative of the manner in which people have gone out of their way to ensure he, along with wife Heather and four-month-old son Oliver, have a smooth and comfortable transition moving and settling in to Raleigh.
Stay up to date with the latest on NC State women's tennis:
Twitter: @PackWTennis
Facebook: NC State Women's Tennis
Instagram: @PackWTennis
It's the adrenaline of the chase and the joy that accompanies accomplishing a goal for the first time that Secker is hoping to impart on a team that has been achieving many 'firsts' recently, including ending the 2016-17 season ranked a program-best 26th in the country, the duo of Martina Frantova and Anna Rogers reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Doubles Championships, most wins in a season, and most ACC wins in a season.
Secker and head coach Simon Earnshaw are no strangers, as Secker played for Earnshaw at Armstrong Atlantic State University prior to joining him as a member of the coaching staff from 2006-2012. They led AASU to seven NCAA Division II national titles (four with the women's program, three with the men's), a 179-6 overall record, a .97 winning percentage and a No. 1 ranked singles player and doubles team for five of their six years together.
Joining a program that achieved a program-best national ranking last season has Secker busting at the seams to get to work.
"The goal short term is to keep creating firsts. I know they had their highest ranking and finish last season, but ultimately they've got to keep pushing forward," proclaimed Secker. "One of the big things is understanding there are some programs here where historically the record is not in our favor, and there will be some firsts. Maybe it's trying to beat teams at their home venue, having the best record we've had in conference, it's the chasing mentality, which is the most fun you can have. People looked at our record at Armstrong and said we had won all these matches, but we weren't always number one. That chasing period was the most fun we've ever had; the bit where you climb up is more fun to us."
While Secker and Earnshaw are different people, Secker believes those differences mesh well together, especially when they have shared core values.
"We're from the same island but different parts of the island, and we have some different ways of doing things but both agree that at the end of the day it has to be about the players," explained Secker. "There has to be a certain level of work ethic and standard of professionalism. Neither of us believes in any tricks or shortcuts; we're big on the basics and doing those well. We share a lot of common core values like work ethic, time management and organization. No matter how different we are from our own experiences, those are shared values."
One of the prominent values they share is never being satisfied on past successes'. Given the Wolfpack accomplished a program-best season in 2016-17, it would be easy to take a casual approach heading into the 2017-18 season, but Secker does not subscribe to that mentality. He speaks of the fact Earnshaw is constantly trying to evolve the program, and that doing well during one season never satisfies either of them. After spending some time apart going through different, unique experiences, Secker believes the pair will have some fresh ideas to overcome problems and help the women become better players moving forward.
Along with those shared values, Secker also believes his time at the Advantage Tennis Academy, an academy for elite juniors in Irvine, California, has bolstered his abilities as a coach and provided him with an entirely new perspective on how he approaches working with players. Given that at the college level, players are already formed and playing at a high level, it was working with juniors that taught Secker how to build a player from the ground up.
"When you study and learn new skills, it only adds to how many ways you can solve a problem" said Secker. "We had a good system at Armstrong and it worked, but I went into the junior world and was forced to learn another way. The more you can keep learning as you get older, the more you can help different players. There isn't just one solution for each player. For example, if you're working on a backhand, and you have two ways to solve it, you might be able to help the player. If you've got seven ways to solve it, you have more chances to help the player and gives you a more well-rounded experience."
Secker also views the fact he is already familiar with many of the women on the team as another positive he is able to add to a group he speaks of glowingly.
"I've met and spent a bit of time with all the girls through juniors previously, but the way the girls think and conduct themselves, they're so eager to accomplish these firsts," he articulated. "That's the goal right now. Obviously reaching the top 25 is an institution wide goal, but in tennis it's the round of 16 that is regarded as the barrier to break through, then world keeps opening up from there. It's not easy in this conference, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't think NC State had everything it needs to do that. The administration shares that view. When he (Simon) tells me we have everything we need to be successful here, I believe him. Just from being here for a short time, I see it."
Time will tell if Secker is able to recreate the magic he had with Earnshaw at Armstrong, but given their track record and the knowledge Secker has gained since then, no stone will be left unturned in their pursuit of excellence.
Excellent is also how Secker describes the welcome he has received from the Wolfpack community, as he is highly appreciative of the manner in which people have gone out of their way to ensure he, along with wife Heather and four-month-old son Oliver, have a smooth and comfortable transition moving and settling in to Raleigh.
Stay up to date with the latest on NC State women's tennis:
Twitter: @PackWTennis
Facebook: NC State Women's Tennis
Instagram: @PackWTennis
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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