Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Before he starts to say what he's about to tell you, Gators men's tennis coach Bryan Shelton has the look of a veteran lecturer in a Coaching 101 class.

Shelton is a straight shooter armed with a calm demeanor. He prefers his teams without drama and conducts his interviews in the same fashion. No, Shelton has not discovered some previously undiscovered secret or a magical formula that suddenly aligns all the stars for a coach, especially one in his 20th season overall and seventh at Florida.

Far from it.

"All these coaches say the same thing,'' he said.

Point, Shelton.

The most notable ambassador in recent years of "the process" is Alabama football coach Nick Saban, who has probably called the same play 1,000 times when trying to explain the Crimson Tide's dominance.

For Shelton and the rest of those who call the Ring Tennis Complex home, "the process" has led to 13 consecutive victories and a No. 2 national ranking. It includes a nuts-and-bolts list of what it takes to build a winner.

Strong recruiting. A healthy team culture. Player buy-in and development. A consistent work ethic. Daily accountability. Tough decisions. Individual evaluations and meetings. An honest real-world approach.

"It's a grind,'' Shelton said. "You've just to keep working and cultivate it. Over time, this is what it looks like."

And it looks good.
 
The Gators (19-2, 11-0) are fresh off a road trip to Saban Country that featured a 7-0 win at Alabama on Friday and a 6-1 victory at Auburn on Sunday that clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season title. Florida can claim the program's first outright SEC regular-season title in 16 years with a home win over No. 18-ranked South Carolina on Sunday.

Since Shelton departed his alma mater (Georgia Tech) in the summer of 2012 and changed sides – Shelton led the Yellow Jackets women's team for 13 years and won a national title in 2007 – he has enjoyed pockets of success and experienced disappointment in Gainesville. The Gators won the SEC Tournament title in 2016. They were knocked out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2015. They made it to the Elite Eight in 2016 and again last season, losing their third match of the season to Texas A&M in a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat with a shot at UF's first Final Four appearance since 2005 within reach.

Those journeys have led to this one, the smoothest of Shelton's tenure.

"We knew our roster was full of high-character guys that had a lot of talent and ability,'' Shelton said. "We don't have to talk chemistry a lot with this group."

Instead, they are rolling toward the postseason, which starts when the SEC Tournament bounces into town for the first time since 2011 later this month. During their 13-game win streak, the Gators have outscored opponents 75-16 and have won 86.4 percent of their singles matches (57-9) in SEC play.

No. 1 singles player Oliver Crawford has won six consecutive matches and is 9-1 in his last 10. Freshman Sam Riffice, who splits time at Nos. 2 and 3 singles, has won 11 in a row. Sophomore Duarte Vale has won 10 in a row and fellow sophomore Andres Andrade has chipped in a 13-6 record between Nos. 2 and 3 singles. Freshman Lukas Greif, who clinched a huge home win over the Aggies on March 31 that put the Gators in the driver's seat in the SEC, has won five in a row and is 8-1 at No. 5 singles in conference play. The team's only two seniors, Alfredo Perez and McClain Kessler, are a combined 10-2 in SEC play. And junior Johannes Ingildsen is 15-3 at No. 4 singles and has a team-high 27 wins overall.

The contributions run deep on and off the court. The chemistry Shelton described was on display for all to see in the win over Texas A&M when the team rushed the court to celebrate the biggest win of the season.

They envision more moments like that one as they chase the ultimate goal of a national title.

"One of the main keys was to keep the crowd engaged,'' Ingildsen said of the win. "We knew it was going to be a long fight. Fighting next to each other, engage each other during the match in between points. I have confidence in everyone on the team."

Crawford is often the tone-setter.

"He's a strong, strong character,'' said Shelton. "I think he would be good if he was playing football. He would be good if he played baseball. I think he would be good in a lot of different arenas. When it's on, this guy starts to roar like a lion."
 
Crawford implored the fans at Linder Stadium to join the celebration after the Texas A&M win. The SEC Freshman of the Year in 2018, Crawford's alpha personality is a good fit on a team with a mixture of international players, local products and out-of-state talent.

Ask Crawford, who is from Spartanburg, S.C., why he chose Florida, and he immediately credits Shelton and his assistants. It was an easy choice.

The team they have assembled validates his decision every day.

"This is a very close-knit team,'' Crawford said. "There's not a single person that one would not go to dinner with or something like that. The team chemistry this year has been at an all-time high."

When the process works, potential produces results. The Gators seek more, which is why part of Shelton's daily message is "we have no time for slack."

Two decades into his coaching career, Shelton is enjoying "the process" as much as ever. In 2019, it has produced a rise toward the top.

"I think this team has really found an identity,'' he said. "It's a hard-working team that likes to compete, and when we compete, we compete with a strong competitive edge that is fueled by passion and desire and just a love for Florida."

Point, Gators.