The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men’s basketball coaching staff is adding a familiar face with the return of Cru alum Thomas Orr as the program’s new full-time assistant coach. New UMHB Head Coach Clif Carroll announced Orr’s hiring on Wednesday (April 29th).
Orr rejoins his alma mater after spending last season as an assistant coach at the University of the Ozarks, a fellow American Southwest Conference member. Orr also spent two years as an assistant coach at Texas Lutheran University and helped lead the Bulldogs to a pair of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships during his tenure. He started his collegiate coaching career as a student assistant at UMHB in 2013-14 and has also coached on the high school level at Buffalo High School and in the Longview ISD.
“I am excited to be bringing Thomas home,” Carroll said. “I have not met anyone that has more love for UMHB than him. Our goal here at UMHB is to win a National Championship. Thomas and his teammates were the NCAA National Runner Up in 2013 and his passion and drive will be essential to getting our program back to that level.”
Orr was a two-year letter winner for the Cru men’s basketball team and was UMHB’s leading scorer when the team advanced to the NCAA Division III National Championship Game his senior season. He had 24 points and 11 rebounds in the title game. Orr was a D3hoops.com All-South Region selection and ASC All-Conference and All-West Division pick that year, He graduated from UMHB with a degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2014 and earned a Master’s Degree in sport management from Franklin-Pierce University in 2016.
“It means a great deal to me to be coming back to UMHB,” Orr said. “I am ready to get to work. After the way my career ended, with a loss in the championship game, I am ready to put in the work to get back to the national championship.”
The Hutto, Texas native will officially start on May 18th Orr replaces Zane Johnston as the Cru’s assistant coach. Johnston is leaving UMHB to become the Head Boys’ Basketball Coach at Lake Belton High School.
https://cruathletics.com/news/2020/4/29/thomas-orr-named-mens-basketball-assistant-coach.aspx
