Jeff Puhan enters his third season leading the Saint Joseph's men's and women's tennis programs after coming to Hawk Hill in January 2024.
"I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to begin my collegiate coaching career here at Saint Joseph's," Puhan said upon his appointment. "I am thankful and humbled by the belief that [the SJU administration has] in me and my vision for this tennis program."
Puhan spent nearly two decades as the head tennis professional at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, where he also served as the director of junior tennis. He then spent nine years directing camps and coaching individual athletes while helping place young players with collegiate programs.
Since 2018, Puhan has run Puhan Personalized Tennis Programs, where he has continued working with young players pursuing collegiate opportunities while also creating programs for elite players and directing tournaments at both the amateur and professional levels.
During his time working with former Hawk head coach Ian Crookenden at PCC, Puhan created a clinic structure to carry students from the youngest age groups all the way through to the collegiate level, expanding the size of the program more than five-fold over the course of his tenure.
Puhan has organized countless tournaments at all levels, including a pro-am event featuring tennis legends Rod Laver, Stan Smith, and Virginia Wade, and both the ITF/USTA International Grass Court Championships and the ITF Senior World Championship. He has also directed camps and coached juniors in South America as well as assisting with World Team Tennis practices for professional players such as Grand Slam champions Pete Sampras, Bob Bryan, and Lisa Raymond.
"This is a homecoming for me, and I'm excited about the future on Hawk Hill and promise that we will put a product on the courts that reflects all of what St. Joe's represents," Puhan said.
A 1993 graduate of Ferris State, Puhan helped lead the Bulldogs to a series of top-15 national finishes in Division II, including a final ranking of sixth in 1989.
