Last season, North Central placed eighth in the Shirley division, bumping them down to the Buckely this season. The Shirley/Buckley is a North Central hosted event.
Riley plans to have his team get better every day to make these goals a reality.
“Every ball has intent, that’s why we hit. Everything we do out on the court there is intent,” Riley said. “If we look at the banners and see all 21 of our state championships, that’s what we are playing for, the past, the present, and the future.”
The program is built on culture and Riley believes it starts with the seniors. Team captains Kyle Burch and Charlie Strochota play a big role in helping lead the team and build the culture that Riley wants.
“He [Coach Riley] is wanting us to help everyone get at least 1% better everyday. We are trying to motivate the team to go further, push harder, and get everything done the right way,” senior Kyle Burch said.
Riley believes that success will come with working hard everyday at practice and establishing a sense of family that the tennis team needs. Doing activities together along with team bonding is what the team does to establish their family.
“This is very much a family, we all look out for eachother…We do things together. When one messes up, it costs us all. When one has success it’s success for all of us. So we very much celebrate things, even individual successes as team successes, individual failures are our team failures, and we live and die with each other,” Riley said.
Riley does not just want to be a coach for the students playing tennis, he wants to be a mentor, another parent. Consistency, compassion, and connecting with the community is what Riley believes makes a good coach.
“Parents would come up and thank me. They were amazed by how well their kids have matured and the young men and women that they’ve developed into,” Riley said. “When you hear those stories, it has nothing to do with wins and losses on the courts, but it’s what kind of people we help develop.”North Central Tennis is one of the most successful programs in the state. The program has accumulated 21 state championships and is looking for the 22nd. Current head coach Matt Riley takes pride in the team’s sportsmanship and culture.
Riley started playing tennis at six years old. He played four years on varsity at Speedway High School before playing club tennis at Indiana University.
Riley has been coaching tennis at the high school level for 44 seasons and at North Central specifically for 14. Before coming to North Central, Riley coached at Speedway High School for 30 seasons.
“I love North Central. This has always been the premiere program in the state, this is the place that people aspire to be. This is where you want to be, and as far as I’m concerned this is the best school in the state,” Riley said.
After seven years of teaching at North Central Riley decided to go teach at Fishers High School to better support his family. Riley is continuing to coach the tennis team here at North Central because he truly loves it.
“I love the program, I love the kids, I love the people. It’s the best job in the state,” Riley said.
The goals for this season are to win sectionals, win the Buckley, and get back into the Shirley. The Shirley/Buckley invitational consists of 16 teams from around Indiana. The top eight teams compete in the Shirley division and the bottom eight teams compete in the Buckley division.
