Coaching Team
Alexander MacKellar and Keeley Phillips (both former collegiate players with over 17 years of combined coaching) founded the Mack Phillips Tennis Academy in 2019. We offer a tennis experience catering to all age and skill levels. We look forward to sharing our passion and knowledge of the sport with you!
Keeley Phillips
Head Coach
Coach Keeley has been playing tennis seriously for over 10 years and coaching for over 8 years. She attended Cedar Ridge High School where she was awarded team MVP and played #1 mixed doubles. After High School she continued her playing career as a member of the women’s tennis team at Concordia University Texas. She graduated in 2020 with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Kinesiology. Coach Keeley’s favorite things about tennis are its ability to bring communities and families together, and the fact that it is a lifelong sport! Her coaching approach is very tailored to the player and their goals; however, she is a firm believer in creating strong fundamentals to prevent injury and allow players to reach their full potential. She has experience working with kids ages 2 all the way to seniors and all skill levels. When she is not on the court, she enjoys running, baking, DIY projects and spending time with her family.
Alexander Mackellar
Head Coach
Coach Alex began playing tennis at age 11 and has been coaching tennis for over 10 years. He attended Belton High School and was a member of their varsity tennis team. After High School, he joined the United States Navy. He spent 2 years in Washington D.C. at the Nation’s capital as a Ceremonial Guardsman. Then, he spent his last 2 years stationed in Bahrain. After the service, he attended the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor where he was a member of the tennis team and graduated in 2019. After graduating, he knew he wanted to follow his passion, tennis, and has been coaching full time ever since. Coach Alex’s coaching style is always adapted to the individual to best suit their needs and goals.
Nikhil Ramachandran
Coach
“Coach Nik has been playing tennis competitively for nearly 15 years and has been coaching for almost a decade. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Virginia where he earned 2 doubles state titles while also leading his team to 4 consecutive state championships as a captain in both his junior and senior years. Coach Nik went on to the University of Virginia, where he majored in Computer Science and Psychology while continuing his passion for tennis by serving as a 4-year member of UVA’s club tennis team, of which he eventually became president and captain in his final two seasons. Nik is a highly competitive coach with a passion for bringing out the best in each individual. With experience across all levels, he has confidence in his ability to take your game to the next level, no matter your current rating. Off the court, Coach Nik runs his own card-trading business, enjoys watching baseball, cooking, and catching up with friends."
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Leo
Coach
Coach Leo has played tennis since the age of 3. His dad, who played collegiately at Tufts University and on the amateur tour after, coached Leo and both of his brothers to the state level for Ohio high school tennis. Tennis has been an integral part of Leo’s life and his knowledge of the sport is immense, participating in USTA tournaments since the age of 6.
In 2017, Leo won a State Championship and finished 4th in the state in doubles, along with posting a personal record of 27-4. Upon deciding what his plans for college were, Leo decided not to pursue college tennis because he could attend a better school solely based on academics, and ended up attending the University of Southern California (USC) where he graduated in 2023.
After being certified in 2018, Leo taught tennis in his free time for several summers during and after high school to people of all ages. Tennis is something he is really passionate and he’s looking forward to sharing his love of the game with Mack Phillips!
Cameron
Coach
Coach Cameron is originally from Georgetown, TX; he joined our team in the Fall of 2024. His first experience playing was at Berry Creek with the junior program where he trained with them from 2010-2014 and was able to get to the top 30 in Texas for 18s juniors. Later he went off to play collegiate tennis at the University of Texas at Tyler. After college he went into tech sales for a few years but realized his passion wasn’t in computers but tennis and has shifted towards teaching and getting back on court.
In college he played against many different players and game styles and quickly realized everybody’s game differs slightly. Because of this he caters his lessons/drills to his players specific needs and goals for the future. Cameron’s focus is on helping people expand and
improve their current game, while also helping with match strategy .
He is a USPTA certified teaching pro and is excited to work with the next generation of players
to improve their game and develop a love for tennis.
Kayla Peña
Coach
Coach Kayla is from Rio Grande City, Texas and has been playing tennis for 13 years. In high school she was a regional qualifier for doubles and a state qualifier for singles. After High School, she continued her career at Concordia University Texas as a member of the women’s tennis team where she was awarded newcomer of the year, conference MVP and received the sportsmanship award twice.
Coach Kayla finished her bachelor’s in Kinesiology last year, is a Certified personal trainer and a certified Corrective Exercise Specialist. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree and will be playing her final year at Concordia.
Coach Kayla has been coaching tennis for 4 years and has experience working with all age and skill levels. She plays tennis because it has opened countless opportunities for her, and it has taught her many lessons that she can carry/use in her everyday life even outside of the sport. She coaches tennis because she wants the future generations to be able to have access to the same opportunities that tennis has provided her.
Tim Craig
Pickleball Coach
Coach Tim is a Certified Professional with the Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR). The PPR is the official education and certification partner of USA pickleball. Coach Tim teaches and trains players of all ages and skill levels. He has taught hundreds of players in Central Texas how to play pickleball. He teaches and plays pickleball every day. He has been playing in tournaments since 2018 and plays in several tournaments per year. You can see his tournament results and his advanced student’s tournament results on his Facebook page Coach Tim Pickleball Training LLC. He also has a YouTube page where you can view his training videos. He has a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Saint Edward’s University and spent his career in government financial management. He retired from the State of Texas in 2014 and spends his time off the pickleball court tending to his Koi Pond and annoying his Facebook followers with his occasional live karaoke performances.
Ali Abuwala
Coach
My name is Ali and I am currently a 3rd year architecture student at UT Austin! I’ve been playing tennis since I was 12, starting competitive tournaments around the age of 14. I was a USTA super champ and began my coaching career while high school giving private lessons. For the past two years, I have spent my summers running camps and drills with my former coach and continued with private lessons for players of all age and skill levels. I now play competitive doubles for the UT club team, currently ranked line 3 for the school. My style of coaching relates to each individual player, working with their unique strokes to make them the best player they can be. I value having a balance among all your shots rather than mastering one, and I think it helps create all around players that can face any situation. I hope to continue coaching throughout my college career and beyond as my love for this game has only gotten stronger as the years go on! My favorite player is the undisputed greatest tennis athlete of all time Novak Djokovic!
Jonathan Darnell
Coach
Jonathan Darnell started playing competitive tennis in the 7th grade but has been playing for over 30 years. He was introduced to the sport at a very young age since his mother was a tennis coach. He played doubles throughout High School and was a 4-year MVP for the varsity team. He has multiple years of coaching experience with middle school- high school players for multiple different school districts. He has also hosted and led yearly summer camps for players ranging from 1st grade through high schoolers. He has been coaching tennis in some capacity for over 18 years.
Davin Hanton
Coach
Born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, coach Davin was introduced to tennis at the age of three. Davin grew up taking private lessons, and competing in junior programming, but did not take tennis seriously until high school. Once Davin realized that tennis can also be a team sport, the drive to play college tennis developed. Davin attended Weil Tennis Academy, in Ojai California his senior year where he learned what it takes to be a collegiate athlete. From there, Davin played college tennis at Ave Maria University (NAIA) in Florida, where he obtained a Bachelors in Communications and a minor in Psychology.
Davin has been teaching tennis at a club for four years. He also coached at the University of Puget Sound (D3) for two years. He uses his communication skills to speak clearly, adapt to player needs, and reach all player learning styles. Davin is PTR Certified, and continues to grow each time he steps on court.
Outside of tennis, Davin enjoys working out, going to church, and playing Super Smash Bros. Catch him on court at the Mack Phillips Tennis Academy!
Cade Thompson
Coach
Growing up in Katy, Texas, Cade honed his tennis skills under the guidance of his father, leading to many wins on the high school varsity team, playing first line men’s doubles and singles. After high school, he moved to Georgetown, Texas, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Physics at Southwestern University. Cade's passion for tennis remained strong, with him winning the intramural men’s singles tournament. He follows his passion now as a competitive tennis coach, with great knowledge of functional technique and strategy. Cade loves to watch professional tennis, looking up most to Rafael Nadal.
Evan Peña
Coach
Hi! My name is Evan, and I love the sport of tennis, which is why I enjoy coaching anyone and everyone who wants to play! I've played tennis for 16 years now, and growing up, I was able to become a "super champ" in old USTA terms. I played tennis at Concordia University Texas from August 2018 to May 2023, where I obtained my bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and master's degree in Sports Administration. During my time playing for Concordia, I was voted captain by my teammates for my last 3 years of college tennis. During those 5 years, we made it to the ASC conference championship 4 times, winning twice in Spring 2021 and Spring 2023! I'd say my coaching style focuses on a holistic approach, developing the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of the sport, to optimize development and performance, but I don't forget to bring the fun as that's the most important thing after all (winning is nice, too, though)!