Bucca Steps Down as Head Tennis Coach to Become Superior Court Judge
Aug 03 | Women's Tennis
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - After a 13-year tenure that saw his teams succeed both on the court and in the classroom, Benjamin Bucca has stepped down as the head coach of the Rutgers tennis program. In total, Bucca spent 23 years in a coaching capacity with the Scarlet Knights, including 10 years as an assistant.
Bucca will now serve as a New Jersey Superior Court Judge assigned to Middlesex County after he was nominated by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and recently approved by the New Jersey Senate.
"I've had a great run as head coach here at Rutgers," Bucca said. "The University has been very supportive and has done what is necessary in order to provide the student-athletes with a positive experience. I cannot thank all of the staff members enough who day in and day out quietly provide support to the teams so everything runs smoothly and efficiently. It's been my pleasure working with everyone."
Hilary Ritchie, who has worked as an assistant with the team for the past six seasons, will serve as acting head coach of the program.
Following 10 years as an assistant with the Scarlet Knights, Bucca was named the team's head coach in 2003. In 13 seasons as head coach, Bucca helped RU secure 160 dual victories, 10 postseason appearances and guided the program into the prestigious Big Ten Conference in 2015.
Prior to its entrance into the Big Ten, Rutgers captured postseason wins in nine of 10 seasons under the guidance of Bucca. From 2011-14, RU collected at least 13 regular-season dual victories each year.
Off the court, the team has garnered Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic honors 11 of the past 13 years with numerous players receiving individual ITA All-Academic accolades. In addition, the team has had four ITA Regional Sportsmanship Award winners, with two athletes garnering ITA National Sportsmanship recognition. This year, all-seven student-athletes were named Academic All-Big Ten performers, while Chloe Lee earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar accolades.
APR success - which measures graduation rate and player retention - was stressed during Bucca's time as head coach. The Scarlet Knights produced perfect single-year APR scores of 1,000 six of the past nine years, including most recently in 2014-15.
"I've been fortunate to coach a great group of student-athletes over the years," Bucca said. "They're responsible for creating the culture of our team where we do things the right way. The players practice hard, compete with intensity, study seriously and are a lot of fun to be around."
Bucca has been significantly involved with national collegiate tennis committees. Currently, he is Region Chair Person of the ITA Northeast Region Committee and previously served on the ITA Operating Committee. He has also served on the USTA National Constitution and Rules Committee, the USTA Collegiate Committee and was a member of the Board of Directors for the USTA/Eastern section.
Bucca and his wife, Christine, currently reside in New Brunswick and have two children, Ben and Annie.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers tennis, follow the program on Twitter (@RUwtennis). The team is also on Facebook (facebook.com/RutgersTennis).
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