Thomas "Tommy" Suitts has been an ambassador for the game of basketball in the state of Alabama since he graduated from Coffee High School in 1965. As a high school sharpshooter, he earned All-Tennessee Valley Conference, All-Region, and All-State honors.
Tommy attended Marion Military Institute for two years, earning MVP and/or All-Tournament three times as a freshman and was selected to the All-Dixie Conference Team and NJCAA All-Region Team for Region VII. He was named First Team All-Dixie Conference, Second Team All-Alabama Junior College, First Team NJCAA All-Region (Region VII), and NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American during his sophomore campaign and earned a scholarship offer from the University of Alabama to play for the legendary C. M. Newton. Tommy graduated in 1967 from MMI as valedictorian while majoring in math.
At the University of Alabama, Tommy was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Academic Team as a senior. He also led his team in field goal percentage and was named "Best Defensive Player". He completed his degree at Alabama in 1969, majoring in mathematics.
Tommy's contribution to men's basketball continued after his own playing career was over starting in 1974 under the guidance of C. M. Newton at his alma mater, the University of Alabama. He has seen success at both the high school and college levels, to include multiple schools in the Alabama Community College Conference. Tommy was inducted into the Lauderdale County Hall of Fame in 2013.