Coach Shawn Black begins his 15^th year as Pirates head coach for men’s Tennis and his 1^st year as women’s head coach.  Since then, Coach Black’s teams have won 3 conference titles (which earned him 2 Coach of the Year honors), three top five (NorCal) finishes, and multiple state qualifiers. In 2008 and 2009 the Pirate teams were recognized for earning a 3.1 and 3.3 GPA for the season.  The 2015 season was a special one for number one singles player, Jose Gonzalez.  Jose won the ITA National Award for Most Improved Player of the Year. Coach Black graduated from Beyer High School, and played 2 years of tennis at MJC under long-time coach Jack Bracken. Black transferred to CSU Fresno in 1994 where he went on to complete his Bachelors and Masters of Arts degrees in Kinesiology.  While at Fresno, Black competed in USTA tennis tournaments, and 5.0 leagues for the next 6 years. In 1998, he was awarded the Sportsmanship Award from the Central California Tennis Association.  Coach Black has a long history of teaching and coaching tennis. He coached at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno for 3 years, during which time he helped lead them to two conference championships and two section championships. In 1999 he became a Certified Tennis Teaching Professional through the USPTA. Since then, Coach Black has been teaching private lessons, group lessons, and clinics to all ages. In addition to his coaching duties at MJC, Coach Black continues his role as an Associate Pro at Brenda Athletic Club/Modesto Fitness and Racquet Club, where he has taught since 2000. In 2001, Coach Black was awarded the Associate Pro of the Year for the Central Valley through the USPTA Nor Cal Division. In all, Coach Black has been actively involved in tennis, including teaching, coaching, and competing for over 25 years.