University of the Incarnate Word Athletics

Coach Rees joined UIW as the head coach of the women's tennis program in June of 2021. Prior to UIW, Rees spent two seasons as the assistant women's tennis coach at Kansas State. 

Rees second year did not disappoint, beating out his first season with the furthest Southland Conference Tournament run in UIW history as the Cardinals took home second place. He had two student-athletes earn Southland All-Conference honors as Brandelyn Fulgenzi was crowned the Southland Conference Player of the Year and named to the All-SLC doubles team alongside freshman, Estefania Gonzalez. In the fall, Brandelyn teamed up with her sister, Lauren, to win the ITA Texas Regional Doubles Title and sit in the ITA national rankings for doubles throughout the entire 2022-23 season and earn the team's first pro ranking points. Off the courts, the team was awarded the Athletic Director's Team of the Year Award at the annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Cardinal Red Carpet for achieving a 3.76 team GPA and completing nearly 200 hours of community service. 

In his first year at the Nest, Rees lead the team to the winningest season in DI program history and the Cardinals earned their highest finish in the SLC tournament in program history, coming in fifth place. UIW recorded 10 wins for the first time in its Division I history, including eight victories at the Mabry Tennis Center. The Cardinals had notable wins over Montana State University and University of Nebraska at Omaha, along with the first ever program victory against McNeese State University. Additionally, two student-athletes earned the first Southland Conference honors in program history. Pawar was named SLC Freshman of the Year after posting a 12-8 record, while Salcedo was selected SLC Newcomer of the Year for her 17-4 mark. Both student-athletes broke the record for most wins in a single season. Pawar finished the season with 11 doubles wins and Salcedo notched 17 singles wins. As a team, each student-athlete saw their Universal Tennis Rating increase by .41 points. Off the court, the Cardinals finished with over 100 community hours while maintaining a 3.77 fall team GPA.

At Kansas State, Rees helped lead the Wildcats to as high as No. 38 in the college rankings; K-State also turned in the 25th-ranked recruiting class in 2021. 

Prior to Kansas State, Rees was the head coach of both the men's and women's tennis programs at Lenoir-Rhyne from 2016-19, leading both teams to their first national rankings in school history. He guided multiple student-athletes to national rankings and All-South Atlantic Conference (SAC) selections, while also leading the team to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic award and ITA Southeast Region community service awards.  

Rees spent two summers (2017 and 2018) as an ATP Tour coach, leading Rubin Statham to a New Zealand No. 1 ranking and a top-300 ATP Pro ranking. He also guided Marcos Giron to a top-75 ATP Pro ranking. 

As a head coach of both men's and women's programs at Illinois-Springfield from 2014-2016, Rees recruited the eventual 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Women's Freshman of the Year and guided both the men's and women's teams to program-high win totals. 

From 2012-14, Rees played on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) professional circuit in tournaments across Europe and the U.S.  

He started his coaching career as an assistant coach at North Georgia in 2012. There, he helped the men's program to a No. 23 national ranking and a spot in the NCAA Championships, while also setting a new program high in wins totals on the women's side. Rees coached multiple All-Americans, nationally ranked student-athletes and all-conference selections en route to being named the 2014 ITA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year. 

Rees earned a Bachelor's in French with a minor in management and cum Laude honors at the University of North Carolina-Asheville in 2012. He obtained his Master's in Public Administration in 2014 at North Georgia.  

Rees was a three-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs, leading the team to a second-place finish in the Big South Conference. He was a Big South All-Conference selection and the league's No. 2 doubles champion. 

Prior to UNC-Asheville, Rees played one season at Tusculum University in the No. 1 singles and doubles flights, helping the Pioneers to a No. 28 national ranking and the SAC Tournament finals.