Holy Spirit turns to former star Mark Nigalan to breathe new life into tennis programs

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher In an effort to breathe some new life into its boys and girls tennis programs, Holy Spirit High School has activated its time machine and brought back one of the most successful players in school history to be its new coach for both programs. Mark Nigalan, a 1991 Holy Spirit graduate, signed on to be the new boys coach a few months ago to help bring back the program that he made a name for himself in, and recently agreed to coach the girls squad this fall as well. During his high school career, Nigalan was the top-ranked player in New Jersey, and from 1989-91 was ranked in the top 10 in the country. In 1990, he was an Olympic Festival team member and also a national indoor champion. His list of accolades also includes being a four-time all-conference player while at West Virginia, and from 1992-93 he was ranked in the top 10 among national amateurs. He also was voted as one of the best New Jersey tennis players of the century for the 1900s. Mark Nigalan was a two-time state singles finalist during his days at Holy Spirit, and these days runs the Mark Nigalan Tennis Academy throughout Atlantic County. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) These days, Nigalan runs the Mark Nigalan Tennis Academy at various locations throughout Atlantic County, and said he is excited about the opportunity to get back into the high school game. He said hopes he can be part of the revitalization that Holy Spirit has been enjoying since its 50th anniversary last year. “I was officially hired as the boys coach about two months ago and I’ve been running my Mark Nigalan Tennis Academy at Holy Spirit ever since. So I have full autonomy at the courts,” said Nigalan, 42. “This is a unique opportunity. A few years ago, enrollment for an incoming freshman class was about 77, whereas when I graduated we had about 380. But just recently a bunch of alumni have been donating money. They have retention walls, LED signs, they re-did the boys locker room for the football team. They have landscapers in there every other week, the put in beautiful flowers, they are planting trees. “I haven’t coached a high school team. Obviously, I’ve played at the highest level. I was top 10 in the country, on the Olympic festival team. So the level was world class.” Nigalan’s racquet is retired at Holy Spirit, and he has played in tournaments with such tennis greats as Michael Chang, Pete Sampras and the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus. So, the pedigree is there. The challenge, he said, will be to bring his knowledge to the high school level in ways that teenagers will not only respond to, but embrace. “My focus has always been striving for high performance. I believe that with high performance you can breed success. I strive to be the best and always want to win. But I can adapt well and I know I’m going to have to change gears at times. I know the number of kids playing at an elite level is a small amount, so I have to be able to relate to the girls on JV just as much as the No. 1 girl,” Nigalan said. “I enjoy working with the kids, that’s first and foremost. Using my life experiences and using tennis as a platform for them. When you come to my tennis academy we are always laughing and having a good time, but when it’s time to get focused and serious, regardless of your level, it’s time to work. I try to put a nice balance in there. It’s going to be a new challenge. It’s going to be cool, for sure. The goal is to create options for these kids and create something that they enjoy being a part of.” Nigalan said the great thing about the sport of tennis is that many of the student-athletes who play are great students and can analyze situations quickly and adapt, skills that are critical in a fast-moving sport. “(Athletic Director Jay) Connell said ‘you’re in the kid business.’ Wins are great, but you are there to keep these kids off the streets, keep them busy with activities and create a culture of success,” Nigalan said. “Tennis players, statistically, are some of the most intelligent athletes out there when it comes to problem solving, and that relates to school and life. You are out there by yourself, so it’s critical thinking and decision making, and can you adapt? Those are qualities in life that you have to have.” One of the biggest challenges Nigalan faces is actually creating a boys team. Recently there hasn’t been enough interest on the boys side to even field a team, so Nigalan said he has been hard at work not only drumming up interest, but trying to raise funds through alumni and local business owners to spruce up the courts at the school, host tournaments, anything he can think of that will draw attention to the tennis programs at Holy Spirit. For the fall girls season, he should be in pretty good shape. The Spartans usually have a pretty good team and have a tradition of turning out solid players. “It will be a challenge, for sure. I’ve coached the No. 1 player there, Julia Dalzell. So we’ll have a good player there. But I don’t have a single boy (for next spring),” Nigalan said. “The girls have always had a winning tradition, so my goal is to hopefully build the program to the point where people want to play for me. I have six or seven kids who are planning to go to Holy Spirit who are currently ranked in New Jersey in middle states.” How quickly Nigalan can return the Spartans to a top quality team in the Cape-Atlantic League — on both the girls and boys side — remains to be seen. But Nigalan said he is excited about the opportunity and is enjoying “coming home”, so to speak. “Taking over at the school where my racquet is retired is kind of cool,” Nigalan said. “I had more than 100 wins and was a state finalist twice.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]