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

Meet Our Team

Mark Schminke

Director of Tennis & 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 coaching experience, Mark is an RSPA Certified Elite Professional, the highest professional certification offered by the Racket Sports Professional Association. He is also a certified tennis-specific fitness instructor through the Etcheberry Certification program, with specialized training in tennis-specific strength, conditioning, movement, injury prevention, and athletic performance.

Mark was named the 2025 RSPA Southern Teaching Professional of the Year and previously received the 2016 RSPA Southern U30 Tennis Professional of the Year award. He has taught in the Carolina Forest area for more than 17 years and served for over eight years as President of the RSPA South Carolina Board, leading professional development initiatives and supporting tennis professionals throughout the state.

Specializing in competitive junior development, Mark has developed players from their earliest stages of tournament tennis through high-level junior competition and into collegiate tennis. He currently coaches committed tournament players throughout the Red Ball, Orange Ball, and Yellow Ball pathways, including state- and sectionally-ranked juniors. He has also served as a USTA coach for a team of South Carolina’s top U14 players at USTA Level 1 sectional competition.

Mark’s player-development philosophy centers on purposeful, long-term training. His players develop the technical, tactical, physical, and mental skills required to compete successfully, while learning the training habits and competitive mindset necessary to continually progress. His students have competed successfully in junior tournaments, earned top positions on their high school teams, and continued their careers at the collegiate level.

Mark currently serves as the Head Boys and Girls Varsity Tennis Coach at Christian Academy and previously served as Head Boys and Girls Varsity Tennis Coach at Carolina Forest High School from 2016–2020. Many of the high school players he has coached began training with Mark as young children, reflecting his ability to develop players through multiple stages of their competitive careers.

Mark graduated from the University of Virginia in 2008 with bachelor's degrees in Economics and Music. He and his wife, Nikki, have two children, Piper and Luke.

Thomas Rizk

High Performance Tennis Professional

  • 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

Thomas Rizk brings an extensive background in high-level competitive tennis and player development to Schminke Tennis Academy. A former internationally ranked junior and collegiate standout, Thomas combines firsthand experience at the highest levels of the game with years of coaching competitive junior players.

As a junior, Thomas achieved a world ranking of No. 400 and reached the Top 10 in Brazil in 2005. He continued his playing career at Scottsdale Community College, where he achieved a No. 3 national ranking, before competing at William Carey University. There, he earned national rankings in both singles and doubles, reaching as high as No. 20 in singles and No. 3 in doubles. Thomas also competed professionally during his playing career, earning four ATP points.

Thomas has extensive experience working with high-performance junior players and has coached at prominent tennis academies in Arizona and Maine. Throughout his coaching career, he has worked with competitive juniors who have achieved state, sectional, and national rankings.

Prior to joining STA, Thomas served as Head Tennis Professional at Prestwick, where he continued developing competitive players and preparing juniors for higher levels of tournament play.

Now a longtime member of the STA coaching staff, Thomas works primarily with advanced and high-performance players. His extensive competitive background and experience developing tournament players make him an important part of STA’s competitive training program.

Baluck Deang

Tennis Professional

  • Wisconsin District Singles 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)

  • 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

Coach Baluck “Coach B” Deang brings an accomplished competitive playing background and a passion for player development to the STA coaching staff. A former NCAA Division I tennis player, Baluck competed at both Delaware State University and Southern University A&M, where she also served as team captain and earned Dean’s List honors.

Originally from Wisconsin, Baluck enjoyed an outstanding junior and high school career. She was a Wisconsin District Champion, four-time Conference Champion, and back-to-back high school state champion in 2019 and 2020. Her accomplishments earned recognition as a USA Today High School Sports Award nominee and the Madison Sports Hall of Fame Club’s Sport Women of the Year in Wisconsin.

Baluck’s passion for tennis extends well beyond her own competitive career. She has experience working with players across a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and ability levels and has made growing the game an important part of her coaching career. Before joining STA, she volunteered coaching tennis for underprivileged children, helped establish a tennis program at Southern Lab, and completed a Tennis Coach Internship at the USTA National Campus in Orlando. Her experience at the National Campus included working with both junior and adult players, including athletes with disabilities.

Since joining STA, Coach B has become an important part of the Academy’s junior and adult programming. Her energy, competitive experience, and ability to connect with players allow her to challenge students while creating an encouraging environment for continued improvement and enjoyment of the game.

Baluck is USTA Level 1 and Level 2 Certified as well as USTA Safe Play Certified. She brings a strong work ethic, enthusiasm for teaching, and genuine commitment to helping every player become more confident and capable on the court.

Matthew Adzema

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.

Logan Ekster

Tennis Professional

  • Competitive Junior Tennis Player Since Age 7

  • Carolina Forest High School Varsity Tennis Alumni

  • 2019 State Tournament Qualifier

  • STA Junior Development & Beginner Tennis Specialist

  • Graduate of Southern Wesleyan University

  • B.S. in Computer Information Systems

  • Minor in Business Administration

  • USTA Safe Play Certified

A Myrtle Beach native, Coach Logan has been involved in competitive tennis since the age of seven. Growing up in the Carolina Forest area, he competed in numerous local junior tournaments before going on to play varsity tennis at Carolina Forest High School under Coach Mark Schminke. Logan helped the team qualify for the state tournament in 2019 and continued playing competitively as a member of the club tennis team at Southern Wesleyan University.

Logan joined the STA teaching staff in 2026, bringing his experience as a lifelong player back to the same tennis community in which he grew up. His passion is junior tennis development, particularly working with beginner and developing players who are just discovering the game. Logan focuses on creating a positive environment where young players can build strong fundamentals, gain confidence, and, most importantly, develop a genuine love for tennis.

Known for his incredibly encouraging and patient personality, Logan quickly became a favorite among STA players and families in both private lessons and group clinics. Having experienced firsthand the impact a great coach can have on a young player, he takes pride in making tennis approachable, enjoyable, and rewarding for every student he works with.

Logan graduated from Southern Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems and a minor in Business Administration. His lifelong connection to tennis, local roots, and enthusiasm for introducing the next generation to the sport make him a valuable member of the STA coaching team.