Mike Shanks, the 2005 NWC Coach of the Year, is in his 12th season as men's tennis coach at Whitworth in 2010-11. In addition, Shanks took over as Director of Programs for the Scotford Tennis Center in the fall of 2007.

Shanks led the Pirates to a 9-16 record (9-7 in the Northwest Conference) during the 2010 season. The Bucs lost 5-4 to PLU in the NWC tournament quarterfinals.

Shanks is a former board member of the Spokane Junior Tennis Development Association and a former national verifier for the United States Tennis Association's USA League Tennis Program. During his playing career, Shanks was ranked as high as sixth in the men's 35 singles and #1 in the men's 35 doubles in the Pacific Northwest.