ParentingAces with Brandon Feusner

Summary

Brandon Feusner of the National High School Tennis Association (myhstennis.com) describes the organization’s “power five” UTR-based team ranking system, which compiles All-American lists of 1,600 boys and 1,600 girls nationally. He covers the Decotuf High School Tennis Championships in Chattanooga and the broader effort to give high school team tennis a national visibility infrastructure comparable to other high school sports. This is a significant organizational intelligence episode for understanding how the high school-to-college pipeline is being systematized.

Guest Background

Brandon Feusner works with the National High School Tennis Association and is a USTA Kentucky background leader. His focus is on building organizational infrastructure for high school tennis as a distinct competitive ecosystem — separate from the private junior tournament circuit — with national rankings, All-American recognition, and a national championship event.

Key Findings

1. The “Power Five” UTR-Based Team Ranking System Compiles 3,200 Players Nationally

The National High School Tennis Association’s ranking methodology uses UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) as the underlying metric and applies it to team performance — creating a “power five” ranking framework analogous to college athletics’ power conference rankings. The system produces All-American lists of 1,600 boys and 1,600 girls, giving high school team tennis players national visibility that previously did not exist.

2. Myhstennis.com Is the Central Infrastructure for High School Tennis National Data

The website myhstennis.com is the organizational hub for national high school tennis data — rankings, All-American lists, championship registrations, and team results. Feusner describes it as the first attempt to create a comprehensive national visibility platform for high school team tennis, analogous to what MaxPreps does for football and basketball but tennis-specific.

3. The Decotuf High School Tennis Championships Is the National Championship Event

The Decotuf HS Championships are held in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and serve as the national championship for high school team tennis. The event brings together teams from across the country in a bracket format. Feusner’s involvement connects the NHSTA’s ranking infrastructure to an actual national competitive culmination — creating a full season arc (local → sectional → national) for high school team tennis players.

4. UTR as the Ranking Engine Addresses the Visibility Gap for High School Players

The choice of UTR as the underlying ranking metric is significant because UTR is portable — it generates a rating from any match, including high school team matches that the USTA ranking system largely ignores. This means a player who prioritizes their high school team and plays fewer private tournament events can still build a nationally visible UTR profile, reducing the penalty for choosing the team pathway over the private circuit.

5. High School Team Tennis Represents an Underrecognized Talent Discovery Channel

Feusner’s core argument is that the private junior tournament circuit has had all the organizational infrastructure (USTA rankings, academy networks, college scouting) while high school team tennis — which includes millions of players who may not play the full tournament circuit — has been largely invisible to college coaches and the sport’s talent pipeline. The NHSTA system is attempting to correct this imbalance.

Actionable Advice for Families

• Register on myhstennis.com to ensure your child’s high school team results are captured in the national database — this visibility is free and requires only registration
• Understand that UTR captures high school team match performance, not just tournament results — prioritizing high school team play is no longer invisible to college coaches
• Target the Decotuf Championships in Chattanooga as a national championship goal for high school team tennis — it provides a competitive culmination and national visibility
• Use the All-American list as an aspirational benchmark: 1,600 boys and 1,600 girls nationally is a meaningful recognition tier

INTENNSE Relevance

• High school team tennis as INTENNSE feeder pipeline: The NHSTA’s national infrastructure is creating a structured pathway from high school team tennis through college — directly upstream of INTENNSE’s college-to-pro bridge. Relationship-building with NHSTA and myhstennis.com puts INTENNSE in front of team-oriented players early
• UTR integration: INTENNSE’s roster evaluation and league competitive balance mechanisms could integrate UTR data, creating continuity from the high school team system through the professional team league
• Decotuf Championships partnership: A sponsorship or presence at the Decotuf national championships would give INTENNSE brand visibility with high school team tennis players at the most emotionally significant moment of their team tennis careers
• Team tennis culture alignment: Players who prioritize high school team tennis over the private tournament circuit demonstrate exactly the team orientation and competitive values INTENNSE’s format rewards

Notable Quotes

“We have 1,600 boys and 1,600 girls on our All-American list. Those are players who chose their school team. They deserve national recognition.”

“UTR doesn’t care where you played. If you played competitive high school matches, you have a UTR. And now college coaches can see you.”

“High school team tennis has been invisible to the sport’s infrastructure for too long. We’re changing that.”