Oklahoma State University Athletics
The Taylor Perspective – Building a Program, Building a Legacy
January 22, 2024 | Cowboy Tennis
Committed. The one word Oklahoma State men's tennis head coach Dustin Taylor used to describe the 2023-24 Cowboy squad.
"It's just a really cohesive unit of guys that feel safe with one another," Taylor said. "That's not easy, especially in today's time. To let your guard down and trust that the guy to the right of you and to the left of you has your best interest in mind is not easy."
Building a Program
Entering his third season as head coach of the program, Taylor is looking to build on a successful season a year ago.
The Pokes are coming off a 14-win season where they dropped Texas Tech to reach the Big 12 conference semifinal, before overcoming No. 20 Florida in the NCAA tournament.
With an abundance of coaching experience serving as the assistant coach at the University of Virginia prior to accepting the lead position at OSU, Taylor has been a part of plenty of locker rooms. This one, however, feels different.
"This team is as professional and pays attention to detail better than any group I've been a part of," Taylor said. "They have really bought into the holistic approach of developing their mind, their body, as well as their tennis."
With the bigger picture in mind, Taylor believes the tight-knit bond the group has will benefit them in the long run.
"Not one of these guys is making it about themselves," Taylor said. "That's certainly going to be one of the themes this year."
Holding each other accountable in all facets of life is something Taylor also believes to be true of the group.
"I mean, they have a team 3.75 GPA," Taylor said. "I think that says a lot about this group because they put their best into not only tennis, but also their academics. They love to win at everything – win at life."
Leading the Leaders, Taking Accountability
After a tough stretch of matches left OSU at the .500 mark heading into the postseason, Taylor did some reflecting as to how he could have been better.
"I didn't lead the leaders well enough," Taylor said.
Taylor named former Cowboy Chase Ferguson and his new-hire assistant coach Marty Redlicki.
"We had a great senior in Chase Ferguson," Taylor said. "He transferred here for all the right reasons, showed a ton of gratitude, appreciation and pride."
"From my reflection, I did a really poor job of leading Chase to become the best leader of himself and of the team," Taylor said.
"He tried his absolute best," Taylor said. "It wasn't for lack of effort from him, but it was lack of leadership from myself."
Learning from the past is something Taylor is looking to do with his new group of leaders.
Maintaining Consistency
Returning second-year assistant coach, Marty Redlicki, along with all eight eligible players is another piece to the puzzle. Maintaining consistency is key to building a program.
"Guys have really bought into the vision, bought into Oklahoma State and Stillwater and how amazing this place is," Taylor said. "In turn, it really gives them the ability to feel settled, to feel safe with one another."
Keeping everything the same and getting into a routine was a large part of the success the team experienced in the 2023 postseason.
"To have routines and rituals, to have common structure and commonality – again, can only be built with time," Taylor said. "These guys have done their time here in Stillwater, they're all here for the right reasons, they all love it here and everyone has really found their place amongst each other."
Continuing Success
After what many would call a successful season, Taylor and company are not satisfied. Learning from past success is something the team will look to carry over in 2024.
"I'd say by the end, they really understood their identity," Taylor said. "If you look at the Big 12 Championships and the win over Florida, and the match with Arizona, the team really bought into the fact that they're the hardest working team."
Carrying the momentum of their postseason run last year is a must. Winning two matches against top 30 opponents is a major highlight.
"That was a big win for the program and a big win for the guys," Taylor said. "There was a lot of validation, in what they did at the end of the year."
"I think carrying over the belief that they started to feel and create," Taylor said. "I think that started in the fall."
The Locker Room
This roster is a group Taylor is ecstatic about. Adding four freshman, the largest freshman class in the Taylor era, has given a boost to the program.
"They [freshmen] were highly recruited," Taylor said. "I haven't seen a group of freshmen be as close as this group and it brings a lot of youthfulness, excitement and pride to the program."
Continuing with the theme of leadership, Zink, Garcia, Becroft and Leighton Allen are the ones the coaching staff looks to for leadership.
"That's a really special group that's all going to leave their legacy on Cowboy Tennis," Taylor said. "All four of them are well-respected by the underclassmen. We've been building up to this year for a long time and these guys are a key piece to that."
Having a solid glue to the team couldn't be done without Francisco Pini, Alessio Basile and Carl Roothman. The trio makes up a group that the coaching staff will look to for consistency.
"That's the group that really bridges the gap between the youthfulness of the freshman and also the senior leadership that's been through a lot," Taylor said. "Navigating and understanding what role they have is key in those sophomore and junior guys.
Each player plays a large role in how the team operates, and it couldn't be done without every player and coach buying in.
"They've established themselves as having potential to be elite college players," Taylor said. If they stay committed, stay together, the sky is the limit for this group."
"It's just a really cohesive unit of guys that feel safe with one another," Taylor said. "That's not easy, especially in today's time. To let your guard down and trust that the guy to the right of you and to the left of you has your best interest in mind is not easy."
Building a Program
Entering his third season as head coach of the program, Taylor is looking to build on a successful season a year ago.
The Pokes are coming off a 14-win season where they dropped Texas Tech to reach the Big 12 conference semifinal, before overcoming No. 20 Florida in the NCAA tournament.
With an abundance of coaching experience serving as the assistant coach at the University of Virginia prior to accepting the lead position at OSU, Taylor has been a part of plenty of locker rooms. This one, however, feels different.
"This team is as professional and pays attention to detail better than any group I've been a part of," Taylor said. "They have really bought into the holistic approach of developing their mind, their body, as well as their tennis."
With the bigger picture in mind, Taylor believes the tight-knit bond the group has will benefit them in the long run.
"Not one of these guys is making it about themselves," Taylor said. "That's certainly going to be one of the themes this year."
Holding each other accountable in all facets of life is something Taylor also believes to be true of the group.
"I mean, they have a team 3.75 GPA," Taylor said. "I think that says a lot about this group because they put their best into not only tennis, but also their academics. They love to win at everything – win at life."
Leading the Leaders, Taking Accountability
After a tough stretch of matches left OSU at the .500 mark heading into the postseason, Taylor did some reflecting as to how he could have been better.
"I didn't lead the leaders well enough," Taylor said.
Taylor named former Cowboy Chase Ferguson and his new-hire assistant coach Marty Redlicki.
"We had a great senior in Chase Ferguson," Taylor said. "He transferred here for all the right reasons, showed a ton of gratitude, appreciation and pride."
"From my reflection, I did a really poor job of leading Chase to become the best leader of himself and of the team," Taylor said.
"He tried his absolute best," Taylor said. "It wasn't for lack of effort from him, but it was lack of leadership from myself."
Learning from the past is something Taylor is looking to do with his new group of leaders.
Maintaining Consistency
Returning second-year assistant coach, Marty Redlicki, along with all eight eligible players is another piece to the puzzle. Maintaining consistency is key to building a program.
"Guys have really bought into the vision, bought into Oklahoma State and Stillwater and how amazing this place is," Taylor said. "In turn, it really gives them the ability to feel settled, to feel safe with one another."
Keeping everything the same and getting into a routine was a large part of the success the team experienced in the 2023 postseason.
"To have routines and rituals, to have common structure and commonality – again, can only be built with time," Taylor said. "These guys have done their time here in Stillwater, they're all here for the right reasons, they all love it here and everyone has really found their place amongst each other."
Continuing Success
After what many would call a successful season, Taylor and company are not satisfied. Learning from past success is something the team will look to carry over in 2024.
"I'd say by the end, they really understood their identity," Taylor said. "If you look at the Big 12 Championships and the win over Florida, and the match with Arizona, the team really bought into the fact that they're the hardest working team."
Carrying the momentum of their postseason run last year is a must. Winning two matches against top 30 opponents is a major highlight.
"That was a big win for the program and a big win for the guys," Taylor said. "There was a lot of validation, in what they did at the end of the year."
"I think carrying over the belief that they started to feel and create," Taylor said. "I think that started in the fall."
The Locker Room
This roster is a group Taylor is ecstatic about. Adding four freshman, the largest freshman class in the Taylor era, has given a boost to the program.
"They [freshmen] were highly recruited," Taylor said. "I haven't seen a group of freshmen be as close as this group and it brings a lot of youthfulness, excitement and pride to the program."
Continuing with the theme of leadership, Zink, Garcia, Becroft and Leighton Allen are the ones the coaching staff looks to for leadership.
"That's a really special group that's all going to leave their legacy on Cowboy Tennis," Taylor said. "All four of them are well-respected by the underclassmen. We've been building up to this year for a long time and these guys are a key piece to that."
Having a solid glue to the team couldn't be done without Francisco Pini, Alessio Basile and Carl Roothman. The trio makes up a group that the coaching staff will look to for consistency.
"That's the group that really bridges the gap between the youthfulness of the freshman and also the senior leadership that's been through a lot," Taylor said. "Navigating and understanding what role they have is key in those sophomore and junior guys.
Each player plays a large role in how the team operates, and it couldn't be done without every player and coach buying in.
"They've established themselves as having potential to be elite college players," Taylor said. If they stay committed, stay together, the sky is the limit for this group."
Players Mentioned
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/ Cowboy Tennis
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/ Cowboy Tennis
/ Cowboy Tennis
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