July 13, 2010

LAS VEGAS - Former collegiate and professional player Tommy Garrison has been hired as UNLV's men's tennis assistant coach, the school announced Tuesday.

Garrison, who will begin his duties August 1, comes to UNLV from the University of Oklahoma where he has served as volunteer assistant coach since January 2008.

"We had a lot of interest in the position but right from the beginning Tommy Garrison stood out from the rest," said UNLV head coach Owen Hambrook. "We're very excited that he'll be joining us. He brings a lot of experience both as a player and coach and his addition will only make us a better program."

A four-year player for the Sooners, Garrison holds the school record for consecutive singles victories (19) and was a Big 12 Conference doubles champion in 2006. An NCAA Doubles Championship qualifier as a freshman, he was named all-league in doubles play in both 2004 and 2005.

The native of Enid, Okla., was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and an ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic First Team All-American in 2006. The two-time OU Scholar-Athlete of the Year graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 2007 and has been pursuing his master's of business administration while coaching in Norman.

Garrison also spent two years competing as a professional on the ITF/ATP circuit, earning a world ranking in both singles and doubles in both 2008 and '09.