By Michael Reff
NCTTA Media Committee

According to NCTTA President and Coaches Committee Chair Willy Leparulo, “Coaches are an integral part of the College TT landscape.” For a completely volunteer-run organization such as NCTTA, college table tennis coaches, who are typically unpaid as well, are giving back to the sport by instilling confidence, honing technique, and providing knowledge of tournament structure and strategy in their student athletes. Many are NCTTA Alumni themselves, looking to pass on their knowledge and enthusiasm for the game to the next generation of college table tennis players.

For the Upcoming championships in Round Rock, TX we have around 33 coaches coming along with their schools.

One such school, UT Dallas, has three coaches: Head Coach David Chou, Men’s Coach Kiyan Bhalla, and Women’s Coach Srijeet Qazi.
All three are looking forward to coaching and cheering on their teams.

Coach Chou says,
“I am excited for our team to compete in this tournament and I think that our team is an underdog in this championship. I’ve worked alongside the team to go back to the basics. We have really zoned in on their existing skills and improved upon them leading up to this tournament. We are excited to be a part of it, and I hope to coach my team to victory. I know they have been working really hard for this moment.”

Coach Bhalla added that “It’s great to see all the effort our team and our coaches have put into preparing for this tournament. We are eager to showcase our talents and I hope we’ll leave our mark at Nationals very soon.”

And Coach Qazi also remarks, “UT Dallas is extremely excited to compete at Nationals! We have been working hard throughout the year during and outside of practice, so we are immensely grateful that we get the opportunity to compete. We can't wait to see y'all there!”

Enthusiasm from the coaches is not in short supply and this is a true marker of their passion for the sport and for their student athlete!

Another coach that’s made it with his team to the nationals is Luke Gillespie of Indiana University. Gillespie is also a Professor of Music at the school. His team showcases the famed Alguetti twins Sharon and Gal, who, along with their teammates are in strong contention for clinching the title in Round Rock this year.

Coach Gillespie recognizes that being a student athlete requires a balance of studies and sports, with the emphasis on making the grade first but he also says, “physical activity and competitive sports (on any level) is an excellent way to stay in good physical and mental condition.” He remarks that his team is playing whenever they have some time off from schoolwork.

“We look forward to doing our best in this tournament,” Gillespie says. “We will arrive to Nationals with humble respect for our competitors and wish everyone the best.”

Kudos to coaches inspiring our NCTTA student athletes to shoot for the stars on and off the table!

Photo Credit to UT Dallas Table Tennis Club

About 2022 NCTTA College Table Tennis Championships

The championships are hosted by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and the Round Rock CVB. Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Men’s/Coed Teams, Women’s Teams. The event is sponsored by Double Happiness, Double Fish and Joola.
Watch the event on live stream starting Friday April 8th on champs.nctta.org

About NCTTA

The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively for promoting the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes elite intercollegiate competition throughout North America. www.nctta.org