Carrying over from his time as a player, Kethan Darbar still has a fire burning inside of him that he has chosen to pass along to student-athletes as a coach. After joining King College in May 2010, the second-year head coach is committed to bringing in and grooming quality contributors to the Tornado Tennis.

In his first year after taking over the Tornado program, Darbar led the men’s team to a Conference Carolinas Tournament berth in its first year as a member school after a successful regular season. Led by All-Conference honorees Jose Avila and Pablo Vidal, the Tornado began the 2011-12 season on a 10-game winning streak and finished the year 13-5. Eight of his student-athletes, including the entire men’s starting lineup, were named to the Conference Carolinas All-Academic Team while Avila was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men’s tennis.

Darbar came to King from Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn., where he led the men’s and women’s programs for two seasons. While with the Eagles, he coached his teams to a combined 21-33 record, 11-15 on the men’s side and 10-18 leading the women while the University made the transition from NAIA to NCAA status. In 2010-11, the men went 6-10 marking the most wins for the team in over 11 years. The women won five matches each season under Darbar’s guidance, the most since the 2004 season.

He was a member of the Lambuth men’s tennis team from 2005-09. Darbar graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management in 2009. Upon graduation he became an assistant at his alma mater, a position he held for one season before being elevated to head coach in 2010.

The Sao Paulo, Brazil native spent time at the EGA Tennis Academy as a professional tennis player in his hometown. While there he helped mentor younger players and competed in national tournaments throughout Brazil and South America. Darbar also competed in International Tennis Federation Futures events.