two Ivy League titles. Kossoff returned home to Long Island and began working at Sportime, where he is now director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy on Long Island. Maintaining the bond they had formed together at the college, Kossoff became the recruiter, helping Harris to find and recruit talent to Brown. “He helped me recruit kids from all across the country ... Not just from New York but nationwide because of kids he knew from tournaments,” said Harris. “So that is when the relationship kind of went to another level.” Harris spent eight years as the Brown head coach before moving on in an attempt to launch his own business. “The last couple of years I was there, things changed in the University’s Athletics Department. I wasn’t enjoying the coaching there nearly as much as I had before,” recalls Harris. “Mike and I were really close, and we started having some conversations about me moving here to New York. So he sort of became the recruiter. Essentially after my last year, I left Brown looking to start my own business
in sports psychology consulting and college search consulting. I ended up coming down to Sportime to build those services into the company. That’s how I ended up at Sportime.” This time around, it was Harris who was coming to an unfamiliar area. The mid-Western guy was heading east to the big city, and Kossoff was here to help him get acclimated. “Mike was very experienced in this world and everything was new for me,” said Harris. “So he started mentoring me. And we were really able to work and coach together. We oversaw players and programs and the relationship really grew into one of peers.” Harris brought his knowledge of the college recruiting and college coaching processes to the Sportime clubs, and has been a key fixture of them since. He now serves as the general manager of Sportime Roslyn and is one of the directors of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. Now, paired up with Kossoff, the two are heading the College Advisory Service
at Sportime. The program will assist and advise kids through the college search and recruiting processes, endeavors that can often become extremely stressful and nerve-racking for kids and parents. The two bring their own respective experiences to the table, which makes them an ideal duo to be heading up a committee on college recruiting. “College coaches are always contacting us to get our opinions on various players. We are obviously deeply involved in Eastern tennis so keeping a rapport with those coaches and players is important for us to understand the details of the college search process,” said Kossoff. “Parents, as well as juniors, don’t really know how the process works, and a lot of the time they use outside consultation. We know the kids personally and how they really play, so it just makes sense that we provide that service here.” Harris and Kossoff know how valuable the college search is. It isn’t just about continued on page 8
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LITennisMag.com • November/December 2015 • Long Island Tennis Magazine
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