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GEORGE HUSACK - HEAD COACH

When he assumed the role of head coach for the Crimson Tide men's tennis team in 2012, George Husack had a vision to instill a winning mentality in Tuscaloosa and bring Alabama to national prominence. After only months at the reigns, Husack had the Tide back in the NCAA Championship tournament.

"My vision for this program is to be a championship contender, not only on the conference stage but also on a national stage," says Husack. "I want to create a culture, a standard. I'm going to be instilling my own thing. I'm used to competing on the last day of the season. I want these guys to experience competing and winning on the last day of the season."

Alabama (2012-present)

  • Enters the 2023-24 season with 140 dual match wins, including 93 victories at the Alabama Tennis Stadium
  • Coached UA to a historic season in 2018, reaching the Round of 16 at the NCAA Tournament. After upsetting No. 23 (No. 2 seed) Tulane 4-1 in the first round of the Tallahassee Regional, No. 3 seed Alabama moved on to only its fourth Sweet 16 appearance in program history after defeating No. 11 and host Florida State, 4-2. The Tide finished the season with 20 wins, marking only the 10th team in UA history to do so.
  • The Tide’s historic season (2018) did not end after team championships, as junior All-American Mazen Osama became the first Alabama player to make it to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Singles Championships and then topped it by advancing to the quarterfinals
  •  Patrick Kaukovalta and Mazen Osama finished the 2019 season as the national runner-up finish at the NCAA Doubles Championships, marking the first time that UA has sent someone to the championship doubles match  
  • The Tide has earned a berth to seven NCAA Doubles Championships under Husack
  • During Husack’s tenure, Alabama has tallied nine All-American honors as Mazen Osama (2018) was named a singles honoree, while Jarryd Botha and David Vieyra (2013), Becker O’Shaughnessey and Daniil Proskura (2014), Mazen Osama and Korey Lovett (2016) and Osama and Patrick Kaukovalta (2019) were named doubles honorees  
  • UA has earned 22 SEC accolades since 2012
  •  Filip Planinsek highlighted the end-of-year honors, earning SEC Freshman of the Year, while the program has earned four SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades under Husack with both Daniil Proskura (2013, 2014) and Edson Ortiz (2020, 2021) securing the award twice
  • Planinsek finished his rookie campaign (2022) as the second-highest ranked freshman in the country at No. 27 and the only freshman from the SEC to hold an end-of-year ranking
  • Husack has led Alabama to four team berths to the NCAA Tournament including four consecutive appearances between 2019-21, after the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the COVID pandemic
  • Mazen Osama’s No. 8 national finish in 2018 set a program record while Osama and Patrick Kaukovalta earned a program-best No. 4 ranking
  • Daniil Proskura (2014) and Alexey Nesterov (2020) were named CSC (CoSIDA) Academic All-District honorees as Proskura went on to earn an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

Southern California (2009-12)

  • Husack, the 2012 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year, joined the Tide after having spent the three seasons as associate head coach for the four-time defending national champion University of Southern California
  • In his role with the Trojans, he was responsible for coaching, player development and recruiting
  • As a team, USC compiled an 85-6 overall record throughout his tenure and had four individuals earn a combined 10 All-America honors under his watch
  • Husack also helped train and motivate one of the most decorated players in collegiate tennis, Steve Johnson, who won back-to-back NCAA Singles Championships and amassed 72 consecutive singles victories

Illinois (2007-09)

  • Husack spent two seasons as associate head coach at Illinois
  • While at Illinois, Husack helped the Illini to two straight trips to the NCAA Round of 16 while coaching student-athletes that attained top-10 rankings nationally in both singles and doubles
  • As with USC, his primary responsibilities included player development and recruiting

Santa Clara (1995-07)

  • Husack assumed the reins of head coach at Santa Clara in 2002 after having served as an assistant since 1995
  • Throughout his tenure as head coach, he built a program that reached many milestones including the highest national singles and doubles rankings in school history, a program record for most team wins in a single season as the Broncos went 20-8 in 2007, 19 All-West Coast Conference singles and doubles selections and 14 All-WCC All-Academic and ITA Scholar-Athlete honorees

Professional Career

  • Husack spent two seasons competing professionally on the International Tennis Federation and United States Tennis Association tours
  • In addition to his professional experiences in tennis, Husack spent time in the business sector serving as a plan specialist for Franklin Mutual Fund, an operations analyst for Wells Fargo and Director of Marketing and Corporate Partnerships in athletics at Santa Clara

College and Personal Information

  • A native of San Mateo, Calif.
  • Earned his bachelor's degree in finance from San Diego State in 1991, while later attaining an MBA in marketing from the University of San Francisco in 1995
  • As a member of the San Diego State men's tennis team, he served as team captain as a senior and helped the Aztecs attain the program's first top-25 national ranking
  • Husack and his wife Kristina have three children: Nina and twins Grant and Greta

EZEQUIEL GILS - ASSISTANT COACH

2023-24: UAB Head Coach

  • Served as the head coach of the UAB Blazers for the 2023-24 season
  • 2024-25 recruiting class ranked No. 15 nationally among mid-majors
  • Coached the doubles pairing of Carlos Gimenez Perez and Juan Pablo Valdez at the ITA Fall National Championships
  • Concluded the regular season with three-straight wins

2020-23: Alabama Volunteer Assistant Coach

  • Served as a volunteer assistant coach at Alabama for three seasons (2020-23)
  • Alabama recorded 35 wins during his time as a volunteer assistant coach
  • Helped coach Filip Planinsek to ITA Rookie of the Year honors in 2022 as Planinsek finished the season as the second-highest ranked freshman in the country at No. 27 and the only freshman from the SEC to hold an end-of-year ranking
  • Planinsek also earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors, first honoree in program history, as he put together a team-leading 22 singles wins and team-leading 22 doubles wins
  • Alabama totaled four All-SEC honorees during his first three years with the Tide
  • Patrick Kaukovalta and Riccardo Roberto advanced to the 2021 NCAA Doubles Tournament, while Edson Ortiz qualified for the singles draw

2019-20: Volunteer Assistant Coach at Rice
2015-19: Cedar Bluff Racquet Club

  • Recruited and trained junior players at the Knoxville, Tennessee club
  • Led an 18A Junior Team Tennis team that finished seventh at nationals

2015: Tennessee Wesleyan

  • Began his college coaching career with the Bulldogs
  • There, he assisted with match coaching, led practices, and recruited players, including an NAIA All-American athlete

2012-15: As a Collegiate Athlete

  • Began his collegiate career at Tennessee Tech where he was a member of the 2012 OVC regular season champions before transferring to Tennessee Wesleyan in 2014
  • Was a two-time NAIA All-American at Tennessee Wesleyan, earning back-to-back All-America honors
  • Finished senior season with a 17-0 mark in singles and an 18-2 record in doubles, and was named the AAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year in 2015
  • A two-time team captain, Gils was named to the Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete Team as a senior and named Tennessee Wesleyan's Most Representative Male Student.
  • While in college, he coached at the Hugo Armando Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida where he worked with a number of players, including 2018 Australian Open junior champion Sebastian Korda

SEBASTIAN VILE - GRADUATE ASSISTANT COACH

Sebastian Vile joined the Alabama men’s tennis coaching staff on January 10, 2023 as a graduate assistant coach.

“Excited to have Sebastian (Sebo) join our staff,” Husack said. “We recruited him as well as faced him in dual matches so we had a solid understanding of who he was and what he was all about. Sebo was a tenacious competitor at both Minnesota and Wisconsin, and has great character, focus and drive. He loves college tennis and wants to give all he has to the student-athletes that are experiencing something that he valued so much. He’s a great fit and I’m confident he will contribute immediately to our program.”

“I am so thankful to Coach Husack and his staff for the incredible opportunity to be a part of the Alabama family. I cannot wait to learn from one of the most experienced and successful coaches in college tennis. It’s an honor to be a part of the University of Alabama athletics department with its storied excellence and success. I’m extremely motivated to help our players become the best tennis players, and the best people, they can be. I’m beyond excited to help the team compete for our great fans in Tuscaloosa and reach our goals! Roll Tide!”