Jon Betts returns to alma mater as McHenry girls tennis coach

Longtime girls/boys tennis coach Jon Betts let Jacobs athletic director Jason Ziols know last fall that the 2024 season would be his last one leading the girls after 20 years.

Betts’ oldest daughter, Grace, is an incoming freshman at McHenry, and he wanted to make sure he’d get a chance to watch her play over the next four years. Betts’ youngest daughter, Claire, will be a freshman with the Warriors the year after.

“I kind of just wanted time to be dad and go watch some matches,” said Betts, whose family lives in McHenry, about three-quarters of a mile from the McHenry High School tennis courts.

Betts, with his mind made up but still thinking of ways to stay involved, approached McHenry coach Kyle Funkhouser when their teams met during the season and offered to help out as a volunteer assistant – that way he could continue coaching and watch his daughters compete.

To Betts’ surprise, Funkhouser was in a similar situation. Funkhouser also wanted to free up some time in the fall to watch his daughter, Kelsey, play on Wauconda’s girls soccer team.

As it turned out, the timing was just right.

Earlier this spring, Betts was named the McHenry girls tennis coach. He will continue to lead Jacobs’ boys in the spring while Funkhouser will continue his role as McHenry boys coach.

Georgia Redmond, a Crystal Lake South graduate (Class of 2016) who went on to play tennis at McHenry County College and Judson University, is replacing Betts as Jacobs’ girls coach.

Not only will Betts get a chance to coach his two daughters in high school, he also will return to his alma mater. Betts graduated from McHenry in 2001, where he played tennis and soccer. Betts went on to compete in both sports at NCAA Division III Knox College in Galesburg.

Gary Myers, Betts’ former coach at McHenry and current school counselor, will be a volunteer assistant for Betts. Betts said it was Myers who gave him his first racket.

It’s one of many personal ties that Betts has with the school and community.

“I love the community, I’ve been here my whole life,” said Betts, who was named the 2017 U.S. Professional Tennis Association’s High School Coach of the Year. “Seeing everything that it’s grown into these last few years with all they’ve invested in the school is really exciting for me, both as a coach coming in but also as a parent. My kids have had such great experiences at all of the McHenry schools.

“It’s a really neat environment with a lot of people I’ve had relationships with for a long time, and I’m really excited to be a part of that.”

During his time at Jacobs, Betts helped the Eagles win more than a dozen Fox Valley Conference and sectional titles.

While he hopes to bring more winning to McHenry, his larger goal is giving athletes a chance to grow in the sport.

“My biggest thing is providing opportunity for my players,” Betts said. “In my 20 years [at Jacobs], I’ve found it’s not how much I can push a player, it’s how much I can help them find that motivation, that determination and that love for the sport where they want to take ownership and go on that path themselves.

“McHenry girls tennis has had a tough run the last few years, and I know that we’re going to have a challenging fall, but my big goals right now are being a tough out in every match ... understanding how to lose properly, to learn from your losses and how to be a great competitor and have the courage to win. That’s one of those things that players don’t really think about. It takes a lot to put yourself out there.”

Betts has already met Warriors’ players and ran camps and clinics.

“As soon as things were finalized, I reached out as soon as I could and started setting up some hit-arounds in the spring, some charity things, tennis clinics, and then our summer camp,” Betts said. “Just trying to get the girls out on the court as much as possible.”

Betts, of course, got approval from his daughters to be their coach – in addition to dad.

“My kids are far better human beings than I’ll ever be,” said Betts, who also has a son, soon-to-be seventh-grader Henry, with wife Stephanie. “They’ve always been supportive of me, and I know they’ll be fantastic representatives for McHenry tennis.

“I can’t wait to work with them both in orange and black, especially with all the work they’ve put in this summer.”