Ronald
Elizondo Sr.
USPTA Elite Pro Certified since 2002/USPTA Pickleball Pro 2023 / Director
I was introduced to the game of tennis in 1988 by Dr. Shelby Torrance. I was walking around the park barefooted and without a shirt at 13 years old, but soon fell in love with the game of tennis. I played for Hamlin middle school and Roy Miller high school, and had a very successful high school career. My junior year I was district runner up. During my time as a junior tennis player, I competed all over the state of Texas. I was coached by many great instructors; Susan Torrance, Steve Denton, Bob Mapes, Susan Mapes, coach Ophelia Castro, Joe Pino, and Dave Moriarty. However, I give all of the credit to Dr. Shelby Torrance because I would never have played tennis without her. If it wasn't for her talking to and recruiting me from the park where I lived across the street from the tennis center, I would've never played tennis. In 2000, I started a very successful nonprofit tennis program for the under-privileged kids that could not afford tennis lessons from poor neighborhoods and schools. This free program was successful and produced over eight kids that are teaching around the U.S as tennis professionals. I taught for 16½ years tennis at HEB tennis center. In 2019 I came back home to the tennis center where I started playing and became the director of tennis. In 2020 I was able to add pickleball courts with portable nets and, in 2022, we added 10 dedicated pickleball courts.
Contact Ronald: 361-548-5619 / elizondotennis@gmail.com
Paul Cass
I was first introduced to tennis by Don Fuller, the Tivy tennis coach when I was in 9th grade. I played tennis through high school and while attending Texas A&M I played on the freshmen tennis team, then competed in intramural sports until graduation. I started my coaching career at L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas, in 1970. That year my team won district and I had a boy win the 4A State title in Boy’s Singles. The next year I applied with the Corpus Christi Independent School District where there were four openings for tennis coaching positions. My background in tennis was just one year of coaching at L.D. Bell. I must have made a good impression on Bob Mapes and Ron Woods, two of the prominent tennis influences in Corpus Christi. They recommended me for the opening at King High School. I got the job and I coached tennis there until 1992 when I retired from coaching high school tennis. I continued at King as a health teacher until retiring from the system in May of 2004. During my time as a tennis coach, my teams won 22 consecutive district titles, 19 regional titles, and 9 state titles. I coached 33 Regional Champions and 16 State Champions. My teams were 148 – 3 in district matches in 22 years. King High School was ranked # 1 in Texas in 1973. All of my teams were ranked in the top 10 statewide, several times finishing in the top 3. I had the pleasure of coaching over 100 All-District players, 22 All-State players, and 14 All-Americans. Many of these students went on to play college tennis. As a player, I have reached a high of #1 in age division singles, #1 in men’s doubles, husband-wife doubles, and father-son doubles in Texas. Number 8 in National Age division singles. Along with my daughter Julie, I have won the National Father-Daughter Grass Court Championships in Boston a record 13 times. My son Brian and I won 2 Bronze balls at the Father-Son Grass Court Championships. I won a Bronze Ball in Singles at the 2023 National 75 Indoors. I’ve played on Texas’s Super Senior Team winning a National Title in 2009 and 2013, also finishing second once and third twice. I also represented the winning USA team against Canada for the Gordon Cup in 2018. In 2012 I was inducted into the Texas Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame. The Cass Family was named USTA Texas Family of the Year for 2016. Daughter Julie Cass was inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame, Class of 2016. I am the 2020 Inductee for the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2015 I competed in the Senior Games in San Antonio. I won a gold medal in 65 singles and then finished second in the 50 and 100-meter dash.
Contact Coach Cass: pctennis1@aol.com
Director of Women's Tennis
I started playing tennis when I was 7 in Bucharest (Romania ). My best junior tennis ranking is 127 ITF. On a full-ride scholarship, I played number 1 singles and 2 doubles for Texas A&M from 2004 -2008. I started my coaching career right after college teaching in Connecticut at Weston Country Club and Aspetuck Country Club. In 2011 I started teaching at Westwood Country Club in Austin, Texas. I taught junior competitive programs and women's tennis until 2018 when I decided to continue my studies in nursing. Tennis has been my life for over 30 years, and I am looking forward to continuing to share my knowledge, experience, and love for the game with you.
Contact Coach Carmen: 512-412-9570 / carmen_tanny@yahoo.com
Carmen
Abeaboeru (Maurer)
John “Joseph”
Aguilar
Director of Junior Tennis
I picked up my first tennis racket at 12 years old, playing out of Driscoll Middle School. Although my early experiences were of me losing my matches, I couldn’t help but want to play more and do what was necessary to get better. I immediately knew tennis was for me. Up until high school graduation, I committed the majority of my time to playing out of Heb Tennis Center through a non-profit program that Ronald Elizondo ran. I was capable of reaching the super champ level through the USTA and going undefeated my senior year in singles and doubles.
After graduation, I put my rackets down and I moved to Austin. Immediately, I got into culinary, where I spent the next 7 years. Feeling unfulfilled I saw an ad one summer that a country club (Great Hills) needed assistance with junior tennis. All it took was for me to step back on the court to see this is where I was meant to be. I spent the next 6 years working alongside Chris Anderson whose expertise was junior development. He’s coached students who held USTA and ATP rankings. In some of my best working years, I was able to get a USTA men's open ranking of #11. Soon after his retirement, I started working at Austin's first premier racket sports club (Westlake). Chris and I stayed in touch since he has been able to mentor me through my teaching career. Coming back home to Corpus has always been a thought because I’ve wanted to share knowledge of the game with kids where I grew up and with the support of my family I’m blessed to have the opportunity to come back home and make a difference. Contact Coach Joseph: 361-425-9445 / jjaguilar1016@gmail.com
Rebecca Pina
Hello, my name is Rebecca Pina and I am thrilled to introduce myself to the Corpus Christi tennis & pickleball community. With over 10 years of coaching experience, I have dedicated my career to nurturing and developing tennis talent. I have had the privilege of coaching players of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced competitors. My coaching philosophy centers around fostering a love for the game while emphasizing technique, strategy, and sportsmanship. I believe in creating a positive and supportive environment where players can thrive and reach their full potential. Outside of tennis, I enjoy spending time with my family, exploring the beautiful Texas coastline, and staying active with various outdoor activities. I am excited to bring my expertise and enthusiasm to the local tennis scene and look forward to meeting and working with many of you. Let's make this an incredible journey together!
Contact Coach Rebecca: 361-774-9093 / pina.rebecca.m@gmail.com