Steve Smith and Dave Anderson welcome Coach Jaime Pulgar Garcia, new to the Brookhaven staff and already making a major cultural impact. Jaime shares his tennis origin story from Madrid, Spain, his late start at age 10, and the twin-track journey he and his brother took through college tennis (NC State and San Diego State), pro tennis, and high-performance coaching. The conversation explores how Spanish tennis culture shaped his development and why his family pushed the U.S. college route.

Episode 279 expands into the “Spanish method” versus the U.S. landscape—coaching pathways, credentialing, junior development, and the role of other sports like soccer in building movement and competitiveness. Jaime and Dave discuss “high floor vs. high ceiling” player development, plus how modern scouting and analytics reinforce match-film insights without overwhelming players. Jaime also reflects on coaching Mackenzie McDonald through his major ranking climb.

In this episode of the Great Base Tennis Podcast, Steve Smith welcomes USTA performance analytics expert Mat Cloer and coach Dave Anderson for a deep dive into the USTA’s new coaching initiative and its effort to strengthen education and certification for American tennis teachers. Cloer explains his role inside Player Development, using Hawkeye data, video analysis, and match statistics to help players and coaches better understand patterns in serving, returning, transition play, and net effectiveness. The discussion highlights how analytics are becoming a core tool in shaping modern training.

Episode 278's conversation also explores Cloer’s time around the tour and his close work with Ben Shelton, along with insights from Billie Jean King Cup team events. Steve, Mat, and Dave connect high-level trends back to junior development—emphasizing doubles, all-court skills, proper fundamentals, and a genuine love for competing. They underline a clear message: the best players blend strong character with strong information, and the data only matters when it elevates teaching, learning, and long-term development.

In this episode of the Great Base Tennis Podcast, Steve Smith and co-host Dave Anderson sit down with Texas A&M head coach and former world No. 11, Steve Denton. Denton opens with the incredible story of the Shanghai Masters, how former Aggies Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot, first cousins, battled their way from qualifying and alternates into a dream final on one of tennis’ biggest stages. He explains their roots at Texas A&M, why developing an all-court, forward-moving game takes longer, and how subtle changes in style and mindset can unlock a pro career.

Episode 277's conversation ranges through Denton’s own tour days, doubles with Kevin Curren, the evolution of college tennis, the importance of doubles as a pathway to making a lineup, and why “lifers” like Austin Krajicek and Jackson Withrow keep finding success. Along the way, you’ll hear rich Texas and Trinity tennis history, locker-room stories involving McEnroe and Connors, and Denton’s perspective on what parents and players should really value in the college and pro journey.