Nearly three weeks after men’s tennis head coach Tony Bresky abruptly resigned to accept the top job at Wake Forest, Athletics Director Andy Noel comfirmed that Silviu Tanasoiu was hired for the position. Tanasoiu has served as an assistant coach at Oklahoma, his alma mater, since 2006. He was a three-year letter winner there during his playing days.

“A number of head coaches at Top-10 schools in the NCAA mentioned that he was certainly among the top assistant coaches in the nation, if not the most impressive,” Noel said of his decision to hire Tanasoiu.

The 30-year-old officially accepted the position on Thursday afternoon, at which point Noel informed the players of his decision. 

Noel offered Tanasoiu the job on Tuesday night after the conclusion of a search process in which players had the opportunity to meet with the former Oklahoma assistant and another finalist during their on campus interviews. 

While this is not a common practice, Noel said he believed it was appropriate to involve the student-athletes given the timing of Bresky’s resignation.

Tanasoiu was twice named the ITA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year during his tenure on the sidelines with the Sooners, where he worked under head coach John Roddick — the older brother of U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick — since 2009. The elder Roddick called his former assistant “a tireless worker and tremendous recruiter.”

Noel said he was most impressed with Tanasoiu’s tennis philosophy, adding that he possesses that “special ingredient” necessary to guide the program for the foreseeable future.

Tanasoiu will remain with Oklahoma for its matches this weekend before joining the Red for the Northeast Regionals.

On Tuesday, the Red welcomed Tanasoiu to East Hill for his first day at practice with the team. Early indications are that the players are pleased to have the former Oklahoma assistant aboard as their new head coach. 

“He’s great. He definitely knows what he is doing,” said freshman Alex Sidney, a member of Bresky’s first recruiting class. “We had practice today and already I can see that he is making changes and it seems like they are definitely for the better.”

Tanasoiu’s arrival represents the beginning of a long journey, with a long season ahead for the Red.

“[At the first practice Tanasoiu] was trying to get a feel for all our games,” said sophomore co-captain Evan McElwain. “We didn’t do much actual training — more just competing, getting ready for regionals. I think next week, after regionals is over we’ll get a feel for how practices are going to go and what training will be like.”

Although the team is still getting to know its new coach, Tanasoiu’s philosophy and attitude have drawn approval in the early goings. 

“He definitely stressed having a personal relationship with us because he feels if he knows us well and knows our game really well — knows our strengths and weaknesses — he can give us the best advice,” explained junior co-captain Jared Karson.

According to Karson, Tanasoiu’s emphasis on getting to know the players on a more individual basis was a clear point of differentiation when comparing him to the other coaches the team was considering.

“[Tanasoiu] has his own techniques and styles and he’s so confident about it, which is great,” Sidney added. “He already said a bunch of times today that he is not afraid to make changes. I think that’s a good thing … He was not shy with anything, so I think that he should do a great job.”

The players were not the only ones offering high praise for Tanasoiu’s coaching abilities.

“He is very highly spoken of by other coaches around the nation, especially Top-10, Top-15 team coaches and staffs,” McElwain noted. “We spoke to a lot of other coaches and they all basically said he was one of the best assistant coaches in the country.”

For Karson, Tanasoiu’s arrival represents an opportunity to look toward the future. 

“I think he’s going to come in and transition pretty well and lead us and be at the forefront when we accomplish our goals,” Karson said. “The rest of the guys are really excited too, and I am excited that he’s excited to come in and coach us … I think this is the best move for all of us, for him to lead us and for him to be there when we accomplish our goals and win the Ivy League title [again].”