Tommy Wade enters his eighth season as assistant to OCU coach Ray Harper.
Known as a well-connected recruiter, Wade contributed to OCU's run to the NAIA championship game in 2006-07. The Stars also won the Sooner Athletic regular-season and tournament titles.
Before OCU, Wade was at Kentucky Wesleyan for six seasons, during which Kentucky Wesleyan produced three consecutive 30-win seasons, one NCAA Division II championship, three NCAA Division II runner-ups and four all-Americans.
Wade also spent four seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at South Alabama. He helped South Alabama to the 1997 and 1998 Sun Belt Conference Championships and two consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Wade also held assistant positions at Missouri State (1994-95), St. Catharine College (Ky.) (1992-94) and Murray State (1991-92).
The native of Hopkinsville, Ky., was an all-state player at Hopkinsville High School as a senior in 1975. He played basketball at Murray State his freshman and sophomore seasons and then transferred to Southeast Missouri for his junior and senior years. His basketball career continued by playing professionally in Argentina for three years and one season in Europe before entering the coaching ranks.
Wade began his coaching career at University Heights Academy in Hopkinsville as a high school assistant for seven seasons. He was promoted to head coach in 1991 where he led the Blazers to their second consecutive Class A state championship.
He received his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Southeast Missouri State in 1992.
