MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A lot of times, particular in college, sports teams can form themselves around the identity of their coach.
It doesn't happen every time, for myriad reasons. Player personalities, skill level, just overall team chemistry, etc. But when it does, it's really something to behold.
From the moment I set foot on MTSU's campus, the Blue Raider team that I thought best demonstrated that specific dynamic was the men's tennis team under head coach Jimmy Borendame. Maybe it was just because their locker room and practice courts are right beside our office, so I'd run into them more than perhaps any team in those early summer months, but the players on that team seemed to reflect the best parts of Coach Borendame: passionate, focused on details, charismatic and, perhaps most importantly, willing to have fun.