Photo is of the 1997-98 Portland men's tennis team. Quang Nguyen is back row, second from the right

Portland men's tennis head coach Aaron Gross will be reaching out to alumni of the program with a running question-and-answer feature for PortlandPilots.com. Coach Gross recently caught up with Quang Nguyen (1997-01), who graduated from Portland with a major in business with an emphasis in marketing and management.
 
"Quang was on the very first team I coached," Gross said. "He was a very versatile player. He was small, but had a great serve motion. He played a big game off of the ground and could volley well. Those first teams I coached were mainly guys from the PNW. Quang was a Tigard High School grad and had come on strong later in his high school years. I remember the very first year that I coached I was pretty tough on the guys. I really wanted to build a culture of toughness and hard work. We lost a lot of matches that first year and I know I pushed Quang harder than he was expecting, but I really felt Quang was an exceptional talent and didn't really know just how good he was.

"Over the next four years he played some at the top of our singles and doubles line-up. He was and is an unsung hero in helping form the culture in the program of which I am really proud. As a young coach, I probably pushed that culture harder earlier on and with less patience then I would if I was in the same situation now, but Quang was a trooper. He fought through challenges and is a very important cog in the wheel of UP tennis.

"It is great to see how successful so many of our alumni have been in their careers and Quang is no exception. He is a much respected real estate agent in the area and has a beautiful young family. If Quang, Lars Anderson, Joe and Nick Tostenrude, Jeff Nunnenkamp, Nathan Roach, Cristian Dumitru and many others of those early teams don't know how directly related they are to the where we currently are as a program, I hope they read this. Because we would not be where we are today without those guys paving the road."


What would you like people to know about your family at this point in your life?

I couldn't ask for a better, more supportive and caring family! I'm talking both immediate and extended! I've been married for almost six years now to my beautiful wife, Judy, and we have a wonderful little boy, who's almost four named Tyler, our only child. It's been a blessing and hands down the most thrilling and gratifying chapter in our lives to have and raise a child. Never a dull moment and keeps us on our toes, at all times.


What is your current occupation?

Full time Realtor. I am the Principal Broker and owner of my real estate company, Premier Trust Realty, LLC. Operating in both Oregon & Washington.


What is your fondest tennis memory at UP?

There were so many great memories, but if I had to choose one, I'd say it would have to be our long road trips to out of state matches. It was a great time to really get to know each and every teammate and coach Aaron personally. I built some great friendships, some that have last to this day, from the connections we had established through these trips. Spending 6-7 or so hours on the road, you really get to know a lot about your teammates – good, bad, funny, sad and more! And the comradery that we established by moments off the tennis court is what really helped propel many great moments on the court.
 
 
What is your fondest memory about UP in general?

In general, I would have to say the whole independent nature of being in college. You learn a lot when you are on your own most of the time. Juggling your studies, tennis, work, classes, friends, parties, etc. can be an eye opening experience! No parents around can make you grow up real quick! Or not! Ha ha.

 
What do you miss most about your college tennis experience?

I really missed the overall team environment of college tennis and the comradery we all shared. Tennis can be a very lonely sport, most of the time, but when you have support and the enthusiasm from your coach, teammates/close friends, it becomes very exciting. I also miss the competition! Till this day, there's still nothing like the feeling of competing and winning. Or losing for that matter! Either way, just being out there is a great feeling, something I hope to try to have again.


If you could give advice to an 18-year-old entering the University of Portland as a tennis player now, what would it be?
 
Be prepared to take in everything, work hard and most importantly enjoy the moment! It goes away fast. Also soak in everything coach Aaron has to say. In the end, you will be thankful.


Are there aspects of your professional life that your experiences as a Division I athlete differentiate you? Maybe give you an advantage over someone who didn't compete at that level as an athlete?
 
Yes, as an athlete at the Division I level, you must endure hard work and discipline that's most likely going to be at a higher degree than your average person. You must also learn, and quite often, to take the good from the bad, such as learning from mistakes/losses and some possible failures. The advantage, for me, comes at times in my professional life where things aren't always going according to plan and requires an extra push or a different approach to make things happen. Owning and operating my own company, there have been numerous mistakes along the years that I have had to chalk up as learning experiences. Some costly, some just simple logistics. Overall, there has been much trial and error and learning from others (just as an athlete learning from coaches and other athletes) who have more experience and have done it better, smarter and/or more efficiently.


Do you have a story that you can share that you and your ex-teammates still talk about and laugh when you get together?
 
Yes, there were few occasions on our road trips, as well as in our hotel rooms, where we would have some epic spit wad fights. That was always laughable, especially when one teammate – won't name names (but he's from Greece!!! Hint hint!!), got ambushed by all of us in his bathroom, which I believe he thought he locked! What a great moment for all of us since this individual was always the instigator, hahaha! Great times!


Any final thoughts?
 
Just want to say thank you to coach Aaron Gross, all other coaching staff and all my ex-teammates and good friends for all the great memories and wonderful life learning and relevant experiences throughout my time at UP and beyond! Also would especially like to thank my parents, Minh and Ninh Nguyen, for all their love and support leading up to and throughout my time at UP, and still to this day. Without their incredible efforts and countless hours of driving me back and forth to tennis practice and tournaments, UP wouldn't have even been a possibility.