WTT to announce Newport Beach franchise Feb. 6

The latest World TeamTennis franchise to land in Newport Beach --

it will become official on Feb. 6 when the league announces the team

-- will probably be coached by Newport’s Robert Van’t Hof, and if the

unnamed franchise is successful over a 3- to 5-year period, it could

move from the Palisades Tennis Club to the Bren Events Center at UC

Irvine.

But that’s down the road.

At the moment, World TeamTennis co-founder, director and

ambassador Billie Jean King is warming up to Newport Beach like the

afternoon weather sometimes. She’ll need some kind of residence here,

after all, since King will be the owner of the new WTT team.

Palisades Tennis Club owner Ken Stuart, whose facility will

feature a 2,000-seat stadium in the month of July for the 2003 WTT

season, is hoping for a three-year agreement with the league, but

either way doesn’t envision any problems, considering he grew up with

King in Long Beach.

“In age we’re two weeks apart and we’ve known each other for 40

years,” Stuart said. “We will not find another human being on earth

who’s more enthusiastic (about the new franchise). With her being the

owner of the team, and between her and the synergy we have and our

community, it’s going to work.”

With things just getting started at the Palisades Club and the

league entering the Newport Beach market for the second time,

following a five-year stint with the Newport Beach Dukes from 1990 to

‘94, there are only discussions about the Bren Center, but Stuart has

already met with UCI Athletic Director Bob Chichester about the

possibilities down the road.

“Part of this, if this grows like it can, is to move it out,”

Stuart said. “And I want to support a move out ... if it moves to the

Bren Center, how wonderful would that be? If they’ve got to sell

4,000 or 5,000 tickets, they can accommodate it. But I can’t speak to

that yet, because we’ve chosen to crawl before we can walk. We are

trying to make this a community event as much as we can.”

A draft of players for each WTT franchise will take place in

April, but Van’t Hof, the Palisades Club’s head pro emeritus and

Lindsay Davenport’s former longtime coach, appears to be a lock as

coach. Van’t Hof, who played and coached (five years each) in the

league for the Sacramento Capitals, has met with King frequently,

including last weekend.

Davenport, a Palisades Club member who played for the New York

Buzz last year in WTT, is expected to be the Newport Beach

franchise’s marquee player. Stuart said if he had his choice, he’d

also select Rick Leach (Laguna Beach), also a club member, and former

Corona del Mar High standout Taylor Dent as the two male players. But

the league will determine the rosters after the draft.

(Leach is also now Davenport’s coach and future brother-in-law.

She plans to marry his brother, Jon, a former Adoption Guild champion

and USC star, this year.)

Local sponsors are being sought for the new franchise. The league

will also announce the team’s nickname Feb. 6 and return to the same

facility that hosted the Dukes for five years, when it was called the

John Wayne Tennis Club.

“For the city of Newport Beach and Hyatt Newporter, there’s going

to be great exposure over that period of time,” Stuart said.

I’m sure Newport Beach officials would welcome any mention of

their city on national news outlets without Dennis Rodman as the

headliner.

*

Stuart also said he’d like the team to be “a winner,” which, of

course, would help to sell tickets -- the franchise’s primary source

of revenue after sponsorships.

“For our community, we want to have a team that wins,” Stuart

said. “I’ve tried winning (in life) and I’ve tried losing, and I like

winning. It feels better.”

The Dukes enjoyed a lot of winning in their days in Newport Beach.

The franchise, owned by Fred Lieberman, reached the WTT championship

match in 1992 and ‘93, losing to Atlanta and Wichita, respectively.

In ‘93, the Dukes finished the regular season 14-0, becoming the

first WTT franchise in 22 years to go unbeaten.

The Dukes were Western Division champions three straight years,

including their final year, 1994, when their former coach, Greg

Patton, guided his new team, the Idaho Sneakers, to an upset victory

over the Dukes in the WTT semifinals.

The Dukes played mostly to sparse crowds at the old Wayne Club,

but sold out each time a marquee player was in town, like Jimmy

Connors and Martina Navratilova.

Andre Agassi, John McEnroe , Andy Roddick, James Blake and Mark

Philippoussis were among the WTT male players in 2002.