In his second season as the head coach of the Viking Tennis teams, Brian Etzkin has revived a feeling of energy within the program. Etzkin brings a tireless work ethic and a true passion for the game, a feeling that is reflected by the players on his teams.

Last year, in his first season as head coach of the Vikings, Etzkin led the men's team to nine wins, up from two the year prior to his arrival. The women's team, hampered by a lack of numbers, played solid tennis down the stretch, but finished with just two wins. However, his tireless work as a recruiter has brought some new talent to Cleveland State, and a brighter future is in store for both teams.

Etzkin, who was born in Cleveland and grew up in nearby Wooster, Ohio, returns to Northeastern Ohio after a two-year stint as assistant men's tennis coach at Michigan State, where he helped the Spartans to a 21-30 mark, including a 14-12 record during his second season. At Michigan State, Etzkin assisted in every area of the program, including serving as recruiting coordinator. He also was the Assistant Tennis Professional at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility along with being the Head Tennis Pro at Walnut Hills Country Club. Prior to his time working with the Spartans, Etzkin spent two seasons as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's teams at Western Illinois (1998-00).

On top of his collegiate coaching duties, Etzkin coached the 2002 Midwest Junior Davis Cup team to the national championship in Columbia, S.C. He is also a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Certified Teaching Pro.

As a student-athlete at Southern Illinois-Carbondale, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology in 1998, Etzkin was named a GTE Academic All-American as a senior in 1998, and was a two-time Academic All-Missouri Valley Conference selection in 1997 and 1998. He carries that same dedication to academics into the coaching ranks, as two members of the Viking men's team, Eric Winn and Shawn Whitehouse, were named ITA Scholar-Athletes following the 2002-03 season.