Our staff of RSPA and USPTR Certified Tennis Professionals are dedicated to providing you with the highest quality tennis instruction.

Meet Our Team

Mark Schminke

Owner, Director of Tennis and Junior Development

  • 2025 RSPA Southern Teaching Professional of the Year

  • 2016 RSPA Southern U30 Professional of the Year

  • RSPA Elite Tennis Teaching Professional

  • RSPA Pickleball Certified Teaching Professional

  • USPTA South Carolina President

  • Etcheberry Fitness and Conditioning Trainer Certified

  • University of Virginia Graduate 2008

  • USTA Safe Play Certified

With nearly two decades of experience, Mark is certified with the Racket Sports Professional Association as an Elite Professional, the highest certification given with the RSPA. Along with a tennis teaching certification, Mark is also Etcheberry Certified, providing fitness training methods using The Etcheberry Experience training system as prescribed by Pat Etcheberry, world renowned tennis coach and fitness instructor.

Recently awarded as 2025 RSPA Southern Teaching Professional of the Year, as well as the 2016 RSPA Southern U30 Tennis Professional of the Year, Mark has been teaching in the Carolina Forest area for over 17 years. He currently serves as the president for the RSPA South Carolina board, organizing statewide workshops and writing newsletters. He coaches numerous state and sectionally ranked juniors and was a USTA coach for South Carolina’s top U14 players while attending a L1 Sectional tournament.

Specializing in junior development, Mark takes pride in teaching complete beginners tennis, with very high retention rates and forming great relationships with his students. He has taught numerous students the skills needed make their high school tennis teams and compete in top positions. He is currently the head boys and girls varsity tennis coach at Christian Academy. He was the head boys and girls varsity tennis coach at Carolina Forest High School from 2016-2020, with many of their players as private students who have started with him since they were 4 years old.

Mark graduated from the University of Virginia in 2008 with a B.A. in economics as well as a B.A. in music. He has wife, Nikki, have two children, Piper and Luke.

Thomas Rizk

Director of High Performance

  • Former World-Ranked Junior Player

  • NCAA Division I All-American

  • Professional Tennis Experience, accumulated 4 ATP points on the professional tour

  • Proven High-Performance Coach: Extensive experience coaching at prominent tennis academies.

  • Guided numerous students to state, sectional, and national rankings

  • USTA Safe Play Certified

Schminke Tennis Academy is delighted to welcome Thomas Rizk as our new Director of High Performance. Mr. Rizk brings a distinguished career in both playing and coaching to this key leadership position.

As a junior player, Mr. Rizk achieved a world ranking of 400 and reached the top 10 in Brazil in 2005. He continued his competitive journey at Scottsdale Community College, where he achieved a remarkable third-place national ranking. Mr. Rizk further honed his skills at William Carey University, attaining a top-four national ranking in both singles (20th) and doubles (3rd). While in college, he embarked on a professional tennis career, accumulating 4 ATP points.

Mr. Rizk boasts extensive experience in developing high-performance junior players. He has served as a key coach at two prominent tennis academies in Arizona and Maine, successfully guiding numerous students to achieve state, sectional, and national rankings.

In his previous role as Head Tennis Professional at Prestwick, Mr. Rizk consistently demonstrated his expertise by training multiple students to reach elite competitive levels. Mr. Rizk is enthusiastic about leading the new high-performance academy at Schminke Tennis Athletics, where he will focus on elevating our junior program to new heights.

Brian Verwolf

Head Tennis Professional

  • Pacific Northwest #1 Ranked Men's Open Singles & Doubles

  • 3-Time Sectional Champion

  • University of Montana Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame Member (Record Holder for Single-Season Match Wins)

  • 1st Team All-Conference, #1 Singles & Doubles (University of Montana)

  • State Champion Tennis (Singles) 1991 - Helena High School

  • State Champions Basketball 1991 - Helena High School

  • Over 23 Years of Tennis Coaching Experience

  • Collaborated with ATP Coaches (Scott Shogreen, Dan Wilman, Michael Calkins, Alex Vlaski, Justin Bower, Steve Clark, Daniel Andrus)

Brian Verwolf brings an incredible depth of experience and a championship pedigree to the STA team. With over two decades dedicated to tennis development, Brian's career highlights include achieving the highest #1 ranking in Men's Open singles and doubles in the Pacific Northwest and securing three Sectional Championships. His collegiate career at the University of Montana saw him earn 1st Team All-Conference honors at both #1 Singles and #1 Doubles, and he is a proud member of the University of Montana Men's Tennis Hall of Fame, holding the record for single-season match wins. Brian was also a State Champion in high school tennis and basketball.

Brian's coaching philosophy is centered on developing players to a high technical level while significantly increasing their Tennis IQ. He employs an individualized approach with a keen eye to achieve maximum results for not just "the player" but also "the athlete." Throughout his distinguished career, Brian has had the honor of collaborating and coaching alongside true legends of the Pacific Northwest and ATP-level coaches, including Scott Shogreen (coach of ATP World #14 Jan-Michael Gambill) and the founders of the nationally acclaimed Northwest High Performance Academy. His proven track record for building strong relationships with players and members creates a high-energy, positive tennis culture, and he's skilled at organizing tournaments and social events to boost community participation. Brian's extensive experience, strong communication abilities, and outgoing personality make him an invaluable asset to STA, ready to inspire and elevate our junior program.

Baluck Deang

Tennis Professional

  • Wisconsin District Champion 2020

  • Conference Champion (2017-2021)

  • Back-to-Back High School State Champion (2019, 2020)

  • USA Today High School Sports Award Nominee (2021)

  • Madison Sports Hall of Fame Club; Sport Women of the Year in Wisconsin (2021)

  • Best Athletic Award in High School (2021)

  • Former NCAA Division I Tennis Player (Delaware State University & Southern University A&M)

  • USTA Level 1 & 2 Certified

  • USTA Safe Play Certified

  • USTA National Campus Tennis Coach Internship (Orlando, FL)

STA is thrilled to welcome Baluck Deang, a dynamic and inspiring tennis professional with an impressive background in both playing and coaching. A recent graduate of Southern University A&M, Baluck was a standout NCAA Division I tennis player at both Southern University A&M and Delaware State University, where she also earned Dean's List honors and served as team captain.

Baluck's junior career is marked by exceptional achievements, including being a Wisconsin District Champion, a four-time Conference Champion, and making history by winning back-to-back high school state championships in 2019 and 2020. Her talent was recognized with a USA Today High School Sports Award nomination and the Madison Sports Hall of Fame Club's Sport Women of the Year award in Wisconsin. Beyond her playing prowess, Baluck is passionate about growing the game; she has volunteered coaching tennis for underprivileged children and successfully started a tennis program at Southern Lab. Her valuable experience includes a prestigious Tennis Coach Internship at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, where she honed her skills in coaching diverse age groups and abilities, including adults with disabilities. Baluck is USTA Level 1 and 2 Certified, as well as USTA Safe Play Certified. Her versatility, resilience, strong work ethic, and eagerness to empower every student make her an exceptional addition to our thriving Academy.

Matthew Adzema

Assistant Tennis Professional

  • RSPA Certified Tennis Teaching Professional

  • College Club Tennis National Qualifier

  • Former Socastee High School Varsity Boys Coach

  • Former Myrtle Beach High School Varsity Boys and Girls Coach

  • USTA 4.5 Player with 37-5 League Record

  • Graduate of Kent State University

  • USTA Safe Play Certified

Coach Matt is a RSPA Certified Tennis Teaching Professional with over a decade of teaching experience and a very strong personal playing background. He has taught at multiple clubs in Ohio, specializing in junior player development and junior team tennis creation and formation. Coach Matt is a USTA 4.5-rated player boasting a record of 37-5 in all league matches over the past three years, including an undefeated record in each state tournament.

In high school, Matt earned multiple achievements, including first place within his school sectionals, runner-up in the state team championship, and qualifier for the state tournament in boys doubles. In college, Coach Matt and his twin brother Nick started a club tennis program at Kent State University. The team qualified for the national championships in 2016.

Coach Matt worked four years as a tennis professional at both Chagrin Valley Athletics and Valley Athletic Club. As the coach of their Junior Team Tennis (JTT) program, Matt has led multiple JTT teams to regional and state championships across northeast Ohio.

In 2018, Coach Matt moved to Myrtle Beach to pursue a teaching job at Myrtle Beach Middle School where he also served as the Socastee Varsity Boys tennis coach. In 2020, he was promoted to coach both the boys and girls tennis teams at Myrtle Beach High School.

Coach Matt is married to his wife Autumn and they have two labradoodles, Copley and Malley. They enjoy going on walks together.