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.