University of New Orleans Men's Tennis

Kanga guided the Privateers to a 10-10 overall record while coaching a Southland first team doubles group in Rui Silva and Blake Gregor. Of the nine team members on the 2014-15 roster, five were seniors. Also highlighted were strong fall performances by senior, Timo Kranz and freshman, Giacomo Adoncecchi at the ITA Southern Regional. In the spring, senior, Romain Lefevre emerged as a staple in the Privateers' rotation, winning the co-conference championship at #5 singles. Overall, Kanga is in his third stint at the helm of the tennis program, and was hired on Feb. 22, 2008 as the program was reinstated as part of the rebuilding efforts on the Lakefront. Kanga previously coached at UNO from 1986-89 and again from 2003-06 before the program was put on hiatus due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. No stranger to UNO prior to his stints as head coach, Kanga was a member of the Privateer tennis program from 1980-83, earning his Bachelors of Science in Business in 1984.   While playing on the Lakefront, Kanga amassed an 81-9 mark and became the only member of either UNO tennis team to achieve All-American honors, doing so as a senior. During his time on the UNO team, he was ranked as the top player in Louisiana for the under-21 age group. He also played professionally on the satellite tennis circuits of the USA, Europe and Mexico.   Since returning to the Lakefront in 2008, Kanga has made steady progress in establishing both the mens and womens programs both on the court and in the classroom.   Outside of the UNO tennis team accomplishments, Kanga has restored the University Tennis Center. Working with Hike for KaTREEna, a major beautification occurred at the facility in 2012 the same year the facility hosted the PJ's Coffee Women's International Tennis Classic to University Tennis Center, the first women's professional event in New Orleans since 1988.   A native of Tanzania in East Africa, Kanga brought the 1988 Virginia Slims of New Orleans tournament to Chateau Golf and Country Club in Kenner, where he served as Director of Tennis and Head Teaching Professional from 1989-2006. A long-time Board Member of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, Kanga served as the Sports Commissioner for Tennis for the 1996 AAU Junior Olympic Games. Kanga holds United States Tennis Association Professional 1 certification. A list of highlights since 2008 is available below: Competing in teams first dual since 2005, UNO defeated No. 59 South Alabama in 2009 in Mobile, Ala. The victory was the first-ever over the Jaguars in school history and propelled the men into the national rankings at No. 75, a spot they would hold for several weeks. In 2013, UNO placed a league-high three members on the Southland All-Academic team including the institutions first-ever Student-Athlete of the Year (Hossam Meligy). Kanga coached student-athletes have received All-Louisiana honors since 2009 on ten occasions and includes the 2009 Newcomer of the Year (Kozue Matsumoto), the 2011 Freshman of the Year (Hossam Meligy) and the 2013 Newcomer of the Year (Rui Silva). In 2013-14, Kanga coached two All-Conference selections in Soledad Calderon Arroyo and Marta Sans. Calderon garnered All-Southland Second Team mention in singles and doubles while Sans garnered All-Southland Second Team doubles honors.