Head Coach
Tom begins his eighth season as the Coyotes head coach and 20th year
on the college level, also having coached and taught on the high school
level for several years.
Tom’s experiences range from being an NCAA Division 1 assistant to a
high school junior varsity coach. On the collegiate level, Tom served as
the head Women’s and assistant men’s coach at Northland Pioneer College
(Arizona JC) and served as a men’s assistant at Sam Houston State
University (Texas) California Baptist University, Chapman University (Calif)
and South Mountain JC in Phoenix.
Tom has a broad college student services background having worked as an
assistant dorm director, admissions recruiter, activities director, and
Men’s and Women’s tennis coach. Tom Played intercollegiate basketball at
Colorado Christian University (NCAA Div ll) and later graduated from
Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
Tom is a full time faculty member in the Cerro Coso Physical education
department. Tom’s hobbies include tennis and sportscasting, which
includes Burroughs football on KZIQ FM, selected Burroughs basketball,
and Cerro Coso baseball games on KWDJ-AM, and also covers Victor Valley
college football in the fall on Stardust 910-AM in Victorville.
Tom is married, and he and wife Erika, have one daughter. (Metzli)
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) |
