On a page of Jordan Bieber's '07 tennis journal, head coach Ben Lamanna stamped his core philosophy in capital letters. The words are boxed in for emphasis. "The truth about competition is that the worst times often decide the best teams," the motto reads. And indeed, when Lamanna arrived at Brandeis in the summer of 2005, he took the reigns of a tennis program that had been in utter disarray ever since the sudden resignation of former head coach John "Rocky" Jarvis the previous winter. Whether unique motivational tools such as the journals he requires his players to keep will transform Brandeis into a tennis powerhouse remains to be seen. But undoubtedly, his methods have instilled a much-needed sense of accountability among players. And as the men's team graduates five seniors this month, phase one of his rebuilding project is complete."The talent was always there, but it wasn't cultivated in the right way," Lamanna said of the players. "I wanted to create a work ethic they haven't had before."

Longtime head coach Jarvis resigned in December 2004, but even before he left, many players on the tennis teams described him as aloof. They said he played favorites, didn't engage the team in off-court conditioning and failed to provide direct, one-on-one coaching. The men's team in particular lacked camaraderie and discipline, a problem that persisted when assistant coach Matt Porter took over on an interim basis for the 2005 spring season.

"[Jarvis] didn't teach us how to play as a team," Cliff Silverman '07 said.

Then Lamanna, a former college tennis star himself, applied for the position of head coach that summer. Lamanna's face lights up when describing his playing career at Bates College, which he called an incredibly powerful experience. A few years later, after stints as an ESPN intern and a private tennis instructor, Lamanna found himself back at Bates as an assistant coach, where he watched his team dismantle the Judges 7-0 in the spring of 2005. He says he was a "longshot" to be hired as the Brandeis head coach after two other applicants turned down the job, but he still got the position that August.

When he speaks in a forceful tone, every spoken word with conviction and honesty. In just two years, he has used these characteristics to shape a new tennis program.

Lamanna didn't waste any time in instituting his values. Sam Jonas '07, the 2005 University Athletic Association Player of the Year, vividly remembered the first time he met Lamanna. It was just before the 2005 fall season, and after suffering a devastating shoulder injury the previous spring Jonas was unsure if he would ever play again.

"I walked into his office, introduced myself, and basically said I wouldn't be playing tennis [this year]," Jonas recounted. "He looked at me, and asked, 'Do you want to play tennis and be on this team? Then prove it.' I really had never been questioned like that before."

Colleen Donnelly '08 remembered Lamanna's coaching style during a memorable first practice.

"[Lamanna] was very open and personal with us," she said. "[I was struck] by how easy he was to talk to."

Despite being without Jonas and several other top players on both teams that fall, Lamanna began to change the character of the tennis program. His new practices included strenuous off-court fitness training in addition to on-court coaching. He instilled a sense of accountability-if one player came late to practice, the entire team ran sprints. He also scheduled off-court activities, such as team get-togethers to watch professional tennis tournaments. These gatherings, which have become frequent, have helped to build team cohesiveness. Lamanna has also implemented a strict team spirit policy: Players are required to cheer for each other during matches, or risk punishment.

The institutional changes didn't automatically improve the Judges' results on the court, mainly because both teams struggled with injuries in spring 2006. The men's team finished in eighth place at the season-ending UAA championships, while the women's team didn't fare much better, finishing seventh.

But this season has been a different story. Both teams had extended winning streaks in the spring, and each improved their UAA standing at the postseason tournament.

The turning point for the men's team was a 6-3 upset victory over Bates, Lamanna's alma mater, March 18. The Judges hadn't defeated the Bobcats since 1999, but they jumped ahead early in doubles play, and just when it seemed like the Bobcats were developing some momentum, Bieber erased a one-set deficit and dominated freshman Max Berger over the final two sets to clinch a Brandeis victory.

Bieber described Lamanna's strenuous team practices to prepare for that match.

"He lined us all up on the baseline, and we did sit-ups until we were practically puking," Bieber said. "While we were staring at [his Bates College] T-shirt, he was walking around us, saying, 'You think you can beat Bates? Well, the winning starts here.'"

Although Lamanna continues to rely on the same principles he always has, his new practice of requiring players to keep tennis journals may have contributed the most in the teams' improvements this season. These journals all begin with Lamanna's favorite motivational quote from legendary Green Bay Packers' head coach Vince Lombardi, and include scouting reports, postmatch comments and a list of goals for the season. Lamanna frequently reads the journal entries and sprinkles in some of his own comments.

"I can talk until I'm blue in the face about what you're doing wrong, but unless you do it yourself, write about it and reflect about it, you're not going to make that mental switch," Lamanna said.

While both teams have yet to achieve a first-round victory in the UAA championships, it's clear that Lamanna has stabilized the program in the wake of Jarvis' abrupt resignation.

"He's very knowledgeable about tennis, knows how to be a part of a winning team [and] has the technical skills to know how to teach," Athletics Director Sheryl Sousa '90 said. "The team responded to him right away."

Lamanna will have to rebuild the program once again with five seniors-including Jonas, his star captain-graduating on the men's side. But with a solid base already in place, it should be an easier task this time around for a program on the rise.

"Every time we go to play another school, they say they wish they were coached by Lamanna," Silverman, one of the five seniors, said. "Mark my words: In five years, [Brandeis] is going to be a top-10 national program.