Northwestern men’s tennis coach Paul Torricelli has a tough time keeping help. It’s not because he’s a bad boss, or because his assistants are incompetent.

The problem is that his assistant coaches are hired away by other schools as head coaches.

It’s happened five times in Torricelli’s 20 years as head coach of the Wildcats, and includes the departure of Jay Udwadia, who will be the head coach at Drake this season.

Udwadia spent four seasons at NU, and prior to becoming Torricelli’s assistant, he spent a year and a half on the ATP Pro Tour.

“It was only a matter of time before his opportunity came along,” Torricelli said in a statement. “He will have Drake tennis on the rise very soon.”

Hired last week, former Michigan standout Arvid Swan will join Torricelli’s staff this year. Swan, a 1998 graduate of Michigan, was All Big Ten in 1996 and was a three-time Academic All Big Ten selection.

“He always had a reputation of being a really hard worker, someone you knew would be a good influence on teammates,” Torricelli said. “He brought a lot of intangibles to the team.”

Swan has been away from tennis since graduating from Michigan and received a law degree from Indiana in 2002.

Swan, along with four freshman, has been on campus getting acquainted with his new team.

“Once I interviewed him I found out what kind of passion he had for tennis,” Torricelli said.

“He really missed the game.”