College Knowledge: Colby College

WATERVILLE, ME - In his third season as Men’s & Women’s Head Coach at Colby College, Adam Reeb is hoping 2021 is the year to elevate the program to the next level. After his first crack at it in 2018-19 with full inherited rosters, Reeb’s women’s team finished 8-8 while the men went 7-9. Then in 2020, the pandemic halted what Reeb felt was shaping up to be a promising year, as both teams began the season nationally ranked.

Now, with seven New England juniors and Reeb’s influence felt throughout the roster, the former Seattle University coach looks to reignite the momentum his teams started to build on last season and carry it throughout a successful 2021 campaign. 

Reeb, who earned USPTA’s New England Coach of the Year honors in 2020, answers questions on his roster, recruiting, playing through the pandemic and more.   

What type of players are you looking to bring to Colby?

We're looking for committed, driven student-athletes who love tennis, have a great work ethic, and are great teammates.

How would you compare recruiting in the Pacific Northwest to here in New England?

Recruiting has similarities and differences among every school and location. Ultimately it is about finding student-athletes who are great fits for your school and team's culture. In the Pacific Northwest, it was a different division and a different type of campus location and overall different student-athlete experience than here at Colby. I think the most important thing is learning about your school and what makes it so special and then finding recruits who want that and that would be great fits for the culture of the team you have.    

What are some of your biggest takeaways from Seattle that you've applied to Colby tennis?

I was pretty young when I got the chance to be a DI head coach at Seattle before the age of 30.  I really enjoyed my time there and I think most importantly learned a lot and made a ton of mistakes to boot as well. I think I really came out of there knowing myself more as a coach and what my philosophy is and how I want to run a program and set a positive culture.  

In terms of recruiting, I think it's just so important to find the right fits for your program and student-athletes who have similar values and goals that match yours. I think every coach goes through that maturation process as they are into their career, and I think Seattle was a big one for me. I of course am nowhere near perfect now, but I think Seattle taught me a lot about who I am as a coach and person which I think benefits me now at Colby. I feel I have a more clear and consistent plan of how I want my program to run and the culture I want our teams to embody.  

With your teams being filled with New England talent, how pivotal is recruiting locally for you? 

Very important! We are fortunate to be at one of the best academic schools in the country, so we do have a national and even global footprint, but recruiting locally is super important to us. We have some terrific men's and women's student-athletes from New England on our rosters who are vital to the success and growth of our programs. We usually will be out recruiting at many of the bigger tournaments and showcases in New England during the year.  

Talk about the level of talent you’ve seen when recruiting in New England  

I've seen some very talented student-athletes here in New England over the past few years.  There are so many young men and women who are true embodiments of a student-athlete in that they are striving for excellence on and off the court. Many times I've seen a really strong toughness in players from New England in that they tend to have to deal with more elements throughout the year to train and compete than other regions. Overall, there is some great talent in New England and recruiting locally is and always will be at the core of our program.