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From Showcase Player to College Coach

The Jesus Lucart Story

From Showcase Player to College Coach

In December 2021, over 60 college coaches attended the USP Winter Showcase, one of them was Jesus Lucart, recruiting for Eastern Nazarene University. This was the second time Jesus attended one of our showcases, but the first time, he participated as a Junior Player.

Jesus Lucart was one of the players at our USP Winter Showcase in 2016. 5 years later, he returned to the USP Showcase as an assistant coach from Eastern Nazarene College and a bit after that, he became the head coach. Going from player to coach in the span of 5 years is an amazing feat already and it is magnificent that he revisited the event that allowed him to get to his current career path.

Jesus’ story allowed him to return to the showcase with a different mindset, knowing what it is like to be on the other side. He shared his experience with us as both a player and a coach and gave advice to future players and coaches attending the USP Showcases. Keep on reading to find out more about Jesus Lucart’s story:


USP: Tell us about your background. Where are you from? Where did you grow up?

Jesus: I was born and raised in Valencia, Venezuela and I lived there until I was 17 years old. I started practicing tennis at a young age in my local club. I transitioned to the state’s tennis association at an older age, where I had the opportunity to play regional and national tournaments.

 

USP: Where did you go to college?

Jesus: I started college at Kansas Wesleyan University, and after one year, I decided to transfer school. I decided to go to Eastern Nazarene College to continue playing tennis and finish my bachelor’s in accounting. As a player, I got to play the NCAA national championship and be the tennis captain in 2019-2020.

 

USP: What is your current career choice, and what led you to this choice?

Jesus: I have always been involved with tennis. My passion is to continue to grow in collegiate tennis coaching and help athletes succeed in and outside the tennis court. However, I have experience and a passion for finance and accounting. I am continuing my higher education studies by doing a master’s in management, which I will complete in spring 2023.

 

USP: I understand that you went to one of your Showcases before starting college. What year was it? Tell us a bit of your experience there as a player. What was the reason you went to the showcase and how did you find out about it?

Jesus: In 2016 I had the opportunity to participate in the USP Winter Showcase in Sunrise, FL. Coming from Venezuela, it was hard to interact with coaches because I did not have a recruiting agent at that time. I found out about the showcase through Willy Campos, one of my Coaches and USP scout at that time. The showcase allowed me to play live UTR matches where many coaches got to see me playing. I had the opportunity to interact with them for 2 days. It was the perfect environment for me to start my college search.

 

USP: Now that you are an assistant coach, you returned to our Showcase for recruitment purposes. How does this experience differ from going as a player?

Jesus: Going back as a coach, the showcase experience was totally different. I believe for coaches, this showcase is an excellent tool for recruiting. Getting to watch players in real-time and engaging with them in the college expo makes the recruiting process smoother for us as coaches.

 

USP: Tell us a little bit about your experience there as an assistant coach. After doing a complete circle from player to coach, what advice would you have for other players and coaches?

Jesus: Attending the showcase as a coach last year, I understood how players felt in these types of competitive events because of my past experiences. My advice for players is to be yourself when approaching coaches and engage with all the schools on your list. As coaches, it is hard to know what players are interested in your program, and by reaching out and engaging with more schools your chances of getting recruited increase significantly. One piece of advice for coaches attending this event would be to be welcoming and advise players that show interest in your school even if they do not meet your school’s athletic or academic standards. This experience can be stressful and intimidating for some of the players, so being welcoming and giving players guidance can help these young athletes in their college search.


 

At USP we feel incredibly proud when we see our students succeed as athletes, students, and professionals, but Jesus’ story makes us especially proud. It is a full circle that demonstrates the power of college sports, and how exciting it is to be a part of the transformational journey of being a USP alumni.

 

The USP Team.