Perfect Timing Helped IUPUI Land Jason Suscha as Women’s Tennis Head Coach

The uncertainty of losing a coach can put a strain on a program. When women’s tennis head coach Marissa Arce left IUPUI for DePaul in the summer, the young roster was anxious. That was until the hire of former Butler head coach Jason Suscha.

 

“Our spirits were kind of down because of the uncertainty we had with the coaching situation,” junior Krystal Grubb said. “With him coming in, putting a fun twist on training, building our confidence right away and attacking our problems head on, we are now very excited and looking forward to putting our hard work to play this season.”

 

Suscha had a successful 15 years at Butler, looking over both the men’s and women’s programs. Under Suscha, the men’s program took home a Horizon League-record nine championships (including five consecutive) while the women finished conference runners-up eight times. He was named Men’s Conference Coach of the Year for the Horizon League five times.

 

It took hard work for Suscha to earn the Butler coaching job but not necessarily a lot of time. 

 

Suscha was a multi-sport athlete at Sheboygan North High School in Wisconsin, playing basketball, football, baseball, hockey, and anything else he could get his hands on. He preferred football and basketball, but began to realize he wasn’t big enough or fast enough to play beyond high school. Suscha turned to tennis, taking lessons the summer before his junior year. He made the varsity team in his first year playing.

 

“Tennis is a real cerebral sport. There’s a lot of ways to win and that really suited me,” Suscha said. “I’m not fast, I’m not tall, but I would say I’m a good thinker. In tennis, it’s a sport where you can get by like that. If you’re smart, you can do it.”

 

He worked hard to learn the game and became pretty good. He earned a scholarship from the University of Evansville, graduating in 1992.

 

Suscha stayed in tennis after college. With help from former coaches, he joined Peter Burwash International to teach the sport around the world. His two assignments were in Hawaii and Doha, Qatar. 

 

He moved back to the Midwest, coaching high school tennis in upper Michigan for two years before moving to Nashville, Tenn. and sleeping on his brother’s couch. Suscha took a volunteer assistant job at Vanderbilt University.

 

After one season of volunteering, Suscha became a paid assistant in his second year. In the middle of that season, head coach Bill Tym resigned, making Suscha the interim head coach. Suscha coached for four matches, winning all of them, before a new coach was brought in. He returned to his job as an assistant for the remainder of the season. 

 

The next year, 1997, Suscha was hired by Butler. He had little experience coaching collegiate tennis to that point but felt prepared thanks to the competition he saw while in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

 

“Our top player [at Vanderbilt] was no. 4 in the country,” Suscha said. “I learned quick what good tennis was. When I got to Butler I was able to bring that experience. That’s why I think we were pretty good.”

 

While Suscha was seeing plenty of success at Butler, the constraints of coaching both the men’s and women’s team was too much for his family that included young children. He estimated to be on the road for 60 days a year, not including recruiting trips in the off-season. While other programs were beginning to separate the two teams, Butler wasn’t at the time.

 

Suscha made the decision to resign. He quickly found another job, becoming the program director of tennis at the Jewish Community Center in Indianapolis. The JCC’s general manager at the time, Ira Jaffe, was the father and father-in-law of players Suscha coached at Butler. Jaffe had been recruiting him even before he resigned.

 

It was the right move for Suscha and his family. He worked at the JCC for seven years and had a positive experience. But as his kids got older and an opportunity to coach college tennis again popped up, Suscha pounced on it.

 

While the old coaching staff is out, Suscha was quick to compliment the IUPUI women’s discipline and routine instilled by the former coaches.

 

“They know what it takes and they do it,” Suscha said. “I’m providing them information, but my mom would always say, ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink it.’ And this group, they’re drinking the water.”

 

Suscha praised his young group, which consists entirely of freshmen and sophomores with the exception of one junior. 

 

“There’s just no external stuff I have to deal with,” Suscha said. “This group is ready to go every day.”

 

The players aren’t afraid to send praise Suscha’s way, either. 

 

“He really wants to see us improve on the court and mainly just have fun, which is very refreshing to hear since a lot of college coaches are result-oriented,” sophomore Sarah Lounsbury said. “I don't think any other applicant would've fit the job as good as Jason.”

 

Suscha’s experience seems to be exactly what the young group needed.

 

“I am not having to reinvent the wheel here. That’s the best part,” Suscha said. “I’m walking into a very good situation. They’re thirsty for knowledge and I’ve got that.”