Coaching Team
Alexander MacKellar and Keeley Phillips (both former collegiate players with over 17 years of combined coaching) founded the Mack Phillips Tennis Academy in 2019. We offer a tennis experience catering to all age and skill levels. We look forward to sharing our passion and knowledge of the sport with you!
Keeley Phillips
Head Coach
Coach Keeley has been playing tennis seriously for over 8 years and coaching for over 7 years. She attended Cedar Ridge High School where she was awarded team MVP and played #1 mixed doubles. After High School she continued her playing career as a member of the women’s tennis team at Concordia University Texas. She graduated in 2020 with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Kinesiology. Coach Keeley’s favorite things about tennis are its ability to bring communities and families together, and the fact that it is a lifelong sport! Her coaching approach is very tailored to the player and their goals; however, she is a firm believer in creating strong fundamentals to prevent injury and allow players to reach their full potential. She has experience working with kids ages 2 all the way to seniors and all skill levels. When she is not on the court, she enjoys running, baking, DIY projects and spending time with her family.
Alexander Mackellar
Head Coach
Coach Alex began playing tennis at age 11 and has been coaching tennis for over 10 years. He attended Belton High School and was a member of their varsity tennis team. After High School, he joined the United States Navy. He spent 2 years in Washington D.C. at the Nation’s capital as a Ceremonial Guardsman. Then, he spent his last 2 years stationed in Bahrain. After the service, he attended the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor where he was a member of the tennis team and graduated in 2019. After graduating, he knew he wanted to follow his passion, tennis, and has been coaching full time ever since. Coach Alex’s coaching style is always adapted to the individual to best suit their needs and goals.
Danny McFarland
Coach
Coach Danny has been a lifelong athlete, achieving accolades in soccer starting from the club level and continuing on to Olympic development programs and semi-professional soccer programs. He began playing tennis at 16, taking part in USTA tournaments where he found his love for the game. At 17 years old, he began coaching at a local tennis academy in Virginia—where he continued to teach over the course of 6 years.
During this time, he took both youth and ladies USTA teams to regional and national-level competitions. He rose to compete at a 4.5 level himself, and went on to attend Regionals and Nationals multiple years in a row.
His coaching approach is constructed around the players’ natural talents and abilities, with a focus on solid fundamentals and mental toughness. Coach Danny’s main goal is to help his players find confidence and passion, both on and off the court.
Leta Hunt
Coach
Coach Leta started playing tennis when she was 3, and played in local, regional and national tournaments in the Midwest region throughout juniors. She took time off from playing tennis in college to focus on studying psychology, and dove more into coaching. She has coached all levels and ages, and incorporates the mental side of the game into her approach. Leta's passion is creating a fun, supportive environment for players to enhance their games and feel the joy of tennis. When she's not on court, she enjoys hiking with her dog, Willow, painting and gardening.
Coach Sarah
Coach
Coach Sarah Sedory (likes to be called Sedory) has been playing tennis since she was 8 years old and has been coaching tennis for the past ten years. She graduated from H.M. King HS in Kingsville TX, where she played varsity tennis all four years. Afterwards, she played competitively in college for all four years at the University of Mary Hardin- Baylor and became a graduate assistant coach for one year during her masters program. During her time in Belton, Sedory coached at the University of Texas Longhorn Tennis Camp for 5 years. After graduating from graduate school, Sedory worked at South Belton M.S for one year and then transferred to Kaufman to work at the middle school as a communications teacher and tennis coach. There she coached not only middle school but also high school tennis. The past year she helped coach the varsity team to state for 4A Team Tennis and spring individual. Currently, she works at Active Sports Therapy in Round Rock as the office manager, but still wants to spread her passion of tennis through coaching. Sedory’s coaching goal is to inspire players to love the sport first and then do what it takes to help each player succeed. She enjoys, and is qualified to work with players of all ages and skill levels. She can’t wait to meet you on the court!
Josh Roselius
Coach
Hello my name is Joshua Roselius and I have coached tennis for the past four years. I am 22 years old and grew up in College Station, Texas. I started playing tennis at the age of 12 and have been playing/coaching ever since. I was trained by multiple coaches including my father, high school tennis coach, and several college coaches. After I finished up my college tennis journey at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, I continued my tennis journey as a coach at The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch (for the past 3-4 years). I have taught adult programs, experienced juniors, and first time juniors. Since January 2021 I have been a full time tennis pro/director on the ranch primarily with the summer/winter junior camps and the year round adult programs.
I am excited to continue my tennis journey and interested in the opportunity to meet people with the same love for the sport
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Austin Chumley
Coach
Coach Austin (or Coach Chum) started playing tennis at age 5, became the top ranked 10 and 12 year old junior player in Arkansas, and traveled across the South competing in tournaments until age 13. He rekindled his love for tennis in 2020 and has been playing and coaching ever since. Coach Austin graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2019 (Go Hogs) with a Biochemistry Degree. He has a black lab named Bug who is a ball of energy and loves to help pick up tennis balls. Coach Austin played all sports growing up and fully believes that tennis is a lifetime sport; once you develop the skills, they stay with you for life! Coach Austin adapts his coaching strategy to each student individually, helping them achieve their tennis goals. Austin is a sports fanatic, loves skiing and making espresso at home, and competes in triathlons when he is not coaching.
Chris Popso
Coach
Chris started playing tennis his freshman year of high school where he played 1st singles. After High School he continued his playing career as a member of the men’s division 1 tennis team at Rider University where he claimed 1st singles and doubles as a walk on his freshman year. He graduated in 2017 with a major in Finance with a minor in economics and currently works in asset management. Chris’s focus is on proper technique, situational awareness, and building a strong mental game translating into better match results. If you’re passionate about the game and want to develop, I’m your guy! When not on the court, he enjoys reading historical non-fiction, cooking, and anything outdoors.
Adrienne Tran
Coach
Coach Adrienne started playing tennis in elementary school. She has experience coaching in both the private and group setting as well as a mentoring students on her old high school tennis team; both of which allowed her to work with players of all age and skill levels. Coach Adrienne believes in creating a fun and positive learning environment where players can find passion for the game of tennis. She went to Cedar Ridge High School where she played on the tennis team all four years and placed 3rd in districts for girl’s doubles. Following high school, Adrienne attended the University of Texas at Austin where she was an intramural tennis champion for girl’s doubles. In May 2021, she graduated from UT with a Bachelor of Science in biology and is now studying to take her MCAT with hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in pediatrics. Adrienne currently works as a tennis coach, pharmacy technician at CVS, and medical scribe.
John Garza
Coach
Coach John started playing tennis as a junior in high school and was on varsity both years that he played- he even reached a Champs rating in 18s. He has taught both private and group lessons for 4-5 years off and on in Lubbock and San Antonio. He believes in a positive, upbeat teaching style that focuses on proper technique and the etiquette of the sport. John is currently employed by the State of Texas as a data analyst. He believes Tennis is a lifetime sport that can be enjoyed at all ages and is excited to help you learn the game or improve to a level you enjoy playing at.
George Hallon
Coach
Coach George’s passion for the sport of tennis started as a teenager after hearing about the success his half-brother had as a player including Division 1 as well as ATP tour level. Coach George played the #1 position throughout high school and earned a scholarship to play at St Thomas University (NAIA) as the
#3 position in their tennis team. His tennis coaching experience started at a local summer camp in South Florida. His past experiences in tennis include working at the USTA Florida Section, Grand Slam Sports, Turnberry Isles Resort, and the former Lipton/Sony Erickson open now called Miami Open. George
complements his coaching with customized stringing services at all levels from beginners to ATP tour players. Coach George’s favorite part of tennis is that is a lifelong sport, and his favorite shot is a two-
handed backband.
Jonathan Darnell
Coach
Jonathan Darnell started playing competitive tennis in the 7th grade but has been playing for over 30 years. He was introduced to the sport at a very young age since his mother was a tennis coach. He played doubles throughout High School and was a 4-year MVP for the varsity team. He has multiple years of coaching experience with middle school- high school players for multiple different school districts. He has also hosted and led yearly summer camps for players ranging from 1st grade through high schoolers. He has been coaching tennis in some capacity for over 18 years.
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Shar Huq
Coach
Coach Huq (pronounced Hawk) has been playing competitively since he was 12. After playing for the Varsity team for Bowie HS (winning a CATA team MVP award) and on the club team at UT Austin, he's now coaching at Crockett HS in South Austin and teaching Algebra I and II. He specializes in doubles, playing on the Austin city ladder, and wants to continue his study/passion of the game for life. He is ranked in the top 100 globally in "1920's tennis" and will school you in Mario, Wii or any other tennis game (including Prince of Tennis trivia). Friends mention that he can identify people on court from great distances by their playstyle or the gear they are using.