Three Rivers College head women’s basketball coach Alex Wiggs might have had cause for concern when assistant coach Caleb Livingston departed for a job at a Division school last month. He needn’t have worried. Joining TRC’s women’s coaching staff is Tyrie Thomas, who played Division I men’s basketball at Missouri State University in Springfield. “I think that we’ve got one of the best in the business,” Wiggs said. “I think that he’s excited and he’s ready to go. He’s got the energy, the knowledge and his experience that he can bring to the table — and we’re really excited. It’s been easy since the first time we talked. (We have) a lot of the same ideas, a lot of the same beliefs and the same goals.” Thomas grew up in St. Charles and played high school basketball at Fort Zumwalt East in St. Peters before realizing his dream of playing college basketball. “Basketball has been a big part of my life and has taught me a lot of lessons,” Thomas said. “I was never the best, most athletic kid on my team, but I was always a really hard worker.” Thomas recalls being the last player chosen for his high school team as a freshman and later felt like his dream of playing college basketball was slipping away, but received encouragement from his family and saw that dream come true. After starting his collegiate career at Missouri Baptist, he later transferred to Missouri State and joined the Bears’ basketball team as a walk-on. “I had a really good support system in my family that told me, ‘Hey, pick yourself up and just go work harder,’” Thomas said. “That instilled a lot of really good qualities in me that I still hold true to myself today. It was the reason I was able to go from an NAIA school to a walk-on at the Division I level.” Thomas said those experiences have shaped who he is today. “It is the reason that I’m able to get so much out of my players, because I get a lot out of myself — walk the walk and talk the talk, so to speak,” Thomas said. “Those are qualities about myself that I really hold true. They’re foundational principles of me, just to work hard and beat the odds. That’s been my story through everything that I’ve done.” Thomas emphasizes the three E’s — energy, effort and enthusiasm — in his coaching philosophy, while also to always have faith, hope and love. “Faith that for me specifically, is in my relation to Christ but also to just have faith in what we’re doing, have faith in yourself and have faith in your teammates,” Thomas said. “And if you are someone who has a relationship with God, have faith in Him and the journey he’s put you on. “Always have hope for a better tomorrow. Always have hope that you can do more, you can give more, and you can be more. And then love is a foundational principle for me — love yourself, love your teammates, and love what you’re doing at all costs.” Thomas said he wants to win and also help the Lady Raiders get to the next level — the four-year level — while he’s here. “Winning is huge because I’m competitive,” Thomas said. “But winning is not just beating your opponent, it’s what it takes to be able to do that. It’s (also) making sure your grades are on point, so you can graduate and get to those (four-year) schools.” Last but not least, Thomas also wants to help his players grow. “I want to accomplish growth in everything that it is we do on and off the court,” Thomas said. “I want to help mold them into young adults, because we’re getting them (when) they’re still kids … (and help them) transition into young adults. And for a lot of these kids, us as coaches are the only positive role models that they have.”