Page 46 - Demo

2013-14 SALUKI BASKETBALL SIUSALUKIS.CoM

CoAChING STAFF BIoS

ToM
“Whenever you put

together a staff, there is

hANKINS
one guy who you feel like

you absolutely need to

hire. Coach Hankins was
Associate Head Coach
my point of emphasis
Experience: 17th year
on Day One.”
At SIU: 2nd year
— Barry Hinson
Alma Mater: Northeastern State (1989)

Shortly after he was named head coach at
SIU in March of 2012, Barry Hinson reached

out to an old friend, asking Tom Hankins to join
Southern’s staff as associate head coach.

“Whenever you put together a staff, there is
one guy who you feel like you absolutely need

to hire,” Hinson said. “Coach Hankins was my
point of emphasis since Day One.”

Hankins, a native and lifelong resident
of Tulsa, Okla., enters his second year at

Southern Illinois after spending the previous 15
seasons as an assistant at Oral Roberts. He was
originally hired by Hinson at ORU in 1997, and

served under him for two seasons (1998-99).
During his tenure at Oral Roberts, the

Golden Eagles won five Summit League
regular-season championships and made three

NCAA Tournament appearances (2006, 2007,
2008), along with two trips to the NIT (2005,

2012).
In addition to serving as the top assistant,

Hankins is Southern’s recruiting coordinator. At
Oral Roberts, Hankins helped recruit forward
Caleb Green, who scored 2,503 points and

grabbed 1,189 rebounds in his career from
2003-07. A three-time conference Player of the

Year, Green led the Golden Eagles to a pair of
NCAA Tournament berths.

Hankins graduated from Thomas Edison
High School in Tulsa in 1984. He was the

school’s career assist leader and was selected
to the Tulsa World All-City basketball team his

senior year. He played collegiately for both
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College
(1984-86) and Northeastern State (1987-89),

where he was ranked in the NAIA top 10 for
assists as a senior.

After obtaining a master’s degree in
education from Northwest Missouri State,

Hankins made coaching stops at Frank Phillips
College, Northwest Missouri State and Tulsa

East Central High School. Hankins and his wife,
the former Annie Sisler, have three children:

daughters, Kamryn Rae (14) and Elizabeth Ann
(12), and son, Luke James (9).

44
NCAA ToUrNAMENT IN 1977, 93, 94, 95, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07