The Daily News caught up with Max Norris, the new women’s tennis coach at Ball State. The team is currently 4-1, with the one loss coming from Kentucky. One of Ball State’s four wins came against Michigan State, a team that defeated it last season.
Norris spent last season as an assistant coach at Alabama. From 2009-10, Norris was a student manager with the Ball State men’s team.
Q: What’s your go-to meal to eat after a match or practice?
A: If it was a home match, and a long day, I would probably go to Mancino’s. I think Mancino’s is great. I think their service is excellent. I think the people there are very pleasant. It’s just an easy location — it’s on the way back to my apartment. I’m actually going to take my team there after a couple matches. But my go-to food is Mexican food.
Q: What’s your favorite Mexican dish?
A: Wow. Steak quesadilla, chicken quesadilla, veggie quesadilla. The Combo 20 at Puerto [Vallarta] is amazing. Puerto’s is amazing. I like their guacamole, salsa and shredded cheese.
Q: What was your childhood nickname?
A: Mad Max or Maxident, like accident.
Q: What was your first tennis memory?
A: I played with Colin Purcell [former tennis player at Georgia] and his dad. They were my next-door neighbors and they took me to these tennis courts right outside our neighborhood. They taught me how to play. I was really impatient, I was so competitive [and] I would get really upset at myself. His dad was really nice to me and really calm. He would just try to calm me down. When the ball was short, I knew the rule but I wanted to hit it so bad I would throw my racket. … Mr. Purcell was like, “No, no, you can’t throw it.” I couldn’t have been any older than like 7.
Q: What is your favorite genre of music?
A: My favorite type is R&B soul, ’70s-’60s Motown type of music. But my favorite individual artist would be Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Q: What’s something about you that your team doesn’t already know?
A: I’m very detail-oriented. And I’m very focused and structured with things I do. I wasn’t always like that, I had to learn. When I was younger, I lost focus a lot. I always wanted to be the class clown and talk a lot. If [the team] ever loses focus, I’ve been there before and I understand. I think a lot of successful habits can be learned. They might not be born in you. You can become a good listener or a good student or a good studier or a good worker. They probably couldn’t imagine me acting certain ways like that.
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