Head Coach
Tom begins his seventh season as the Coyote head coach and
19th year on the college level, also having coached ad taught on the
high school level for several years.
Tom’s experiences range from being an NCAA Div 1, Men’s
assistant to a high school junior varsity coach. On the collegiate
level, Tom has served as the head women’s and assistant men’s coach at
Northland Pioneer (Arizona) and served as a men’s assistant at Sam
Houston State University (Texas) California Baptist University, Chapman
University (California) and South Mountain College in Phoenix.
Tom has a broad college student services background
having served as an assistant dorm director, admissions recruiter,
activities director, and men’s-women’s tennis coach. Tom played in
intercollegiate basketball at Colorado Christian University (NCAA Div
II) and later graduated from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
Tom is a full-time faculty member in the Cerro Coso
Community College Physical Education Department. Tom’s hobbies include
tennis and sports casting, currently broadcasting Burroughs High School
football games for KLOA, Victor Valley College Football games for
Stardust 910 in Victorville, and selected Cerro Coso baseball games for
KWDJ.
Basketball
Quickshot
Tom averaged
32.5 points per game as a Senior at Judson High in Scottsdale (AZ), and
is fourth on the All-Time Metro Phoenix record list for averaged points
per game in a single season. Coach Heck's
Memorable Moments
Greatest Basketball Season - As a men's
assistant at Northland Pioneer College (AZ). Out 93-94 Men's team under
head coach Richard Zalenski went 37-4 finishing sixth in the NJCAA
National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. (The best chemistry I've
ever seen on any team in any sport.) Most
Memorable Night - As a
men's assistant at Sam Houston State - walking out to midcourt at North
Carolina State in front of 14,000 screaming fans and a Fox Regional
television audience attempting to save our head coach from picking up
his second technical foul of the night. (It didn't work)
Greatest Coaching Memory - My
95 Northland Pioneer Junior College Women's Team (with only 6 available
players due to sickness) on a late Saturday in January, took Yavapai
College (19-0) and ranked fifth in the NJCAA into overtime. Started the
overtime with 4 players and ended with 3 players and lost by 2 points.
(Most gutsy thing I've ever seen.)
Other memories
As a men’s assistant at San Houston State, playing at Notre Dame
and getting to stand at the exact same spot where Austin Carr hit a
winning jump shot to stop UCLA’s 84 game win streak.
Favorite Quote
"A desire to lose ones self in the group to benefit all
- happiness begins when selfishness ends."
- John Wooden (Hall of Fame Coach) Heck at Cerro
Coso
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
Finish |
| 2001-2002 |
15-16 |
7-7 |
State Playoff Appearance (3rd Tie)
Runner-up in conference post
season tournament state playoff appearance |
| 2002-2003 |
20-9 |
10-6 |
(3rd Tie)State Playoff Appearance |
| 2003-2004 |
16-8 |
9-5 |
4th Place Conference Finish |
| 2004-2005 |
7-17 |
4-10 |
(6th tie) Foothill Conference |
| 2005-2006 |
20-9 |
8-6 |
(4th) Foothill Conference |
|
