| TOM HANKINS
Tom
Hankins enters his 11th season overall as an ORU
assistant and ninth as the top assistant under
head coach Scott Sutton.
Hankins primarily works with ORU’s big men as well
as developing scouting reports, scheduling and
recruiting.
"Tom’s been at ORU for over 10 years and he’s been a
huge part of our success," says head coach Scott
Sutton. "Coach Hankins has a great understanding
of what kind of players we need, and he’s a
tremendous evaluator. He’s also a very good "X’s
and O’s" coach. Tom has prepared himself well to
be a head coach, and he’ll be a good one when he
gets the chance."
"I’m really happy to be a part of this coaching
staff," Hankins said. "I’m a Tulsa guy. I’m from
here and have quite a few connections in the high
school coaching ranks, so that is definitely an
asset. I believe in what this university was
founded on and am happy to be a part of it."
Hankins has worked his way up the coaching ladder
over the last 14 years. After coaching stints at
Frank Phillips College, Northwest Missouri State
and Tulsa East Central High School, he came to ORU
as an assistant under former coach Barry Hinson in
1997.
Hankins, who earned a master’s degree in Education
from Northwest Missouri State, played as a guard
for Northeastern State from 1987-89. There, he was
ranked in the NAIA Top 10 for assists as a senior.
Before that, he played at Northeastern Oklahoma
A&M Junior College from 1984-86.
In 1984, Hankins graduated from Thomas Edison High
School in Tulsa, where he was the career assist
leader. Hankins was selected to the Tulsa World
all-city basketball team in 1984.
Hankins married the former Annie Sisler on March
16, 1996. Together, the couple has three children:
daughters, Kamryn Rae (8) and Elizabeth Ann (6),
and son, Luke James (3).
CHRIS CRUTCHFIELD
Oral
Roberts University men’s basketball head coach
Scott Sutton has announced the addition of Chris
Crutchfield to the basketball staff.
Crutchfield owns seven years of Division I
coaching experience, along with two seasons as a
junior college head coach. He spent the previous
two seasons on Neil Dougherty’s staff at TCU.
Crutchfield replaces Corey Williams, who accepted
a similar position at Oklahoma State last month.
“Chris is a fine addition to our staff,” said
Sutton. “He has great connections all over the
country and especially in Texas, an area which has
become so important to our program. He’s also been
a head coach and brings a wealth of knowledge to
our staff.”
“I’m really pleased to be able to join the staff
at Oral Roberts,” said Crutchfield. “Scott has
done a tremendous job in his eight years at ORU.
Along with tremendous support and assistance from
the University administration and the athletics
staff, Scott has turned ORU into one of the best
mid-major programs in the country.
“My wife and I have a lot of relatives in Omaha,
where I went to college, so it’s nice to be able
to get her and our children a little bit closer to
our family.”
In his first season at TCU (2005-06), Crutchfield
served as the program’s Director of Operations
before being promoted to assistant coach last
August.
Prior to his stint at TCU, Crutchfield spent four
seasons (‘01-05) on Lou Henson’s staff at New
Mexico State. Crutchfield was part of two 20-win
seasons with the Aggies, and helped guide NMSU to
the 2002 Sun Belt Conference championship.
Crutchfield owns deep Texas coaching roots.
Following two seasons as an assistant coach at
Tyler (Texas) Junior College, he took over as the
program’s head coach for the ‘99-00 and ‘00-01
campaigns. As TJC’s head coach his teams posted an
overall record of 35-28 (.556), and enjoyed a
91-precent graduation rate.
During his four years at Tyler, he recruited and
coached 20 players who went on to play Division I
basketball, including two All-Americans.
Prior to his stop at Tyler, Crutchfield spent the
‘96-97 season as an assistant coach at Texas-San
Antonio. He began his coaching career at his alma
mater, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, in
‘95-96.
“I’ve known Chris for a long time,” said Sutton.
“I tried to hire him eight years ago when he was
the head coach at Tyler Junior College. We’re very
fortunate this time around to have him join our
staff.”
A Hopkinsville, Ky.-native, Crutchfield was a
standout athlete at Hopkinsville High, earning
Kentucky New Era “Receiver of the Decade” after
three successful seasons in the mid-80s.
Crutchfield is Hopkinsville’s all-time leading
receiver and was a member of the 1985 state
championship basketball team, and a starter on the
1986 state quarterfinal squad.
After high school, Crutchfield attended
Anoka-Ramsey College in Coon Rapids, Minn., where
he played both football and basketball. After two
seasons, he transferred to the University of
Nebraska-Omaha, graduating in 1992 with a
Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. He received
his Master’s from UNO in health and sports
administration in 1995.
Crutchfield and his wife, Jodi, have been married
14 years. The couple has three sons: Derrick (20),
Jalen (7) and Joshua (6). Derrick is a junior at
Morehead State University in Kentucky.
CONLEY PHIPPS
Conley
Phipps is in his ninth season as a member of the ORU coaching staff.
Prior to joining the ORU staff, Phipps worked in
the coaching ranks for nine years, including two
season at TCU under then-head coach Billy Tubbs.
Phipps’ primary responsibilities at ORU include
player development, scouting opponents, and
coordinating summer camps.
"One of the most important qualities Conley brings
to our staff is his ability to relate to our
players," says head coach Scott Sutton. "As our
primary player development coach, he spends a lot
of time with our guys. Conley’s also a great
sideline coach with excellent preparation skills.
His ability to scout an opponent and help us
prepare is invaluable."
Phipps began his coaching career in his hometown
of Cleveland, Okla., in 1990, as the head coach at
Cleveland High School. Cleveland compiled a 63-17
record during his three-year stint as the head
man.
Phipps returned to his alma mater as an assistant
coach at Northeastern State from 1993-97. He
earned a bachelor’s degree in Education there in
1990 and a master’s degree in Education in 1995.
In 1997, Phipps left the Redmen to take an
assistant’s spot at TCU under Tubbs, for whom he
played at Oklahoma from 1984-86.
While at OU, he was a member of the Sooners’
1984-85 Big Eight Championship team as well as the
1985-86 NCAA Tournament team.
Phipps later transferred to NSU and was a guard
for Ken Hayes’ Redmen from 1987-89. He etched his
name in the NSU record books as a member of the
1,000-point club and earned all-conference honors
in 1987-88 and 1988-89. He was inducted in the
school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.
Born July 24, 1965, Phipps and his wife Stephanie
have three children: daughters Mackenzie (9) and
Molly (3), and a son, Trey (6).
STEVE UPSHAW
Steve Upshaw begins his
sixth year as Director of Basketball Operations
after spending the previous nine years as a
successful area coach at Cleveland (Okla.) High
School.
"Steve holds our program together," says head
coach Scott Sutton. "He has more on his plate than
anyone on our staff. From academics to internal
communications to facilities coordination to
helping keep us all organized, Steve is a great
asset. We joke all the time that we don’t know how
we got things done before Steve arrived."
In his position, Upshaw coordinates the day-to-day
operations of the men’s basketball office. He also
monitors the team’s academic progress, working
closely with ORU Assistant AD for Athletic
Academics Michael McDaniel.
Upshaw is a 1992 graduate of Northeastern State,
and a former assistant coach at Midwest City
(Okla.) High School. He joined Cleveland High as
head coach in 1992. He spent 10 season with the
Tigers, leading them to a 157-81 overall record
during his tenure.
Born on April 1, 1968 in Jenks, Okla., Upshaw
played high school basketball at Cleveland with
current ORU assistant Conley Phipps. He eventually
replaced him as head coach of the Tigers.
Upshaw is married to the former Janet Williams,
the girls basketball coach at Bixby High School.
He has three stepchildren: Lyndsey, Ty and Ashley,
and also has two brothers (Randy and Jim) who
coach high school basketball in the area. |