Bitsy Coaching Staff
Tim Noonan - timnoonan@utatennis.com is the Partner in Charge at Bitsy Grant and was introduced to the Atlanta tennis scene as the Coach of the 1995 Atlanta Thunder, leading the Thunder to the WTT Finals. A Notre Dame graduate with a degree in architecture, Tim was also a four-year letterman and Tennis Team Captain. Tim enjoys working with students of all levels and ages.
Tim’s wife Karen, stepdaughter Madie, and three rescue dogs (Jake, Lucy, and Bella) will be frequent visitors to Bitsy Grant Tennis Center!
Bitsy Grant Adult Director David Rogers - davidrogers@utatennis.com is originally from St. Louis. Before joining UTA, David spent 11 years as the Director of Tennis at Greenbriar Hills Country Club in St. Louis. He then moved west and worked with Davis Cup Captain Tom Gorman at the Ritz-Carlton in Palm Springs. He later split his time between Phoenix and Aspen. He was the Director of Tennis at the Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale and the Head Professional at the Snowmass Club. While at the Snowmass Club, David was featured on The Tennis Channel Destination Series!
Nick Tzekos - nicktzekos@utatennis.com played at Lander University in South Carolina and graduated with a BA in Finance. Prior to that Nick was a top junior player in England and Greece, the two countries where Nick was raised. Nick enjoys working with juniors of all ages and works with several adult ALTA and USTA teams. Nick is a newlywed, and his wife Alisha and their beagle Charlie enjoy hiking and travel.
Mark Staats - marksstaats@utatennis.com is a 1996 graduate of The McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN. He collegiately played #1 Doubles for the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and graduated in 2001 with a degree in Psychology. He enjoys helping players of all skill levels improve their game both mentally and physically. He is originally from Salisbury, North Carolina, but has lived in several other areas, including Grosse Pointe, Michigan and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Mark is USPTA certified and proud to be your pro on staff at Bitsy Grant.
California native Hillary Collins - hillarycollins@utatennis.com is a 2011 graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she earned a degree in Interior Architecture. She was a three time All-American while at SCAD, and achieved a NAIA ranking of #2 nationally in both singles and doubles. Hillary was ranked as high as #4 in the USTA National Rankings as a junior player in Southern California. Hillary loves working with players of all levels and will be a great addition to the Bitsy Grant Pro Staff!
London native Jonny Roberts - jonnyroberts@utatennis.com is a USPTR certified coach who played three years of college tennis at UWIC in Wales. He grew up in a London suburb, and moved to the US in 2008 in order to obtain a MBA at the University of Southern Indiana. Jonny was a high school PE teacher prior to moving to the US. Off the court, Jonny’s interests include golf, soccer, pool and badminton.
Chicago native Dave Johnston - davejohnston@utatennis.com is the newest addition to the Bitsy Grant Staff. “DJ” has a Professional Tennis Management degree from Tyler Junior College in Tyler, TX. Over the past 7 years he has been involved in many successful player development programs in Texas and Chicago. He enjoys working with juniors and adults of all levels. DJ is a USPTA Professional and a certified racket technician as well.
New York native and USPTA Pro Bailey Brown is the holder of 3 National Championships. He has competed in the U.S. Open, teamed with Arthur Ashe in the Pan American Games, and played on the Boston Lobsters in the World Team Tennis league. He coached NCAA Singles Champion Mike Leach (University of Michigan), and has over 30 years of teaching experience. We are proud to have a pro of Bailey’s stature on our staff at Bitsy Grant! Bailey and his wife of 12 years, Carla, have resided in Atlanta for over 30 years.
USPTA Professional Gabriela Cooks is a former 4 year Romanian University National Champion. She accomplished this feat while earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering in her hometown of Galati, Romania. She coached and competed professionally for 3 years at local clubs in Turkey and Romania. When she first came to the U.S., she coached collegiately at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Gabriela has been teaching at Bitsy Grant for the past 10 years, establishing long-term relationships with teams and players of all levels and ages.
Gabriela and her husband Calvin have a 6 year old son, Dominic.
As the only Atlanta native on our full-time teaching staff, Monte Teal has been a fixture at Bitsy Grant Tennis Center for more than 20 years. He competed collegiately at Oglethorpe University, and played professionally in Germany after college. More recently, Monte achieved a top 10 state ranking in both the 35’s and 45’s singles. He has been coaching all levels for over 20 years, and has been very successful as a Junior ALTA coach.
Stephen McQuillenis a 1988 Marist graduate. He went on to play collegiately at Furman University, where he won 1 individual and 1 team Southern Conference Championship. He has been ranked in the top 5 in the Southern Section in both the 30’s and the 35’s, and has been in the top 10 nationally in the 35’s. Stephen has coached for past 15 years, with more than 10 of those years being at Bitsy Grant.
