ON THE RECORD: WITH GORDIE ERNST; Ernst discusses plans for turnaround of M. Tennis

A graduate of Brown where he was a two-sport star in hockey and tennis, Ernst's job with the Quakers will be his first as a collegiate head coach. After arriving on campus this summer, Ernst met with Summer Pennsylvanian Sports Editor Rick Haggerty to discuss his plans for the men's tennis program and his feelings on his new position. SP: How does it feel to be back in the Ivy League? Gordie Ernst: It feels great to be back in the Ivy League. It'll be great to work with so many unique individuals. SP: How will you feel the first time you face your alma mater Brown? GE: It'll be strange when we face them up there. Playing at Brown will just bring back feelings of when I played. They have a new coach now. I won't have any feelings of remorse when we beat up on them. I plan on being a total Penn guy. DP: Coming from a successful Northwestern team, what will be your approach in coaching a team that finished with a 9-13 record last year? GE: It's certainly going to be a challenge. But I plan on working with them to improve. When I played at Brown in the '80s, we beat up on Northwestern. Now, Northwestern would beat Brown without breaking a sweat. DP: What are your goals for this Penn team? GE: My goals this year would be to finish right at the top of the Ivies, to finish in the top three. To make it fun for a kid, first of all, and then, as a team, to finish in the top three in the Ivies. DP: How do you plan on improving the record and the reputation of the Penn tennis team? GE: By making it a place where it's not a work environment, where it's not work to them. They're excited to come out and practice their game, but more excited to compete. I just know that from my experience as a player I'm going to be a player's coach. I like what [basketball star] Reggie Miller said about Larry Bird in The Chicago Tribune -- that he's a player's coach. That's how I want my players to know me. I've been through everything they've been through and I can really identify with what their needs are as an Ivy League student. DP: Do you think it will be different coaching in the Ivy League as opposed to the Big 10? GE: Yeah, I think it will be. You have a slightly different approach. Northwestern is an exceptional school, as all the Big 10 schools are good schools. It's just that you're going to have kids here who maybe have more interests away from the game. You certainly have an eccentric kid that comes to play in the Ivies, so it'll be different in the Ivies. WithHarvard and Princeton, it'll almost be very similar in talent to the Big 10. DP: How does your experience as a player help in coaching? GE: I know exactly what they're going through. I can empathize with the workload of school coupled with when you have a game coming up. I think for a sport like tennis, that is such a mental game too -- not just a physical one -- I'll be able to add the most value, because I know exactly what these kids are going through. I want to add that playing hockey has really helped my approach in dealing with a team. A lot of tennis players come in and they don't really understand the full value of team. I think that's where coming from a hockey background, the team is so important. Placing the team ahead of yourself -- thinking team first, individual second. SP: What are your feelings on being a first-time college head coach? GE: It's a great feeling. Right now, it's a very competitive business. A lot of guys are coming off the pro circuit who want to coach.