JCSU TENNIS COACH JAMES CUTHBERTSON AWARDED A USTA MULTICULTURAL GRANT

Longtime tennis coach still learning new techniques 

October 31, 2011

Boca Raton, FL - Johnson C. Smith University head men’s and women’s tennis coach James Cuthbertson, Jr. has been selected by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), and the grant selection panel to receive a USTA Multicultural Grant to attend the 2011 ITA Coaches Convention. The convention will be held at the Naples Grande Beach Resort in Naples, FL from December 13-16, 2011.

The grant is to assist with expenses such as the cost of registration, lodging, and other travel costs. Coach Cuthbertson will attend the USTA Multicultural Symposium schedule for December 13th. The ITA Convention will be comprised of ITA business meetings, clinics, and workshops from December 14-16, 2011.

As a 2011 USTA/ITA Multicultural Grant recipient; Coach Cuthbertson will be featured on the ITA and USTA websites and in the official ITA press release.

Cuthbertson has been the men's coach for fourteen years and women's coach for eleven years. His tennis career began at Olympic High School (Charlotte, NC) in 1967 when he became a member of the Olympic High tennis team where he lettered at number three as a senior.

When UNC Charlotte resurrected its tennis program in 1971, Cuthbertson joined the program, lettering as a senior in 1972. He was named 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003 CIAA Men's Coach of the Year after leading his men's team to six straight CIAA championships (1999-2004). His career record overall is 238-171 and 179-43 in the CIAA.

“I’m very excited about this opportunity to learn and grow as a tennis professional at this convention,” said Cuthbertson. “The techniques taught at these conventions will help to advance our tennis programs at Johnson C. Smith and move to the forefront of Division II tennis.”

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing men's and women's varsity tennis at NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for the sport of tennis and the recognized leader in promoting and developing the sport’s growth on every level in the United States, from local communities to the crown jewel of the professional game, the US Open.

Established in 1881, the USTA is a progressive and diverse not-for-profit organization whose volunteers, professional staff, and financial resources support a single mission: to promote and develop the growth of tennis. 

The USTA is the largest tennis organization in the world, with 17 geographical sections, more than 700,000 individual members and 7,000 organizational members, thousands of volunteers, and a professional staff dedicated to growing the game.