The Texas Smash have parted ways with head coach Jorg Bitzigeio due to complications regarding his visa.

The Smash have hired English table tennis icon Paul Drinkhall (ITTF Men’s Singles No. 366) to replace Bitzigeio for Season 4.

The Smash finished Season 3 with an 8-10 record and 184 points, which caused them to miss Championship Weekend for the first time in team history. Bitzigeio’s visa complications prevented him from travelling with his team this season, which forced team captains David McBeath (SPINDEX: 2700) and Hiromitsu Kasahara (2726) to make most of the Smash’s key in-match decisions.

Drinkhall is a three-time Olympian, a seven-time English Champion and an eight-time medalist at the Commonwealth Games. He won the bronze medal at both the 2018 ITTF Team World Cup and the 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest table tennis players in English history.

“Welcome to the Texas Smash family, Paul Drinkhall,” Smash owner Mahesh Joshi and his family said. “Your championship pedigree, leadership and relentless spirit will elevate our team and strengthen our pursuit of excellence on and off the table.”

Drinkhall currently helps coach England’s U19 Boys’ Team and occasionally works with British Olympic players. He was a member of the ETTU Athletes Commission from 2018-2025.

“It is an honour for me to be a part of MLTT and [the] Texas Smash,” Drinkhall said. “It is a new challenge for me that I am ready to take on, and I can’t wait to get started!”

Drinkhall will become the second coach in Smash history, and will coach a roster led by McBeath, Kasahara, Amy Wang (2588) and Nandan Naresh (2722). These players have been with the Smash for all three seasons, and all four are expected to return for Season 4.

“Excited to have Paul join the team!” McBeath said. “He’s got a lot of experience and knowledge to pass on, which will push the team further.”

The Smash will also have the fifth-highest odds (9.5%) to receive the No. 1 overall pick in the Season 4 MLTT Draft. The highest pick the Smash have ever had in an MLTT Draft was No. 4 Season 1, which they used to select Wang.

The Smash became the first-ever MLTT champions in Season 1, and lost to the Carolina Gold Rush in the championship match of Season 2. They hope Drinkhall’s coaching can guide the team to its third-ever postseason spot after Season 4 ends.

“I’m very excited to play with [Drinkhall],” Kasahara said. “We will try to get the championship trophy next season! Let’s go!”

All of the Smash’s Season 4 matches will be streamed on Table Tennis TV, which can be accessed on TableTennis.TV, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

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