UNLV -- Owen Hambrook named men's tennis head coach.

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June 6, 2004

                    HAMBROOK EARNS PERMANENT TENNIS JOB

      LAS VEGAS  Owen Hambrook, who led the UNLV men's tennis team to a
10-win improvement in his first season overseeing the program as an interim
coach, was rewarded for his efforts by getting the job permanently, the
athletic department announced Sunday.
      "Over the past year, Coach Hambrook has more than demonstrated his
ability to successfully lead the men's tennis team," UNLV associate
athletics director Lisa Kelleher said. "We expect him to further progress
the program to strong conference and national recognition."
      Now the sixth full-time head coach in Rebel tennis history, Hambrook
took over a squad that had set a school record for futility in 2003 with a
2-14 record and eventually pushed the team into the national rankings for
the first time in two years. UNLV's 12-7 overall mark in 2004 included a
second-place regular-season finish in the Mountain West Conference and the
best home record (9-2) since 1997. The year also produced a qualifier for
the NCAA Singles Championship in the form of All-MWC honoree Henner Nehles.
       "This is an exciting time to be part of UNLV athletics," Hambrook
said. "I'd like to thank the administration for making a dream come true
for me. Last year the players came together in re-establishing the program
in the Mountain West Conference. Now, I look forward to moving the program
back into the national college tennis scene."
      Before taking over the men's team, Hambrook spent four years as an
assistant with Rebel tennis, including serving on the staff of the 2003 MWC
regular-season champions, and the 2000 and 2002 league tournament champion
women's squads. In 2002, he was named ITA Regional Assistant Coach of the
Year.
      The certified tennis professional joined UNLV after having served as
director of the state's largest junior program the Junior Tennis Academy
at the Sports Club of Las Vegas from 1996-2000. Previously, Hambrook served
as the tennis pro at the MGM Grand Hotel for two years. Active in the USTA,
he has been head coach for the Southern Nevada USTA Training Center and was
honored as a USTA High Performance Coach in both 1998 and 2000.
      A 1991 graduate of Northwest Missouri State, he was a three-year
member of the Bearcats' tennis team. Hambrook and his wife, Julie, have a
son, Jack and a daughter, Hannah.