Bob Spilman, Director of Tennis
Bob joined the Club as Director of Tennis in 1988. A native of Cookeville, TN, he came here from Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He has served as Director of Tennis at Palmas del Mar in Humacao, Puerto Rico; All American Sports site director at The Half Moon Club in Montego Bay, Jamaica; and was named the USPTA Tennessee professional of the year in 1997. Bob played four years of varsity tennis at Tennessee Tech University and earned undergraduate and Master’s degrees. He has achieved several number one Tennessee state rankings in doubles. Bob
is married to Becky Branch Spilman, also a native of Cookeville , TN and has two daughters, Kellie and Kasey.
Email Bob at bobs@ucmem.com
Paul Sax, Tennis Pro
Paul Sax, a native Memphian, has been a tennis professional at The University Club since 1983. Paul was a junior college state and regional champion before playing tennis at Memphis State. Paul has been ranked in the top ten in the South and has been the city doubles champion. An accomplished runner, Paul has won the Memphis Marathon and placed in the top 100 of the Boston Marathon. According to Paul, he is best known as John Denver's look-alike. In a time where new tennis players in the USA have been scarce, Paul has introduced an incredible amount of players to the game. In 2001, the club had the only men's 2.5 team in the state of Tennessee and two of six ladies' 2.5 teams in the state. The University Club may be the most active USA League Tennis club in Tennessee and much of our success can be attributed to Paul's introduction and development of brand new tennis players.
Email Paul at indoortennis@ucmem.com
Tom Stem, Tennis Pro
Tom Stem comes to us from Dallas, Texas where he was a tennis professional at Dallas Country Club in Highland Park. Prior to that, he was Director of Junior Development and then Head Pro at Lakewood C.C. in Dallas. Tom played on full scholarship at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. There he was also Assistant Coach and later Head Coach. Tom also attended Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. There he went through the Tennis Degree Program where the emphasis was intense study of various tennis teaching techniques. Tom specializes in biomechanics.
Tom loves working with beginners of all ages as well as advanced players. He has coached elite juniors at the highest level, coaching national top ten players at The Orange Bowl International Championships, Nationals at Kalamazoo and Easter Bowl. Tom is also an accomplished oil painter/artist. He has been featured in Tennis Magazine, Tennis Week and several USTA publications. He combines tennis with art in a series of paintings that express the importance of imagination in tennis.
Email Tom at tomstemart@yahoo.com
Duncan Howell, Tennis Pro
Duncan has been a Pro at the Club for two years. Prior to accepting the position, he was the assistant Men's and Women's Tennis Coach at Rhodes College and helped coach the women's team to the NCAA national tournament in 2003. In the fall of 2004 Duncan traveled to Fort Meyers for the ITA Small College National Championships where he coached Stephanie Gong to a 5th place finish in all of Division III. Duncan took over as assistant coach at his alma mater after graduating from Rhodes in 2003. While at Rhodes Duncan earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and played tennis for 4 years. During that time, he was named All-SCAC 1st Team in his last two seasons and was part of the Rhodes team that qualified for the NCAA National Tournament in 2002 and again in 2003. In addition, Duncan and his doubles partner qualified for the NCAA National Tournament as individuals in both 2002 and 2003, becoming the first players in Rhodes men's tennis history to reach the individual NCAA tournament. During his senior year, Duncan was a team captain and also assumed responsibilities as a player/coach. In February of 2003, Duncan received his USPTA teaching certification.
Email Duncan at duncan@emailhowell.com
