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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

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Tom Hankins

Tom Hankins enters his fifth year at the helm of the Central Oklahoma program and has a 64-53 over that span with the Bronchos.

Hankins had a 60-40 record as he coached his 100th game, which was the third-best win percentage through the first 100 games for any men's basketball coach in UCO history. He is already sixth on the all-time coaching wins list for the Bronchos with 64 wins.

Tom led UCO to a 16-14 record and fifth-place finish in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in his first season. The Bronchos beat two league teams (Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney) who advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs and won a first-round MIAA Tournament home game before falling in the quarterfinals.

Central went 17-12 in 2016-18, tied for fourth in the conference standings and won another first-round MIAA Tournament game before falling in the quarterfinals.

Hankins led the Bronchos to a 20-10 finish last season for the 23rd 20-win campaign in school history.  UCO finished third in the league to earn a first-round by in the MIAA Tournament and then knocked off Central Missouri in the semifinals before falling to defending champion Northwest Missouri in the semifinals.

Central Oklahoma took a dip in 2018-19, going 11-17. Hankins though coached one of the better players in recent memory last season as Adarius Avery was the only player in the MIAA to average a double-double for the entire season and just the sixth player in UCO history to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Tom spent 18 years in the Division I ranks, serving 15 years at Oral Roberts and then spending three seasons as associate head coach at Southern Illinois-Carbondale before coming to UCO.

ORU captured five Summit League championships and made three NCAA Division I national tournament appearances during Hankins’ tenure there.  He also helped recruit forward Caleb Green, who scored 2,503 points and grabbed 1,189 rebounds during his career while winning Summit League Player of the Year honors three times.

Hankins went to SIU in 2012 as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, spending three seasons there before coming to UCO.

Tom was a prep standout at Thomas Edison High School in Tulsa, finishing as the school’s career assists leader and earning Tulsa World All-Metro honors as a senior.

He went on to play two years at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and two years at Northeastern State, ranking among the national leaders in assists as a senior with the RiverHawks.

Hankins started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at NEO and he also also stops at Frank Phillips College, Northwest Missouri and Tulsa East Central High School before getting hired at ORU.

Tom is married (Annie) and has three children (daughters Kamryn and Elizabeth and son Luke).
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