Tom Hodges, another Shelbyville, Tenn., product enters his fifth season at Middle Tennessee and second as an on-court assistant coach. He originally joined Insell's staff as director of operations and was in that capacity for three seasons.

Overall, this is his 10th year as a collegiate assistant coach.

He stepped right in as an assistant coach last season and helped tutor Alysha Clark to All-American accolades. Fellow forward Brandi Brown also earned All-Sun Belt honors and was the receipient of the Sun Belt Postgraduate Scholarship Award.

He primarily mentors the post players, while assisting with all on-floor coaching, recruiting and scouting report preparation.

Hodges also is responsible for video editing and breakdowns. He handled scheduling and travel arrangements for the Blue Raiders when he was the director of operations.

He is no stranger to success during his collegiate coaching career, having won six conference championships and compiling a cumulative 193-80 record at three schools.

Hodges worked at in-state foe Chattanooga during the 2004-05 season as a full-time assistant on the Lady Mocs' Southern Conference regular-season championship and Postseason WNIT squad. Chattanooga finished with a 25-5 record during the season.

With Wes Moore's Lady Mocs, Hodges was responsible for video breakdowns and scouting reports, post player workouts and development, and all team travel. He managed the digital editing system and coordinated all film exchange and scouting schedule.

He began his coaching career as an undergraduate assistant at Tennessee Tech for coach Bill Worrell. During his four years in Cookeville, the Golden Eagles claimed two Ohio Valley Conference regular-season titles and amassed a 78-42 record, including 26-4 in 2000-01 and 22-8 in 2001-02. At one point during the 2000-01 campaign, Tennessee Tech owned the nation's longest winning streak at 19 games.

He was responsible for all film exchange and video editing, conducted individual workouts with post players and handled team travel and meals for the Golden Eagles.

His coaching experience also extends to the AAU level, when he served as a coach for Shelbyville Sport Shop. He coached in four national tournaments (2000, 2002-04) and won the 2004 U15 national title in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Hodges received his bachelor's degree in extended education with a concentration in health and history in 2004 from Tennessee Tech.

He was married this past offseason, in June 2009, to current Riverdale High School girl's basketball coach Hillary Maxwell.