Head Basketball Coach - Tommy Suitts
Office Phone: 334-683-2357
Email: tsuitts@marionmilitary.edu
Tommy Suitts is in his first year as head men's basketball coach at Marion Military Institute. Suitts graduated from Marion Military Institute as the junior college valedictorian in 1967. While at MMI he was twice named All-Conference and All-American while playing for coach Bill Jones. He transferred to the University of Alabama where he played for legendary coach C. M. Newton and was named to the All-SEC Academic Team. Suitts began his collegiate coaching career in 1974 as an assistant at the University of Alabama. He was an assistant for two years under Coach 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 University 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' team 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. Suitts served as assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State in 2008-2009.
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 greater Houston area with a record of 29-4. In 2007-08, Suitts was head coach at W.S. Neal High School in Brewton, Alabama.
Since 2009, Suitts has been the director of the Suitts Scouting Service.
Assistant Basketball Coach - Willie Watson, Jr.
Office Phone: 334-683-2218
Email: wwatson@marionmilitary.edu
HOMETOWN: York, Alabama
HIGH SCHOOL:
- Multi-sport athlete at Sumter County H.S. (basketball, football, track and field)
- Two-time State Champion in basketball (2004 and 2005)
- US ARMY ATHLETE OF THE YEAR NOMINEE (2005)
- WTOK’s ALL SCHOLASTIC SPORTS TEAM (Regional TV station-West Alabama/East Mississippi)
- Graduated 4th in Class with a 3.7 GPA.
COLLEGE
- Member of University of Alabama’s Men’s Basketball team (2005-2006).
- Helped team to 20 wins including 10 conference wins and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
- Finished undergraduate career as a Co-Head and Head Manager under Mark Gottfried and Phillip Pearson, supervising and monitoring 10+ managers and 60+ players in that time span.
- Graduate assistant for two years under Anthony Grant where he assisted in recruiting, practices, and game management.
- In his last season with Alabama (2010-2011) he was a part of a team that went on to be the SEC Western Division Champions, and a finalist in the National Invitational Tournament.
- Received a B.S in Business Management, a Masters in Human Environmental Science with a concentration in Sports Management, and a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Management, Negotiation, and Mediation.
