the coaches

  • With over 30 years in tennis, Joey Jezequel is a seasoned player and mentor. A product of the Hot Shotz Tennis Academy, he dominated high school courts for four years. As a freshman, played 3 singles position for North Cobb High School and held the Number 1 Singles position at Kell and Kennesaw Mountain High School. At Kennesaw State University, he not only played but coached Club Tennis which had over 30 members. Joey has secured an impressive 14 city championships at the AA level in ALTA and has accumulated multiple state trips for his USTA teams.

    Transitioning to coaching, Joey has dedicated nearly two dedicated to shaping athletes. Since turning 18, he has taught tennis with John Irvin and the Hot Shotz Tennis Academy and conducted private lessons independently. For the past 10 years, he’s been coaching tennis at Kennesaw Mountain High School, which includes the past six years being named the Varsity Head Coach for Girls’s Tennis.

    Joey Jezequel’s enduring passion for tennis shines both as a fierce competitor and a mentor, leaving an indelible mark on the students he teaches in the sport.

  • Maribeth Ledford is a Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) certified instructor and teaches private, semi-private, group and team lessons. She absolutely loves tennis…playing, watching, and most importantly, TEACHING it!

    She has played tennis for over 25 years, and has taught kids and adults of all ages for a decade. Her passion for the game comes through in her teaching, and one of the things she enjoys most is watching her students get excited about learning new techniques and improving their game all-around!

    Maribeth lives in Acworth, GA with her husband and two sons.

  • Matthew Gainey has been playing tennis for two decades. He joined Hot Shotz at the age of 14 and has been involved in the academy ever since. With the help of Coach John, he maintained a #1 doubles position at Kennesaw Mountain High School throughout all four years of his attendance.

    Matthew has also achieved a strong state ranking in junior tournaments during his youth. He has also successfully played in prize money tournaments.

    He has always loved tennis and looks forward to working with new students in an effort to encourage them to thrive on their own tennis adventures.

  • Dave Lamb has been a teacher for almost 3 decades. He has coached our highest leveled players for over two decades and is an “A” calibre player himself.

    He is also a 2nd grade teacher at Chalker Elementary School and has been a golf instructor for 4 years.

  • Edward Howard has been playing tennis for over half a century. He’s been an ALTA captain for 40 consecutive years (not seasons). He has won approximately 28 city championships. He is proud to say he has been teaching tennis to kids and adults for over a year and is highly active in after school programs once again focusing on kids.

    Coach Ed was born in College Park, Georgia and attended Georgia State University.

  • A tennis enthusiast that has been playing the sport for almost 60 years, with a love for the sport that has only grown for the years. His passion for tennis has been shared by coaching children and adults of all skill levels.