In 21 seasons, Coach Settles has established the CMS Stags Tennis program as one of the elite at all levels of collegiate tennis. In 2025, Settles led the Stags to a second consecutive No. 2 national while extending the Stags' conference win streak to 167. He was named ITA D3 National Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. In 2024, CMS reached its sixth NCAA Division III Team Championship final in the past ten seasons. Under Settles' leadership, CMS earned its first NCAA title in any sport in 34 years by winning the NCAA Division III Team Championship in Mason, Ohio in May of 2015. His coaching record stands at 544-106 overall, and 180-4 in conference play.
Settles has coached Stags to three NCAA Singles titles: Advik Mareedu's championship run in 2025 as well as Warren Wood in 2015 and Skyler Butts in 2016. He has coached two doubles teams to NCAA titles: Larry Wang and Gui Schils in 2008, and Warren Wood and Joe Dorn in 2015. He has also coached 35 ITA All-Americans during his time at CMS.  In recognition of Coach Settles' leadership, both the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and the United States Professional Tennis Association have honored him with Coach of the Year accolades at the National (2025 and 2013) and West Regional (2025, 2013, 2009 and 2006) levels. Settles and his staff have also earned six SCIAC Coach Staff of the Year honors during his tenure.
Settles is a USPTA certified Elite Professional and a graduate of the USTA High Performance Coaching Program. In addition to coaching the Stags, Settles has coached Team USA in the International University Challenge - leading six top collegiate American players in an eight-team international competition in France - and the Southern California Maze Cup Team (Boys and Girls 16s and 18s).
Settles has served as a volunteer member of two USTA national committees, the Collegiate and Adult & Senior Competition Committees. He has also served two terms spanning twelve years on the Board of Directors of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. He is co-chair of the ITA Division 3 Operating Committee and also currently serves on the ITA's Ethics and Infractions and Rules Committees. At CMS, he serves on the Hall of Fame Committee and as co-advisor to the CMS SAAC Executive Board.
Settles' outreach efforts in the Claremont community have yielded five ITA Campus and Community Outreach awards. He and wife Kathy serve as Tournament Directors for the USTA National Family Hardcourt Championships in June and the USTA National Husband-Wife Hardcourt Championships in November. In 2013 Settles and wife Kathy launched Tennis in Our Schools, a 501(C)3 not for profit foundation bringing tennis to each of Claremont's seven elementary schools in the form of physical education and after school programming. In 2018, the program re-directed to aid Title 1 California high school tennis teams in need. The Settles' have raised over $75,000 for Tennis in Our Schools, positively impacting local need-based high school teams.
Before coming to CMS, Settles served as Director of Player Services of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of men’s professional tennis. At the ATP, Settles’ wide range of responsibilities included leading the Player Services Department, staff liaison for the ATP Player Council, Player Leadership Committee, and Board of Directors; and serving as founding committee member of the ATP Medical Services Committee. After leaving the ATP, Settles served on the Player Services staff for the Los Angeles ATP 250 level tournament from 2004 through its final year in 2012.
Still an active player himself in the adult and family divisions, Settles is winner of 36 USTA National Championships. He represented the USA at the ITF World Championships in Lisbon, Portgual in 2023. Paul, and wife Kathy have four children: Ryley, Christian, James, and Caleb.
