Jim Crutchfield
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Nova Southeastern |
| Conference | Sunshine State |
| Record | 204–25 (.891) |
| Biographical details | |
| Alma mater | West Virginia ('78) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Basketball | |
| 1979–1989 | Cameron HS |
| 1989–2004 | West Liberty (assistant) |
| 2004–2017 | West Liberty |
| 2017–present | Nova Southeastern |
| Tennis | |
| 1989–2004 | West Liberty |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 563–86 (.867) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
Jim Crutchfield is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Nova Southeastern Sharks men's basketball team.
Early life
Crutchfield grew up in Clarksburg, West Virginia and attended Roosevelt-Wilson High School, where he played basketball.[1] He graduated from West Virginia University in 1978.[2]
Coaching career
Crutchfield had originally planned to attend West Virginia University College of Law after spending a year trying to find a high school coaching position. He disenrolled shortly before the start of classes after being hired as the head basketball coach at Cameron High School.[3] Crutchfield coached at Cameron for ten years and also taught mathematics.[4]
Crutchfield was originally hired as the head men's and women's tennis coach and as an assistant men's basketball coach for the West Liberty Hilltoppers in 1989.[5] As a tennis coach, he won a combined 11 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) titles and was named the WVIAC Coach of the Year eight times.[6] He was hired as the head men's basketball coach at West Liberty in 2004.[7] In 13 seasons as head coach, the Hilltoppers went 359–61 with six Elite Eight appearances and four Final Four appearances.[8]
Crutchfield was hired as the head coach at Nova Southeastern on March 21, 2017.[9] During the 2022–23 season, he coached the Sharks to a 36–0 record as the team won the 2023 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament.[10] The following season, Nova Southeastern went 32–3 and returned to the national championship game where they lost to Minnesota State 88–85.[11] During the 2024–25 season, Crutchfield coached the Sharks to a 36–1 record and a third straight national championship game appearance. They would win their second national championship in three years after defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills 74–73.[12]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Liberty Hilltoppers (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (2004–2013) | |||||||||
| 2004–05 | West Liberty | 21–10 | 13–6 | ||||||
| 2005–06 | West Liberty | 21–8 | 11–7 | ||||||
| 2006–07 | West Liberty | 25–5 | 17–1 | NCAA Division II First Round | |||||
| 2007–08 | West Liberty | 23–6 | 14–5 | ||||||
| 2008–09 | West Liberty | 23–7 | 16–4 | ||||||
| 2009–10 | West Liberty | 29–3 | 21–1 | NCAA Division II Sweet 16 | |||||
| 2010–11 | West Liberty | 33–1 | 22–0 | NCAA Division II Final Four | |||||
| 2011–12 | West Liberty | 32–3 | 21–1 | NCAA Division II Elite Eight | |||||
| 2012–13 | West Liberty | 34–2 | 21–1 | NCAA Division II Final Four | |||||
| West Liberty Hilltoppers (Mountain East Conference) (2013–2017) | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | West Liberty | 31–4 | 20–2 | NCAA Division II Runner-Up | |||||
| 2014–15 | West Liberty | 28–4 | 21–2 | NCAA Division II Sweet 16 | |||||
| 2015–16 | West Liberty | 31–4 | 20–2 | NCAA Division II Final Four | |||||
| 2016–17 | West Liberty | 28–4 | 19–3 | NCAA Division II First Round | |||||
| West Liberty: | 359–61 (.855) | 236–35 (.871) | |||||||
| Nova Southeastern (Sunshine State Conference) (2017–present) | |||||||||
| 2017–18 | Nova Southeastern | 17–10 | 11–9 | T–4th | |||||
| 2018–19 | Nova Southeastern | 29–4 | 18–2 | 1st | NCAA Division II Elite Eight | ||||
| 2019–20 | Nova Southeastern | 23–6 | 15–5 | 2nd | No postseason held | ||||
| 2020–21 | Nova Southeastern[a] | ||||||||
| 2021–22 | Nova Southeastern | 31–1 | 20–0 | 1st | NCAA Division II Elite Eight | ||||
| 2022–23 | Nova Southeastern | 36–0 | 20–0 | 1st | NCAA Division II Champion | ||||
| 2023–24 | Nova Southeastern | 32–3 | 18–2 | 1st | NCAA Division II Runner-Up | ||||
| 2024–25 | Nova Southeastern | 36–1 | 19–1 | 1st | NCAA Division II Champion | ||||
| Nova Southeastern: | 204–25 (.891) | 121–19 (.864) | |||||||
| Total: | 563–86 (.867) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
- ^ Ryan, Rick (June 18, 2023). "Rick Ryan: Will D-II coach Crutchfield be among candidates for WVU job?". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Crutchfield tops all coaches in winning percentage". Times West Virginian. November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ Moore, CJ (January 8, 2025). "NBA greats think this D-II coach is a basketball genius. So why don't you know who he is?". The Athletic. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ Weinreb, Michael (February 20, 2013). "Hurry Up and Wait". Grantland. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Jim Crutchfield 'miracle man' at West Liberty". The Register-Herald. May 15, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- ^ "Former WLU Hoops Coach Crutchfield Displays Tennis Skills". The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register. June 9, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ "Crutchfield simply has the winning recipe wherever he goes to coach". The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register. March 11, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- ^ Pells, Eddie (March 27, 2025). "Big fish, different pond: March Madness is Nova SE's time thanks to a coaching giant in Division II". Associated Press. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ "NSU hires Div. II veteran Jim Crutchfield as men's basketball coach". Sun Sentinel. March 21, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- ^ "NSU Sharks win first men's basketball national championship, end perfect 36-0 season". Sun Sentinel. March 25, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ Villa, Walter (October 29, 2024). "Surprise return of point guard could fuel more NSU success". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ "NSU men's basketball survives thriller to secure second national title in three years". Miami Herald. March 29, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2025.