Sujay Lama recently completed his second season as head coach of Arkansas State women's tennis, after being named the program’s eighth head coach on August 16, 2023.

In 2025, Lama guided A-State to its best season since 2008 with 13 wins and the program’s first winning record since 2011. The Red Wolves broke home attendance records, earned five conference victories (most since 2000), and won a Sun Belt Conference Tournament match for the first time since 2015. In his first year, the program recorded its most wins since 2012 and most shutout victories since 2011.

Lama arrived in Jonesboro with 28 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 17 seasons at North Texas and eight at Illinois. He has 304 career victories and has coached teams to eight NCAA Tournament appearances and seven NCAA individual berths.

At North Texas, Lama led the Mean Green to 195 dual-match wins and three Sun Belt Conference titles (2010, 2012, 2013). His teams reached the conference semifinals or finals 10 times and defeated nationally ranked programs including Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, SMU, and TCU. He coached 21 student-athletes to 38 all-conference selections, including back-to-back Conference USA Newcomers of the Year. Under Lama, North Texas earned ITA All-Academic Team honors for 17 consecutive seasons and five NCAA APR awards. He was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year three times and received the 2013 Jim Verdieck College Coach of the Year award from the Professional Tennis Registry.

While at Illinois, Lama transformed the program from ninth in the Big Ten to a consistent national contender. His teams earned five NCAA Tournament bids, posted the best winning percentage since 1975, and achieved the program’s highest national ranking at No. 16. Under his leadership, the Illini produced 10 All-Big Ten players, four Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients, 13 ITA Scholar-Athletes, and two Academic All-Americans.

Prior to Illinois, Lama served as top assistant coach at Florida from 1995 to 1998 under Andy Brandi. There, he helped the Gators win two NCAA titles, three SEC championships, and go undefeated in three dual-match seasons. He was honored as the 1997 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year (South Region).

Lama also worked with elite junior and pro players as a senior staff professional at the Van Der Meer Tennis Center and as a traveling coach on the WTA Tour. He coached top-20 ranked players Amanda Coetzer and Naoko Sawamatsu, and has been on the sidelines at 12 Grand Slam tournaments, including Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the Australian Open, and the French Open.

As a player, Lama was Nepal’s top-ranked player from 1989 to 1991 and represented his country at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing. He reached No. 50 in the ITF junior world rankings. At Luther College in Iowa, he was a three-time Volvo Collegiate All-American, four-time conference MVP, and compiled a 104-18 singles record. He helped lead Luther to four IIAC championships and reached the semifinals of the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championship. He was inducted into Luther’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002 and received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 2017.

Lama earned his bachelor’s degree in Public Communications and Political Science from Luther College, where he also received Academic All-America honors. He holds the highest certifications from the USPTA and USPTR and is a USTA Certified High Performance Coach. He has taught and directed tennis camps around the world.

Beyond coaching, Lama has traveled to over 50 countries, is fluent in English, German, Hindi, and Nepalese, and has lived on three continents. He actively supports Project Nepal, a nonprofit focused on education for underprivileged children in his home country.

He and his wife, Lynne, have two children: Priya (25) and Siddhartha (20), who will play tennis at Butler University.

What They Are Saying
"Sujay Lama is one of the most respected coaches in our sport. Sujay has successfully mentored hundreds of players and has won numerous championships along his tennis journey. His passion for building programs and positively impacting others are some of the things I have admired. Sujay has helped me become a better coach and also a better husband and father. The Red Wolves certainly got a lot better today with this hire. I am so excited for their future together!"
-- Bryan Shelton Former Florida Men's Head Coach / Former Georgia Tech Women's Head Coach / Father of ATP Top 10 Player Ben Shelton

"I've known Sujay for years, and he is a great coach, leader and person. He is an excellent choice for Arkansas State, and I'm confident he will do a fantastic job with the program."
-- Stella Sampras-Webster UCLA Head Coach

"Coach Lama and Arkansas State are a perfect match!  Together they will excel and climb the conference and national rankings year after year.  I had the privilege of working with Sujay during his first six years as coach at North Texas.  Through his leadership, we were able to go from last in the Sun Belt Conference to first in a short amount of time.  And we also climbed into the top 40 in the D1 rankings!  Coach Lama is one of the best coaches in the country, and so I have no doubt that he will duplicate this feat again at A-State."
-- Jeff Maren UNC-Asheville Head Coach

"Arkansas State has landed a great hire in Sujay Lama. With Sujay's experience, knowledge, work ethic and passion for coaching, great things are ahead for the women's program."
-- Andi Brandi Former Florida Head Coach