Mark Basham

Tennis Professional

[email protected]

Mark is a Santa Barbara native who graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1981.Before entering college Mark won the National Amateur Singles Title in 1981 along with the National Amateur Clay court Doubles Title in that same year.Mark graduated from UCLA with a Sociology degree in 1986. He played on NCAA Championship teams in 1981 and 1984, while earning All American status in Singles and Doubles in 1984. In 1985 Mark received the “Unsung Player “award for NCAA Division1 Men’s tennis.After graduating he played on the pro circuit for over two years playing in the doubles main draw at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.Mark was the Tennis Director at Birnam Wood Golf Club from 1990-1996.Mark was Tennis Co-Director at the SBTC from 1996-2009 where he ran many adult and junior clinics and tournaments, ran Summer Junior Camps, and taught private lessons to top players of all ages and levels.Mark has been a P1 certified USPTA Professional for over 30 years, while also having the opportunity to attend many USPTA National Conferences.Mark was the Men’s Head Tennis Coach at Westmont College from 2009-2023 with 9 of his 14 teams finishing with a top 20 national ranking, and Mark was named conference coach of the year 4 times. Mark considers his understanding of the mental and strategical aspects of the game to be some of his strengths, while also enjoying the variety of working with players of different ability levels. Mark has been married to his wife Sharon since 2003. Sharon played tennis at San Marcos High School and then spent four years at Vassar College. Sharon is the Medical Director at Santa Barbara Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital.