McHenry East grad Tony Cherone honored at USPTA National High School Coach of the Year

Tony Cherone always had a love for tennis as a young player and accomplished enough to get inducted into the McHenry High School Hall of Fame in 1988.

Cherone was good enough to make NCAA Division II Tennessee-Martin’s team his freshman year in college as a walk-on.

But where Cherone has really made a name for himself in tennis is as a coach. Cherone, who has taught thousands of young players throughout his career, recently was named the United States Professional Tennis Association’s 2023 Laurie Martin High School Coach of the Year, a national honor.

Cherone received the award in Lake Nona, Florida, last month and was honored for his work with Collierville High School in Tennessee. Cherone’s boys team won back-to-back state championships. His girls team made it to the state semifinals and finished 22-4. The girls team produced state singles and doubles champions in 2022.

Cherone is the director of tennis in Collierville, a suburb of Memphis. Included in his duties is managing Parks and Recreation clinics and league, coaching USTA adult men’s and women’s teams, coordinating the USTA Junior Team Tennis programs and coaching at the Collierville elementary, middle and high schools.

“The best thing about receiving the USPTA National High School Coach of the Year is more validation for my players than it is for me,” said Cherone, a 1988 McHenry East graduate. “We’ve all put in hard work over the last 15 years that I’ve been running the school tennis programs in Collierville and our success on and off the court is reflection of that.”

Cherone played one year at Tennessee-Martin and started his coaching career with the Racquet Club of Memphis.

“I really came into my own when I started teaching tennis there,” Cherone said. “It was the premier junior training academy in the Mid-South. I have trained and mentored thousands of players. I have personally trained state, regional and national champions in several age groups, with many receiving college scholarships.

“More importantly, I’ve helped people to learn to love a sport they can play for a lifetime.”

At the ceremony where Cherone was honored, former women’s great Chris Evert received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Peter Lebedevs, who hired Cherone with Racquet Club of Memphis, now is tournament director for the Atlanta Open and Dallas Open. He flew in to surprise Cherone at the ceremony.

“Tony’s success as tennis director for the town of Collierville and his impact on his students’ lives serves as an example of the best high school coaches our association has to offer,” USPTA CEO John Embree said.