Ten Minutes with Adam Steinberg
JANE LEE
Sports Editor
Adam Steinberg is no stranger around campus anymore. The head coach of Pepperdine’s 2006 NCAA Championship men’s tennis team has had quite the year on and off the court. As our opening guest in the return of “10 Minutes With …”, Steinberg talks about these life-changing events with the Graphic sports staff for the first time since earning his championship ring.
In January you told the Graphic that your ultimate goal every season is to win a national title. Did you believe it could happen just four months later?
“Yes, I really did. The season before we got to the quarterfinals and finished No. 8 in the country, and we basically had our whole team returning. So I believed it, the guys made me believe it by the way they worked and their character. We were so close the year before, so the ultimate goal and the only goal we had all year was to win it all.”
When did the feeling of being national champions sink in?
“It hasn’t even sunken in yet. You believe that they can do it but then to see it happen the way it did, how we beat a No.-1 team that was undefeated, just how close it was and how much pressure there was in the matches, it just really hasn’t sunk in. But it’s starting to, and it was the best moment of all our lives.”
Has everything been constantly overwhelming since the championship, or have you had the chance to sit back and take it all in?
“It’s overwhelming at times. I’m the kind of person that’s always looking to next year and what we have to do to get better. We lost four seniors and they were the heart and soul of our program, so now I’ve been working so hard since then just because I feel a little bit of pressure to keep this program where it’s been the last couple of years, and I don’t want us to drop. Recruiting is the lifeblood of every program in any sport, so we’ve been working extremely hard night and day on replacing those guys. They’re almost irreplaceable, so it’s been difficult. But we’re excited about this year. We have a young team, and we’re going to surprise a lot of people.”
What do you believe separated your team from Georgia in the championship match?
“Team. I’ve been saying this since we won. I don’t know if we had the best players, but we had the best team. What separated us not only from them but from everybody was that our attitude on the court was incredible. Also, the power of positive thinking is an amazing thing; it helped us so much and the guys played for each other. Really, tennis is an individual sport but they made it into a team sport. That’s what I tried to instill in them for four years and they finally really understood that last year and that’s why we won. They were incredible in the way they gave to each other and played as a team.”
So how many times have you watched the ESPN championship tape?
“Many (laughing). I watch it all the time. It’s terrible, I don’t tell anybody that, but I put it on all the time and I almost start to cry every time. I see something different every time, like an expression on somebody and I love watching the end. My favorite part is the guys running on the court. At the end, just seeing the excitement on their faces.”
Are there any perks of being the coach of a national championship team?
“I have a Bimmer waiting outside (laughing) … no, I’m joking, but the attention we’ve gotten is incredible, it’s been overwhelming. The ring ceremony at the first Convocation was really overwhelming for all of us. I will never forget that the rest of my life and neither will the guys. We don’t have football and we’re a small school, and I thank the university and the athletic department so much because they’ve given so much attention to this. I didn’t realize what was going to happen after. It’s been way bigger than I ever thought, and then you see all the banners and everything they’ve done for us.
One of the best things is that I’ve gotten to meet so many alumni that I had never made contact with. That’s been really cool because you win for them too — it’s their program and they keep in touch, so that’s nice. I also had over 700 e-mails after we won, so it’s taken me about 6 months to get back with them.”
After the season you were named the International Tennis Association and West Coast Conference Coach of the Year, as well as voted Pepperdine Coach of the Year by fellow Waves coaches. What do awards like that mean to you?
“Of course the head coach gets a lot of credit and I guess he’s the spokesperson for the program but our assistant coaches deserve to get those awards. I mean, it’s really nice and the Pepperdine Coach of the Year meant a lot to me because it’s from the other coaches so that was really special. It’s just been an incredible few months, that’s for sure.”
You recently attended the U.S. Open. Was that your first time experiencing the event in person?
“I’ve actually gone to 30 U.S. Opens in a row. I’m from New York and my family’s back there so it’s a chance for me to go to the U.S. Open, as well as recruit juniors. There’s a junior U.S. Open that a lot of people don’t know about, and I get to take my mom with me. Just seeing my family makes it a great trip.”
Everyone around campus now knows you as the head coach of our national champion tennis team. What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
“I’m not most comfortable with all of the attention. I think everyone would laugh if they read that, but like the Coach of the Year award, I’m not really comfortable with all that. I’m not that comfortable with getting a lot of attention for this because I wish it was more on the players. I’m pretty outgoing and I think people would laugh at that, but I think it’s the truth. My assistant coach will tell you that, and I’d rather the guys get all the awards and get all the e-mails, and see what everyone’s writing to me about them.”
What has the championship meant for your family?
“It’s been unreal for them. They look at it as I started at a tiny school 17 years ago in the middle of Queens, so for them to see where I’ve gotten is unreal. My family all saw me when I was just starting and when I was a part-time coach, and now they see me on ESPN so they’re just really proud. My brother and my fiancée were at the championship match.
I met my fiancée a year ago and she’s had an incredible year. I told her it’s not always like this, and she didn’t really know anything about tennis, now she’s the biggest college tennis fan, the biggest Pepperdine fan. She loves it, loves the guys and it’s been great for me to share it with someone.”
Talk about a crazy year for you.
“Yes, it really has been. I actually got engaged three weeks before the NCAA tournament so I had a really great month. We’re getting married Dec. 30 so that’s been a big priority the last two months. But it’ll be good because we can get married and then get ready for the season. I had to get married around the season, and she knows that, so that’s the plan.”
So in 10, 20, 30 years from now, what’s the first thing that’s going to come to mind when thinking back on the championship?
“Not so much the win, but when I think about this year I think about the people. And it hasn’t always been that way with every team I’ve coached, but these guys are much better people than tennis players, and I’ve told them, I’ll never let anyone forget the 2006 men’s tennis team. Not so much because we won — that of course was the final stamp, but just how they did it and the character they showed.”
09-14-2006