Coaches

List of 22 items.

• Ikaika Jobe

  Director of Tennis, Boys Varsity I Head Coach
  USPTA Certified Elite Professional
  
  

  Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Jobe is a 2001 Punahou graduate and two-time State High School Tennis Singles Champion. Ranked as high as #11 in the USTA national junior rankings, Jobe earned an athletic scholarship to play Division I college tennis at Saint Louis University (2001 – 2004) where he majored in Aviation Science (Professional Pilot) and was chosen as team captain his sophomore and junior years. In anticipation of playing professional tennis, Jobe transferred to Boise State University for his senior year where the team was ranked in the top 30. There the team captured the 2005 WAC Conference Championships and a berth into the NCAA Championships. Following college, Jobe traveled to over 20 countries while competing professionally for 3 years on the ITF and ATP tennis circuits — achieving a top 50 U.S. singles ranking, top 800 ATP singles ranking, and top 400 ATP doubles ranking. He also served as a professional hitting partner for former world #1 Justine Henin, Gael Monfils, Ivo Karlovic, and more. 
  
  

  Certified as a USPTA Elite Professional, Jobe was recently awarded the 2021 USPTA “Professional of the Year” for his coaching and community contributions. He was previously named USPTA Hawaii’s “Player of the Year” 3 years in a row from 2013 - 2015.  Jobe currently serves as the Regional Vice President of the USPTA Hawaii Division. 
  
  

  From 2009 - 2012 while attending law school, Jobe served as a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the University of Hawai‘i Men’s Tennis Team where they 3-peated as WAC Conference Champions. In 2013 he became the Girls Varsity Tennis Head Coach and in 2016 transitioned into the Boys Varsity Tennis Head Coach role.
   

  Jobe has worked at Punahou since 2013.

• Ricky Asante

  Tennis Faculty, ILH Int/JV/Varsity Assistant Coach
  PTR Certified
  
  

  Born and raised in New York City, Asante started playing tennis when he was age 13. Lilo and Stitch was his favorite movie as a kid and inspired him to make the move to Hawaii. He played some ITF professional events from 2014 to 2016 and graduated from Oklahoma State University (OSU) while majoring in Sports Media and Athletic Training with a minor in photography. He participated on the OSU Men's Tennis Team from 2017 to 2020.
  
  Asante began coaching when he was age 15 and holds certifications as both a USTA and PTR coach. Since 2020, Asante has been an assistant coach for the Punahou Boys JV and Intermediate Tennis Teams and in 2022 began coaching as an assistant on the Girls Varsity II Team.
  
  When not on the tennis court, he enjoys spending time adventuring, hanging out with his dog, cooking, climbing, and doing photography. He also plays multiple musical instruments.

• Jerry Cape

  Tennis Faculty

  USPTA Certified Professional

  
  Cape was raised in Portland, OR as well as Yarnell, AZ and became inspired to learn to play tennis after watching Yannick Noah from France win the men's singles title at Roland Garros. After playing for Hawaii Pacific University he graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a degree in Travel Industry Management and later worked for Outrigger Hotels & Resorts at various properties throughout the state of Hawaii. Cape started playing competitive tennis again in 2003 and finished many years being the #1 ranked singles player in various USTA Junior Vet adult divisions. A USPTA member since 1992, Jerry has served as the Hawaii Division President and member Certification Tester for many years while winning several awards, including Professional of the Year. Cape first started working at Punahou Tennis in the summer of 1990 and is currently enjoying his fourth tenure at what he considers to be, “THE best junior tennis program in the pacific.”

• Cynthia Chan

  Tennis Faculty
  
  

  Chan is an avid tennis player.  She has assisted as a tennis referee/linesman for junior and age division tournaments.  Chan previously worked as an owner/operator of a hotel tennis facility and as a front desk supervisor for a 750 member country club in the Southern California area.

• John Dye

  Tennis Faculty
  USPTA Certified Professional
  
  

  Dye was raised in Beaverton, Oregon and graduated from Williams College in 1993.  His wife graduated from Punahou in 1990 and their two children currently attend Punahou.
  
  

  Since his first tournament as a teenager in 1986, Dye has played over a thousand competitive matches.  He won the USTA Nor Cal 5.0 Grand Prix in 2004, 2009, and 2010.  He has played seven USTA Team Nationals.  In 2019, he won the inaugural 4.5 Individual National Singles. He served as Head Varsity Tennis Coach for Boys and Girls at Kalani High School 2014 – 2016 and received three Coach of the Year honors. Dye joined the University of Hawaii coaching staff as Assistant Women's Tennis Coach in 2023.
  
  

  Dye has worked at Punahou since 2016 and has led numerous teams to ILH championships.

• Ben Erickson

  Tennis Faculty 
  USPTA Certified Professional
  
  

  Erickson has been teaching tennis for forty years. He has instructed various age groups through the City & County of Honolulu, State of Hawai’i and USTA tennis programs.  He is proud to see many students continue playing tennis either competitively or recreationally.  
  
  

  Erickson served in the US Army for two years, graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa receiving his bachelor's degree in physical education. Erickson enjoys competing with his team in the USTA tennis leagues. Participating at Nationals (for his age group/skill level) helped improve his game and coaching abilities. 

  He began teaching tennis at Punahou in 2004. 

• Brent Hunter

  Tennis Faculty 
  USPTA Certified Elite Professional, USTA High Performance Coach, ITPA Certified, CTPS Certified
  
  

  Born and raised in Lubbock, TX, Hunter is a 2003 graduate of Coronado High School where he holds the record for most wins in school history.  Ranked as high as #6 in the USTA Texas Division, he earned an athletic scholarship to play college tennis at Tyler Junior College (2003-2005) where he played #6 singles on a team that won the national championship in 2004.  In 2005, Hunter was an All American in doubles at TJC before transferring to the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he played from 2005-2007.
   

  Hunter was awarded the USPTA rookie of the year in 2008.  In 2015 he earned the USTA High Performance Coaching Certification and traveled to the USTA National Training Center for in person training as part of the criteria.  Hunter has also gone on to earn certifications in International Tennis Performance as well as Certified Tennis Performance Specialist in recent years.  
  
  

  Hunter previously worked at Punahou from 2007-2018 and returned to Punahou in January 2020.

• Anna Kern

  Tennis Faculty 
  USPTA Certified Professional
  
  

  Kern is a former 3 time state champion from Corvallis, OR, going undefeated for three years on the high school level. She went on to play for Claremont Mudd Scripps for one year, the current national champions in Division III. In this year she earned ITA All-American and was on the SCIAC All-Academic team. She then transferred to play Division I at University of Hawai‘i and is currently playing there. Anna is also a certified yoga instructor and teaches yoga as well as tennis. Anna has worked in the after school tennis program and coached the 2021 Girls’ Intermediate, JV, and Varsity teams. Anna continues to work in the Punahou Summer Tennis program.

  Kern has worked at Punahou since 2021.

   

  Anna been working at Punahou since 2021.

• Pam Kim

  Tennis Faculty 
  USPTA Certified Professional
  
  

  California is where Kim started playing tennis beginning in junior high and played varsity tennis for 4 years in high school.  She was ranked #17 in the Girls 18 Division in Southern California and played in the Girls 18 National Hardcourts Tournament.  In college, Kim played singles and doubles at UCLA (NCAA Division I) and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History.
  
  

  Off the court, Kim worked for Reebok International Ltd in the Tennis Marketing and Promotions Department with former Tennis Professional, Trey Waltke. On-court coaching and tennis experiences include coaching Varsity Tennis at Marymount High School and Billy Martin/Glenn Bassett Tennis Camp, (UCLA Mens’ Team Coaches). She taught lessons (National Junior Tennis League) and did event sponsorship and planning for a Mens’ Professional Tournament working under the direction of Bob Kramer (Jack Kramer’s son) at the Southern California Tennis Association.
  
  

  With a move to Hawaii, Kim began teaching youth and adult private and group lessons for the USTA Hawaii Chapter before joining Punahou School Tennis. Upon joining Punahou Tennis, Kim shared the Head Coaching position for the Girls Intermediate Team (2005-2006), achieving the ILH Championship and served as Co-Head Coach for the Girls JV Team (2007). Throughout the years, Kim has been involved in Punahou Tennis Programs such as the After School and Summer Tennis Programs, Friends of Punahou Tennis (FOPT) and the Saturday Play Days.
  
  

  Kim has worked at Punahou since 2005.

• Johnee Kop

  Tennis Faculty, Girls JV Head Coach, Boys Intermediate Head Coach
  USPTA Certified Elite Professional
  
  Kop was born and raised on Oahu. He started playing tennis in his 20’s and in the early 90’s moved to LA and played for Santa Monica College. In 1997, Kop was awarded the USTA Hawaii Division Men’s  30 Singles “Player of the Year”. Santa Monica College named him “Athlete of the Year” and HTL (A League) gave him the “Undefeated Player of the Year” award.  He also won the 1998 Oahu Open Championship in singles and doubles. Most recently, while in China, he won the 2003 National Amateur Championship in Beijing.
  
  

  In 1996, Kop became a USPTA Certified Elite Professional. He was a former USTA Hawaii Team Coach for the Boys and Girls 16s National Tournament and Team Captain for Kailua Racquet Club Adult-League Team Tennis. In 1998, Kop moved to Beijing. During his 20-year stay in China, Kop worked as a full-time touring coach for Jessica Yang, China’s Girls 12s and 14s National Champion from 2003-2005 and also worked with Rosie Cheng who was New Zealand’s #1, 12year player. He was the Nike/Junior Team China Coach in 2005 (Spain Tour) and 2006 (France Tour). Before moving back to Hawaii in 2018, he was the Director of Tennis at Western Academy of Beijing taking his Varsity Team to #1 in China and #2 in Asia.
  
  

  Kop also is a triathlete, completing his first full IRONMAN in Taiwan in 2017.
  
  

  Kop has worked at Punahou since 2018.

• Manuel Loera

  Tennis Faculty

  USPTA Certified Professional
  
  

  Loera, a Barstow, California native, discovered his passion for tennis later in life, but defied the odds by joining the men’s tennis team at The University of Hawaii at Hilo from 2021-2023, a Division II school. Throughout his college journey, Loera's skills on the court earned him both the MVP Award and the Pono Vulcan Award. In 2023, he proudly graduated from the University of Hawaii at Hilo with a degree in Kinesiology. 
  
  

  Throughout his college years, Loera extended his impact beyond the court by coaching kids of all ages and skill levels, ranging from beginners to collegiate players.  He is a certified USPTA professional and his multifaceted journey reflects a remarkable blend of late-blooming talent, academic excellence, and a passion for mentoring budding athletes.

• Chris Ma

  Tennis Faculty, Boys Varsity I Assistant Coach
  USPTA Certified Professional
  
  

  A 1997 Punahou graduate, Ma was a 3-time HHSAA State Singles and Doubles Champion.  He played 4 years of NCAA Division I Tennis at University of California - Irvine where he earned the All Big-West Conference Awards in Singles and Doubles, serving as Captain and MVP his Senior year.  He also was a recipient of the 2001 ITA Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.
  
  

  Following his time at UCI, Ma worked in Finance in Hawaii before moving to Singapore for 7 years.  While working in Singapore, he also earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration at the National University of Singapore. Ma then spent 3 years working in Hong Kong, before moving back to Hawaii. Ma has been with Punahou since 2015, working in all capacities but primarily in the Boys' Varsity coaching role. Ma has 2 daughters, and enjoys spending time with them and playing tennis.
  
  

  Ma has been with Punahou since 2015.

• Roarke McLean

  Tennis Faculty 
  PTR Certified
  
  

  McLean was a BIIF (Big Island Interscholastic Federation) doubles champion in 2006. McLean played competitively while at the University of Oregon from 2006 – 2009. He previously coached at The Oahu Club working with the JTT (Junior Team Tennis) program, Junior Under 10 program, and teaching private lessons. 
  
  

  At Punahou, McLean coaches within the after school program, summer tennis program, and conducts private lessons.
  
  

  McLean has worked at Punahou since 2021.

• Sean Nakamoto

  Tennis Faculty
  USPTA Certified Professional
  
  

  A 2008 Graduate of Venice Senior High School in Venice, California, Nakamoto lettered 3 years playing on a varsity team that was a 3-time runner up in the conference and made appearances in the CIF playoffs. 
  
  

  After graduating high school, Nakamoto went on to attend Santa Monica College from 2008-2010 where he went on to compete in local open tournaments including the SoCal Open Sectionals which was a qualifier for the LA Open ATP tournament. Nakamoto then transferred to the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he went on to earn a BS in Communicology. While completing his degree, he began working in the Punahou Tennis School in January of 2012, where he went on to grow into all facets of the department including the after school program, private lessons, FOPT (Friends of Punahou Tennis) Manager, and serving as a head coach for the boys and girls JV and Intermediate teams. 
  
  

  Nakamoto was selected as Team Hawaii’s travel coach for the 2018 12 & under USTA Hawaii Zonals and the 2019 14 & under USTA Hawaii Zonal. 
   
  Nakamoto has worked at Punahou since 2012.

• Fumiya Nakano

  Girls Varsity I Assistant Coach
  USPTA Certified Professional
  
  

  A 2008 Punahou graduate, Nakano went on to earn a BS in Kinesiology from University of Hawaii. He is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, and has earned the Mike McKinnon Sportsmanship award and USPTA Volunteer of the Year.  Coached juniors from elementary to high school. Coached Top state players and nationally ranked players. Been the traveling coach for the top 16s players and top 18s girls of the state at National Tournaments the past 4 years.

  
  Nakano has worked at Punahou since 2008.

• Jason Oliver

  Tennis Faculty, Girls Varsity I Head Coach
  
  A 1993 graduate of Punahou, Oliver was introduced to tennis at the age of 13 and learned to play the game without any real formal instruction.  He went on to play at the University of Redlands (NCAA Div. III), where he helped the program to three Southern California Interscholastic Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and national 5th place team finishes in 1994, 1996 and 1997, and a 6th place team finish in 1995.  During his career at Redlands he earned First-Team All-Conference honors in 1995, 1996 and 1997 and was also selected to compete in the NCAA individual championships in singles and doubles in 1995, 1996 and 1997.  In 1996 he reached the quarterfinals of the singles and doubles tournaments, receiving All-American honors for both.  He played in the top singles and doubles position his senior year and served as team captain. 
  
  As a coach, he has served in all facets of Punahou’s tennis program since 1993 including but not limited to summer school, JTT, after school tennis, high performance, and interscholastic programs.  His coaching tree consists of mentors who were themselves direct disciples of some of the pillars of the game.  A non-exhaustive list of the teachers who have fundamentally shaped his coaching philosophies includes:  Bernard Gusman (Peter Burwash); Jim Ducey (Jim Verdieck, John Wooden); Kim Wittenberg (Vic Braden, Jim Verdieck); Michael Racuya (Peter Isaak); and Betsy Purpura (Hattie Somerville).
  
  Oliver has worked at Punahou since 1993.

• Anton Preis

  Tennis Faculty

  USPTA Certified Professional
  
  

  Preis graduated from Punahou School in 2016 where he was on the Punahou Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 1 year, and coached group lessons starting his sophomore year in the after school tennis program. He went on to get his Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Science, and a minor in Philosophy, at UC San Diego (UCSD) where he graduated with distinction in Cognitive Science. At his time at UC San Diego, he played on the competitive club tennis team in which he played in regional tournaments with UC schools and other colleges in california. He also continued to teach group and private lessons in the Recreation department to students in surrounding communities, UCSD students, UCSD faculty, and UCSD staff for 3 years. Upon arriving back to Hawaii, Anton started teaching tennis again in the summer of 2023 where he taught group lessons to elementary, middle school, and high school students. He then went on to be an assistant coach for the Punahou Boys' 2024 Intermediate Gold, 2023 JV Gold, and 2024 Varsity II Tennis Teams. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling, watching tennis, working out, and spending time with friends and family.

• Roberta Russo

  Tennis Faculty, Girls Varsity II Head Coach
  USPTA Certified Professional
  
  

  Born and raised in Italy, Russo began playing tennis at age 5 and started competing internationally in her teens. After graduating from college with a Sports Management degree, Russo taught at various tennis facilities in Europe such as in Naples, Italy and the Sanchez Casal Academy in Spain.  Russo moved to Hawaii in 2015 and began working in the Punahou after school tennis program. She previously served as the Girls Varsity Tennis Assistant Coach (2017-2020) and since 2021 currently serves as the Head Coach of the Girls Varsity II Tennis program. 
  
  

  Russo is a FIT (Italian Tennis Federation), ITF (International Tennis Federation) and USPTA  certified coach. She has previously directed wheelchair tennis programs and is currently Director of Tennis at the Four Seasons at Ko-olina.
  
  

  Russo has worked at Punahou since 2015.

• Scout Shutter

  Tennis Faculty, Girls Varsity I Assistant Coach
  USPTA Certified Instructor
  
  

  Shutter graduated from Punahou in 2013 after playing on the Punahou Girls Varsity Tennis team for four years. Following high school, she played Division I College Tennis at California State University Northridge on a 4-year scholarship. Shutter has coached a number of Nike Tennis Camps and was the Girls Varsity Tennis Assistant Coach during the 2019 – 2020 school year. In addition to coaching at Punahou, I have coached in a number of Nike Tennis Camps with kids of all ages as well as coached private and small group lessons.
   
  Shutter has worked at Punahou since 2018.

• Kristi Van Diver

  Teaching Assistant

  Kristi Van Diver graduated from Ripon Christian High School in 2013, she began her tennis career relatively late at the age of fifteen. She was undefeated throughout her two H.S tennis seasons and was awarded the Southern League Singles Champion, as well as League MVP. Following High School, Kristi attended Modesto Junior College, where they placed number one in Northern California and second in State respectively.  She continued her tennis career at Division II California State University, Stanislaus, where they were ranked top 50 in the nation. Additionally, Kristi graduated with high honors, achieving Summa Cum Laude and ranking in the top 1% of her class. Kristi has been a tennis assistant for numerous summer leagues and as a private coach.

• Ryan Vande Linde

  Tennis Faculty 
  USPTA Certified Instructor
  
  

  Vande Linde grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin where he played on the Eau Claire Memorial Varsity Boys tennis team from 2007-2010. After graduating from high school, he played Division III Tennis for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 2010-2014. Vande Linde notched 100+ wins in singles and doubles over the course of his college tennis career. He was elected team captain his junior and senior year at UW-EC, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Human Performance. 
  
  

  Following his undergraduate education, Vande Linde lived in the Philippines where he played in multiple professional level tennis tournaments. After returning to the United States, Vande Linde earned a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2017. 
  
  

  Vande Linde has been a head and assistant coach at both the high school and collegiate level. From 2014-2017, Vande Linde served as an assistant tennis coach for the UW-Eau Claire men’s and women’s tennis teams. From 2018-2022, Vande Linde was the head coach of the University of Minnesota Club Tennis Team. During this time, Vande Linde also served as the co-head coach for the Benilde-St. Margaret’s boys tennis team, as well as the head coach of the Columbia Heights’ Girls Tennis Team. 
  
  

  Vande Linde has worked at Punahou since 2022.

• Fred Wong

  Tennis Faculty 
  USPTA Certified Instructor
  
  

  Wong is passionate about working with young children and helping them build skills and confidence through athletics. He is a former soccer coach at Maryknoll and certified soccer referee, as well as a USTA certified tennis referee. Wong’s hobbies include deep sea fishing, Music, ukulele, guitar, bass, choirs. In his past life he was part of the Fifth Army Rifle Team, a certified NAUI Diver, Marathon Runner, Commodity Broker, Private Pilot, and the Rocky Mountain National Ski Patrol. 
  
  

  Wong has worked at Punahou since 2009.