Tommy Twardecki joined the Cardinals in January 2018. His primary responsibilities include assisting at practices, recruiting, player development, scouting, and social media/marketing. He is in charge of the high school team and prospect camps and runs the program's annual Louis O'Neal High School Classic, which features seven boys' basketball games in December.

The Cardinals finished the 2023-24 season with a 13-14 overall record and a 6-12 mark in GLIAC play. Four men's basketball players earned league awards with Tre Garrett earning first-team All-GLIAC and All-Defensive team. Juniors Freddie McIntosh and Toodles Seal were named second-team All-GLIAC and Sophomore Kevonne Taylor was an All-Defensive selection. Garrett reached 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds during the season. Dylan West, McIntosh, and Seal all reached 1,000 career points during the season as well. Taylor led the GLAIC in blocks per game with 2.59 (he was sixth in all of NCAA DII in that category).

The Cardinals finished the 2022-23 season at 9-9 in the GLIAC, earning a six seed in the GLIAC tournament, falling to eventual champion Northern Michigan. Three Cardinals earned All-GLIAC honors: Freddie McIntosh (All-GLIAC Second Team), Tre Garrett (All-Defensive and All-GLIAC Second Team), and Kevonne Taylor (All-Defensive Team). Garrett broke program records for free throw makes and attempts in a single season. Taylor led the Midwest Region and was 8th in the country in Division II in blocks per game.

The 2021-22 season was filled with success, as the Cardinals were named GLIAC South Division Champions after going 19-11 overall and 12-8 in GLIAC play. On November 18, Twardecki assisted the Cardinals in earning the program's first-ever win over a Division I school with an 80-63 win over Western Michigan. The Cardinals defeated Grand Valley State University three times during the season and advanced to the semifinals of the GLIAC Tournament before falling to tournament champion Davenport. Delano Smith earned First Team All-GLIAC honors, while Tyler Witz and Darnell Hoskins Jr. earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors. Hoskins Jr. also earned GLIAC All-Tournament team honors as well. Hoskins broke the program record for most career made three-point field goals, while Toohey ended his career second overall for career made three-pointers, first in career games played, and first in career free throw percentage.

In the conference-only 2020-21 season, the Cardinals went on an impressive run in the GLIAC Tournament, advancing to the semifinals. SVSU defeated Wisconsin Parkside in the opening round before beating top-seeded Wayne State in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Cardinals fell in the semifinals to eventual tournament champion Ashland. He helped Myles Belyeu earn Second Team All-GLIAC honors and coached Delano Smith to Second Team All-GLIAC. Belyeu was also named to the GLIAC All-Tournament team.

The Cardinals finished with a record of 16-13 overall and 10-10 in the GLIAC during the 2019-20 campaign, advancing to the GLIAC Tournament. Sophomore guard Myles Belyeu garnered All-GLIAC First Team honors, while junior guard Malik Ellison was named to the All-GLIAC Second Team. Belyeu was also named to the D2CCA All-Midwest Region Second Team and NABC All-District Second Team.

Twardecki came to Saginaw Valley after a short stint as a Henry Ford Community College assistant coach. He was part of a new staff that helped turn around a 9-22 team to an 8-3 record during his time there, and the Hawks would go on to finish 22-6 and MCCAA Eastern Conference Champions. Twardecki was heavily involved in scouting, game prep, recruiting, and practice planning.

Twardecki entered the college coaching ranks as an assistant coach at Mott Community College for the 2016-17 season. He assisted the Bears to a 24-7 overall record and worked with Diandre Wilson, a First-Team NJCAA All-American. He implemented film reviews and scouting reports for the Mott program while assisting in recruiting and player development. He also added to his coaching resume by working summer basketball camps at Michigan State, Butler, Loyola-Chicago, Oakland, and Central Michigan universities.

Twardecki served as a graduate assistant at Grand Ledge High School while earning his master's degree in kinesiology from Michigan State University. He earned his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Detroit Mercy. While at Grand Ledge, his responsibilities included recording game day stats, film breakdown, scouting, and practice planning. The Comets finished the season 16-7 and 10-4 in the conference.

Twardecki and his wife, Megan, have been married since 2020 and have one daughter, Olivia.