'I felt like I gave my all': Bixby girls basketball coach announces her retirement

By Mike Moguin 

Photo of Tina Thomas by Karen Schwartz 

Tina Thomas built Bixby into a solid powerhouse in girls basketball.

Now after eight seasons of successfully leading the Lady Spartans into annual appearances at the state tournament, she is retiring to spend more time with family.

While winning games and ultimately championships are always the goal, Thomas will tell you it's her student-athletes that matter most. That is what she enjoys the most about coaching.

“Hands down! (The) relationship with kids,” she said. “I told my husband that if it was just me in a gym with just kids, I could do it for the rest of my life. There is a lot of outside stuff you have to deal with, but definitely the relationship with kids.”

Before her tenure at Bixby, Thomas coached four seasons at the varsity level in Sapulpa back in the 1990s, having led the Lady Chieftains to the Class 6A state championship in 1998.

“At this stage, it's been so long since I coached in Sapulpa, having those kids come back through in your life and seeing how successful they have been, just hoping you had a small impact in their lives, that’s what is rewarding," Thomas said.

Thomas remains on staff at Bixby Public Schools as a teacher of math and science and will continue to teach for another year at the alternative education school, the Bixby Learning Center, before becoming fully retired.

“(Coaching) takes a lot of time and energy,” she said. “My children are grown up and the only time I get to see them is the holidays. I want to spend more time with them and my husband and I are going to start traveling.

"We’re just at the age of life where you want to have a little more flexibility in our schedule. I felt like I gave my all to the program and my tank ran dry for a minute. I just need a little bit of a recharge.”

When asked if she could coach again, Thomas said, “You never know what’s down the road. So I wouldn’t totally close the door on it, we’ll see how this next year or two goes.

For now, she is looking to reinvest time with her family.

After her first two seasons at the helm for Bixby, the Lady Spartans became a regular at the Class 6A state tournament and competed for the title in 2021 and 2022, settling for runner-up finishes each year.

The 2022-23 Bixby squad was expected to be among those to compete for the state championship this year, but was dealt a setback when a key starter, Meredith Mayes, a 6-foot-3 senior, suffered a season-ending leg injury early in the year.

The Lady Spartans were forced to make some adjustments before rekindling their fire down the stretch. They made state again before losing in the first round to Edmond North, whom Bixby lost to in the state final last season. Edmond North went on to repeat as 6A state champions.

At Sapulpa, Thomas led the Lady Chieftains to state title game appearances for three straight seasons, having won the last, her only state championship as a coach in ‘98.

During both tenures combined, she coached for 12 seasons with 200 victories.

Between 1998 and taking the Bixby job in 2015, Thomas coached her children in basketball at the youth and middle school levels.

Thomas has her favorite memories with her athletes.

“Clearly, it’s more fun when you win,” Thomas said. “We struggled the first couple of years (at Bixby) to get things off the ground the way I wanted them. Then going to the state tournament in year number three with the group led by Maddie Bittle (who went on to play and just finished her career at the University of Tulsa) was pretty special because we came out of the blue. It’s fun when you do that.”

And she talks about the journeys she watched in the 2023 senior class.

“Working with the youth in the camps, seeing them come through the program, like this group of seniors (including multi-year starters Gentry Baldwin, Gracy Wernli, Alyssa Nielsen and Mayes) this year, that was really fun and rewarding to see them since third and fourth grade, go see them evolve and come along.”

One 'Last Ride': Senior core of Bixby girls ready for another chance at a title

Thomas also pointed out making it to the state final two years in a row, winning the Tournament of Champions in the 2021-22 season, and the trip to Phoenix, Ariz., for a tournament last December were among some of her other favorite moments.

“We have lots of great memories, lots of great basketball competition, but again, the games will fade a little bit in their memories after a time, but the relationships and some of the off-court experiences will last a really long time,” Thomas said.

Winning the state championship in ‘98 is her most special memory at Sapulpa.

Another thing fascinating is what Thomas claims is her all-time favorite moment, also a full-circle moment, in which senior Gracy Wernli and her sister, freshman Kate Wernli, are the daughters of one of her standout players at Sapulpa, Kara (Faulk) Wernli.

“Kara was an outstanding player, but she is an even more outstanding mother, wife, and physical therapist," Thomas said. "She is just really hands on deck and her girls are also amazing players and amazing young ladies. I have really relished that opportunity.”

Mandy Nightingale, who was the other half of the 1-2 offensive scoring punch with the older Wernli at Sapulpa in ‘98, has also been on Thomas’ staff as coach of the middle schools at one time in her tenure.

“That’s been my tenure at Bixby, just the combination of making new relationships with this generation, but rekindling some of the relationships of the past and bridging the gap. It’s really cool how the sport of basketball gives you a vehicle to do that,” Thomas said.

Besides the Wernlis’ mother (Faulk) and Nightingale, other players from the state title team from ‘98 at Sapulpa, such as Cherie Shaw, Missy Ballard, Sara Lierly and Cheyenne Lierly, have come out to watch and support Thomas' Bixby teams and have had pictures taken with her.

They’ve been successful in life, with some now coaches themselves.

In the long run, it is Thomas’ hope that her players make a difference in the world once they move on beyond the court.

“We have high goals, but just the pursuit of excellence in all you do and all you endeavor is really what I hope they do,” she said. “And whatever you do, work out with all your heart.

"That’s our team motto, and just to enjoy the journey in the process and be responsive to the callings they have in life because that is where they are going to be the most fulfilled.”

Outsiders often are quick to determine if your season was a success or not, sometimes before it’s over. But Thomas has a different standard.

“I say, ‘You know when I will know whether our season was successful? It will be 10 years from now,' she said. "It’s not about the last game. It’s about who you become as young ladies and how you go out and influence the world.’”

Thomas also praises her spouse for helping her through the hard times.

“The job is a grind, but equally rewarding,” Thomas said. “But my husband Sam has been in my corner and I literally couldn’t have done it without his overwhelming support, encouragement, and willingness to take up the slack at home.

"He is an incredible man, and I wouldn't be able to do it without his love and support.”