Coach Mazza talks tennis as he leads the Boys Varsity team to an undefeated season

Meshva Patel, Staff Writer|May 12, 2023

Chayti Biswas

Dr. Mazza takes us on his journey around the world that finally inspired him to pursue teaching in New York.

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The Boy’s Varsity Tennis Team is currently undefeated and the best team in Queens this year as they have received the Queens A division title. Dr. Mazza, a 4th-year boys tennis coach, has been preparing and improving the team. With over 8 years of experience working as a coach for Townsend Harris, he has been able to organize and manage the team efficiently. 

Before coaching the Tennis Team, Dr. Mazza had been an assistant coach for the Cross Country team and he “found this experience to be extremely rewarding.” His inspiration for coaching was “reinforced when [he] was offered the opportunity to be co-coach of the Boy’s Tennis Team.” After the previous head coach left the school, Coach Mazza was beyond excited to take over. He said, “I owe much gratitude to Coach Caiaccia for allowing me to take over the role of head coach for both teams.”

When asked about upcoming plans and expectations for the season, Coach Mazza said he hopes to “go far in playoffs and do well in the individual tournament.” He takes pride in his players for succeeding this far in the season, claiming that his favorite coaching experience at the moment is “being undefeated.” 

Coach Mazza contributes to the team emotionally: he said, “The captains of the team lead most of the practices. I try to offer as much encouragement and support as possible.” Sophomore Justin Xia elaborates on his experiences with the coach throughout the season. Justin said, “The coach always helped everyone on the team keep their cool during games especially if we’re losing.” George Jong, a doubles player said, “[The coach] believes in us and lets us strive in the best ways we can. He always cheers us on and makes sure that we are always in a good mood.” 

The Boys Tennis Team continues to progress through playoffs staying undefeated and the best team Queens for the first time in 7 years. Coach Mazza has found creative ways to manage the team, like holding challenge matches in order to discover the levels of each player and use that information to make them play better and better.