Player Bio: Tom Garrick - RHODE ISLAND OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

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Tom Garrick

	Position: Head Coach
	Experience: 5th year
	Education: B.A., Rhode Island, '89

Coaching:
Assistant Men's Coach, Rhode Island, 1998-01
Assistant Women's Coach, Rhode Island, 2001-03
Acting Head Coach, Rhode Island, 2003-04
Assistant Coach, Virginia, 2004
Head Coach, Rhode Island, 2004-present

During his playing days at Rhode Island, Tom Garrick was known as "The Chief", a nickname given to him because of his leadership qualities. Garrick went on to become one of the school's all-time great players, leading the Rams to a 28-7 record (still the most wins in Rhode Island annals) and the 1988 NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.

Garrick is back, playing an instrumental role in the success of the Rhode Island basketball program. But this time he's doing it from the sidelines.

After a professional playing career in the NBA and stops at such places as Germany, Turkey and Spain, Garrick turned his energies to a career in coaching.

2008-09 marks his fifth full season as the head coach at his alma mater after serving as interim head coach for 21 games in 2003-04. As interim head coach, he helped lead the Rams to a 16-13 overall record, including an 11-10 mark under his watch and an 8-8 Atlantic 10 record. It was just the second time since 1995-96 that the Rams finished .500 in the conference. For his efforts, Garrick was named the Rhode Island Division I Women's Basketball Coach of the Year, by Rhode Island's sportswriters organization, Words Unlimited.

Following his stint as interim head coach, he accepted an assistant coaching position under Sue Ryan at Virginia. He spent three months in Charlottesville before his alma mater called. The West Warwick, R.I. native accepted the challenge and returned to Kingston to take over the basketball program.

"Taking over the team as interim head coach in 2003 really whet my appetite," Garrick said. "I found it very satisfying to be a head coach. You have to orchestrate things in the right way. It's like a big chess game.

"I want to give young people a positive experience, that's my objective," he said. "The by-product of that is the recruitment of high quality student-athletes that will produce a good brand of successful basketball."

In his first season at the helm, Garrick laid the groundwork for a solid basketball program that he expects to become a player on the national scene.

"Obviously it's not going to happen overnight, it's going to take time to build the foundation for the program that I envision," Garrick said. "We want to take the time to do it right and not cut corners. That means recruiting the right type of student-athlete and providing an atmosphere where they can learn and succeed on and off the court."

One of the most popular players in Rhode Island history, Garrick was a four-year letterman, starring for the Rams from 1984-88. He is ninth on Rhode Island's all-time scoring list (1,573), second in career steals (189) and fourth in career assists (407). He, and backcourt mate Carlton "Silk" Owens were the cornerstones of coach Tom Penders' 1987-88 squad that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 where they lost to Duke by one point to finish the season with a 28-7 worksheet. During that season Garrick put on one of the greatest performances in Rams basketball history when he poured in a school-record tying 50 points against Rutgers en route to a 104-73 Rhode Island win on March 7, 1988 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Anyone who has followed URI athletics over the years knows what Garrick means to the University's basketball history. It was during that Sweet 16 run in 1988 when Garrick and his family became the subject of a CBS story that featured his late father, who was blind, and the values that were central to such a strong family. He was also on the cover of Sports Illustrated that year and made a live studio appearance on the CBS Morning Show on March 23, 1988.

Garrick played four seasons in the NBA after being drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Clippers. He played three seasons with the Clippers and also spent time with the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks. He then played professionally oversees in Europe, spending two years in Germany, two years in Turkey and a year in Spain before retiring after the 1998 season.

Garrick also served as a men's basketball assistant for three years at Rhode Island prior to working with the women's team, helping the men's team to the 1999 Atlantic 10 Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

"When people think of Tom Garrick, they think of the excitement, commitment and tenacity he brought to the arena during his playing days in Kingston," URI President Robert L. Carothers said at the press conference announcing Garrick's hiring. "We are justifiably proud today because he is one of our own, someone who gained fame as a high school athlete in West Warwick and then continued his success in all phases of his time here. We are confident that his integrity, loyalty to his alma mater and commitment to his student-athletes will lead to great things for the women's basketball program."

A resident of Seekonk, Mass., Garrick earned his bachelor's degree in speech communications at Rhode Island.

Garrick was a two-time all-state basketball player, leading West Warwick (R.I.) High to two championships and also playing tight end on the football team, leading the Wizards to the state title.

Sports Illustrated named him one of the 50 best athletes in state history in its millennium issues list of top athletes. The Providence Journal recognized him as one of the state's greatest athletes. He was also recently voted a member of Rhode Island's 100th Anniversary Team as one of the top-10 players in school history.

updated: 6/4/08

Saturday, Nov 7

Women's Basketball
vs UMass-Lowell exhibition
Kingston, R.I./Keaney Gymnasium
W, 64-52