Cohen eager to succeed Davis as Maroons' boys' tennis coach
· Yahoo Sports
Jul. 9—CHAMPAIGN — Greg Cohen is quick to point out the challenge of succeeding Scott Davis as Champaign Central's boys' tennis coach.
But the next leader of the Maroons' program is equally energetic about where the team can go.
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"This is the best program I've walked into," Cohen said.
Cohen — who claimed The News-Gazette's 2026 boys' tennis Coach of the Year award after guiding St. Thomas More to a sectional title and a tie for 11th place in the Class 1A state tournament — would know a thing or two about that.
He was drawn to the Maroons' opening in large part because of his background with public schools. He played at Rock Island before graduating in 1981 and taught and coached at Warren Township for 32 years before retiring in 2019.
His coaching career also began at Central while he was a student at the University of Illinois, when he volunteered with the Maroons' tennis team before spending three years as a coach for Urbana's tennis and basketball teams.
"I loved working for (STM athletic director John) Delaney," Cohen said. "He was great to work for. It just wasn't a real comfortable fit for me because of the public school background I have.
"I'd planned on maybe just volunteering at Centennial or Mahomet-Seymour depending on what happened. And then, I found out that (Scott) Davis was retiring."
Davis has already been a key resource for Cohen, who is nearly done with the onboarding process.
"I know that he was very, very popular," Cohen said, adding that the two had lunch together in early July. "He is one of the nicest people that you can meet."
Making sure Davis feels comfortable dropping by Spalding Park is a top priority for Cohen. Davis will be registered as a volunteer coach in case he'd like to share additional insight after 42 years coaching various Central teams.
"I want him to feel free to come back and be part of this," Cohen said. "I want the kids to see him. If he comes by for a meet, because he's going to be registered as a coach, to be able to talk to the kids during the match."
Among the ideas Cohen has for Central's program are a new shed at Spalding for players to leave equipment, a ring of honor for former Maroons to be enshrined in and a summer camp for players to sharpen their skills.
Cohen is hoping his first summer camp with the Maroons will open on July 14 and conclude on Aug. 6 with an intra-squad tournament. More camps could be on the horizon, as well.
"I'll reach out to the middle schools and get them an offer for free lessons for any boy in third through eighth grade," Cohen said.
"Hopefully we'll get them in a fall camp, and be able to run a fall tennis camp for middle school kids. It helps get kids excited and going."
He's also hoping players fill their closets with Central tennis gear during their time in the program.
"By the time a freshman graduates, my expectation is that they have 15 or 20 Champaign Central Maroons tennis shirts," Cohen said.
While Cohen won't have an official role with Central's girls' program — Davis passed those coaching responsibilities along to Kida Ferrari — he is committed to offering support during the fall season.
"We're going to have a couple tailgates for the girls' matches," Cohen said. "And get some pizza (and) come here, have some fun with each other, and then watch and cheer on the girls."
Cohen spent several seasons at Mundelein after retiring from Warren Township before taking over at St. Thomas More prior to the 2025 season.
His time with the Mustangs gave him the opportunity to cross paths with Sohum Gurrapu, who figures to play a key role for the Maroons as a junior in 2027.
"He used to coach at Mundelein and they used to come over at Atkins and play," Gurrapu said.
"So, I've known him for a good amount of time. We have a good relationship, so I'm pretty excited to keep that going with this next year."
Gurrapu — who placed sixth in the Class 2A state doubles tournament with Daniel Canivez in May — will be joined by Joshua Kim and Elijah Su on Cohen's first Central team.
"Coach Davis has done a lot for us," Gurrapu said. "But we're going to have Coach Cohen, and we're definitely excited for that.
"He's done some great stuff with Hunter (Madigan) and St. Thomas More. So, I'm thinking he's going to bring a new perspective to our team, and he's going to be a great fit for us."