Inside the north concourse of the University of Idaho Kibbie Dome, Daniel Hangstefer stares at a screen.
In a small office located just feet away from where hundreds of UI students file in for Vandal football games, the newest head coach of Idaho men’s tennis obsessively reviews footage of player technique — all part of the job that usually keeps him in the Dome from early in the
morning to late at night.
That’s the only way to continue building a successful program, Hangstefer said, who took over a Vandal team with five straight Big Sky championships.
“My hope is that I can continue to build off that and take that talent we have and turn it into a machine,” he said. “A machine that wins, not just in the conference, but on a national level.”
Hangstefer, a Moscow resident for a mere six weeks, said his new aggressive outlook on the already successful Idaho team comes from his family background.
The fifth of six children, Hangstefer said a competitive nature was ingrained into his fiber from an early age, which manifested itself both on and off the court.
“I always have that desire to keep competing with my siblings,” he said “Everything from board games to the court, we’re very competitive.”
That competitive nature has already begun paying dividends, he said. In mid-October, junior Guilherme Scarpelli placed in the ITA Regional Semifinals.
Hangstefer wasn’t the only one in his family to catch the coaching bug out of college. His sister, Katie Mancebo, serves as the head tennis coach of Converse College in South Carolina. All six of the Hangstefer children, he said, were given a chance to prove themselves on the court.
“It was easier for all six of us to just be in one sport,” he said.
The fifth head coach in Idaho’s history, Hangstefer began coach- ing straight out of college. After graduating from Lipscomb University, he served as an assistant coach for Midwestern State, before hopping around the southern and midwestern United States, brining success to nearly every program he coached.
Besides coaching, Hangstefer said he also dabbled in competitions, earning gold medals in both the Deaflympics and the World Deaf Championships. He competed with his sister in mixed doubles, and the pair at one point ranked No. 1 in the world for mixed doubles deaf tennis, according to a UI news release.
However, Hangstefer said his reliance on hearing aids has yet to impede his coaching ability, save for the occasional windy day. The 31-year-old coach said during his short tenure in Moscow, he has already observed impressive potential from the players he inherited from former head coach Abid Akbar. One of those players, senior Lucas Coutinho, said he had little trouble adapt- ing to the detail-oriented coaching style of Hangstefer.
“They are both very good coaches, but they just have different perspectives and styles,” Coutinho said. “I think Coach Daniel is very tough on the court, which helps us stay motivated and keep pushing ourselves to get better every day.”
Abid, meanwhile, decided to part with the university and pursue a professional playing career, Idaho announced over the summer. He leaves his brother, Babar Akbar, as three-year head coach of the women’s team.
“He talked to us personally and individually, explained to us what happened,” he said. “He had new goals for his personal life and we understand. I think we are in good hands with Daniel.”
Now, with just a year left as a Vandal, Coutinho said he looks forward to competing against conference opponents while also trying to elevate the program onto the national stage.
“There’s a lot of talent. They know how to win,” Hangstefer said. “It’s nice being able to come into a program like that. There’s a lot of room for improvement at the same time. I know that the guys are excited about the vision I have for the program.”
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected]