Tommy Suitts is in his first season as an assistant men's basketball coach at Southeast Missouri State University.
Suitts began his collegiate coaching career in 1974 as an assistant at his alma mater, the University of Alabama. He was an assistant for two years under legendary coach C.M. Newton and helped the Crimson Tide to two Southeastern Conference titles. Suitts spent four seasons as an assistant and chief recruiter at North Alabama and helped the Lions to three Division II final four appearances.
Awarded top defensive honors as a senior at Alabama, Suitts became an assistant coach at Rice in 1979 and moved up to head coach in 1981. His first team at Rice won the Rainbow Classic Championship with wins over 18th ranked North Carolina State and 4th ranked San Francisco. Suitts' teams at Rice defeated six nationally ranked teams.
From 1987-90, Suitts served as the head coach at Chicago State. He brought the new Division I program with only five scholarships to a 12 win season in only two years and graduated more student-athletes than all other athletic programs at the school combined.
Due to family concerns, Suitts returned to high school coaching in 1992 and has served as head coach at six high schools. His 1992-93 team at Westbury Christian School in Houston, Texas, was the number one ranked private school in the greater Houston area with a record of 29-4. In 2007-08, Suitts was head coach at W.S. Neal High School in Brewton, Ala.
Suitts has three children, Clint, 29; Stephen, 25; and Will, 23. He also has two grandchildren, Majerle, 6, and Rhyan, 2.
