University of North Texas Adult Nike Tennis Camp Denton, Texas

It didn’t take Lama long to make an impact.
Lama broke through in 2010, his fourth year of coaching the Mean Green, capturing the program’s first Sun Belt Conference Championship, in a win over No. 49 Florida International. The conference championship earned the team an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament appearance, the first ever in school history. After a loss to Tulsa, North Texas finished its historical season with a 17-7 record.
Lama was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year in 2010 for the team’s accomplishments. The Mean Green finished the year ranked 66th nationally, the first time in program history that a Mean Green tennis team has been ranked postseason.
Lama mentored Madura Ranganathan, who received All-Sun Belt Conference honors. She became the first North Texas tennis player to receive all-conference honors since the Mean Green joined the Sun Belt.
The 2009 season saw Lama coach North Texas to its second-best record all-time at 17-6 with a semifinals appearance in the Sun Belt Tournament. Along the way, the Mean Green picked up victories against UTEP, New Mexico State, UCF, Rice, and Troy.
Lama was also named a finalist for the prestigious Giant Steps Award during 2009. In the fall of 2008, the Mean Green tallied individual wins over national contenders such as LSU, Ohio State, Texas, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, SMU, Rice, and Houston.
Lama led North Texas to a 13-9 record in the spring of 2008, its best record since 1986-87. In 2007, he led the program to its best fall season in history. The Mean Green turned the heads of the nation’s premier programs, notching individual wins over Ohio State, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas Tech and many others in the fall of ‘07.
Lama compiled a dual-meet record of 108-84, including a 57-25 mark in Big Ten play, during his eight-year career as the Illini’s head coach. In addition to leading the school to five NCAA Tournament appearances, his team ranked as high as No. 16 in the nation in the spring of 2004.
North Texas is the third stop in Lama’s collegiate coaching career, also serving as the top assistant at the Univ. of Florida from 1995 to 1998 before taking over at Illinois.
Lama turned the Illinois tennis program around right away, taking the Illini from a ninth-place finish in the Big Ten the year before his arrival to a third-place finish in his first year at the helm. In 2003-04 the Illini went 17-6, posting their best winning percentage since Illinois’ first team went 6-0 in 1975. Additionally, Lama led Illinois to a victory over top-ranked Duke, 4-3, at the UI Atkins Tennis Center in 2003.
Among the other milestones the Illinois women’s tennis program reached under Lama is winning its first-ever NCAA Tournament match in May of 2001.
During Lama’s time at Illinois, he coached the tennis program’s first Big Ten Freshman of the Year, the Rookie of the Year in the Midwest Region, nine All-Big Ten players, four Big Ten Medal of Honor players, 13 ITA Scholar-Athletes and two Academic All-Americans. UI women’s tennis players earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition 42 times under Lama.
While at Florida, he helped lead the Gators to two NCAA titles, three SEC crowns and three undefeated dual-match seasons. Lama was honored for his contribution as the 1997 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year in the South Region.
Prior to Florida, Lama was the Senior Staff Professional at the Van Der Meer Tennis Center in Hilton Head, S.C., where he worked with the elite player development program (for touring pros and top junior players) from 1992-95. A noted teacher and clinician, Lama has worked at tennis camps across the United States, Europe and Asia. He has earned the highest certification level with the USPTR and the USPTA, and is a USTA Certified High Performance Coach.
He was a traveling coach on the WTA tour for several players including two top twenty ranked Amanda Coetzer (South Africa) and Naoko Sawamatsu (Japan). Lama has coached at 12 grand slam events including Wimbledon, U.S Open, Australian Open and French Open.
In his playing career, Lama was the top-ranked player in Nepal from 1989-91 and reached No. 50 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior world singles rankings. He represented his country in several international tournaments, including the Asian Games in Beijing, China in 1990.
The Nepal native attended Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, from 1988-92 and was a two-time Volvo Collegiate All-American in singles (1991-92). He also earned Senior Player of the Year honors in the Midwest Region in 1992 and was ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division III singles. Lama dominated the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference the four years he competed at Luther.
He won the league’s singles and doubles titles and took conference MVP honors all four years of his collegiate career, leading his team to four IIAC titles. Lama put together a career singles record of 104-18 and captured two Rolex Midwest Regionals (1989 and 1991), while advancing to the semifinals of the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championship in 1991. Lama also made three NCAA Tournament apperances. He was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in the fall of 2002.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Luther College in 1992, earning GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors during his time there. He was the recipient of the U.S./Nepal Educational Foundation Scholarship from 1990-92. Lama has traveled in more than 50 countries and is fluent in English, German, Hindi and Nepalese. He has lived five or more years on three continents (Asia, Europe and North America).
Recently, Lama has lent his time and expertise to a unique venture he calls “Project Nepal”. He has helped raise over $12,000 each year to fund the education of 67 orphanage children in his hometown of Nepal (www.supportprojectnepal.com).
Lama is also currently writing a bi-weekly column for Nepalitimes. His column, Game Point, has been well received in his native country and throughout the world for its insight and expertise on the game of tennis and life.
Lama and his wife, Lynne, reside in Corinth with their 10-year-old daughter, Priya and five-year-old son, Siddhartha.