Jason Crafton
Jason Crafton (born January 30, 1982) is an American college basketball coach who is currently serving as Chief Program Strategist for men's basketball at Columbia University.[1] He was previously the head coach for the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks men's basketball team.[2] Playing careerCrafton played college basketball at Nyack College, where he was named team captain his junior and senior seasons. He was also a member of the schools only CACC Championship Team in the 1999–2000 season.[2] Coaching careerAfter graduation, Crafton joined Jay Wright's staff at Villanova as a video coordinator for two seasons until 2005, when he accepted an assistant coaching position at Navy where he'd serve under fellow former Villanova staffer Billy Lange as well as a season under Ed DeChellis.[3] Crafton would return to Nyack to become the school's head men's basketball coach where from 2012 to 2018 he compiled a 47–108 record before accepting an assistant coaching position with the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League.[4][5] On April 24, 2019, Crafton was named the head coach at Maryland Eastern Shore.[2][6] The 2022–23 season was a historic one in many ways for Hawk Basketball. Crafton's squad finished 18–13, leading to the program's best win percentage (.581) in 50 years and the most wins in a season of Crafton's coaching career. The team broke last season's school records in steals (345) and steals-per-game (11.1). Their per-game clip ranked #1 in the nation this season, while the team also ranked #1 nationally in turnovers forced per contest (19.0). Crafton guided the Hawks to a 10–3 record at William P. Hytche Athletic Center, the best home mark for the program since the 1973–74 season. The team also logged significant non-conference wins at Temple on December 20 and Columbia on December 28. The Hawks finished the first half of MEAC play at 6–1, the best Division I record to open league play in 50 years. Under Crafton, forward Nathaniel Pollard Jr. was named to the All-MEAC Second Team and guard Zion Styles received All-MEAC Third Team and All-Defensive Team honors. Pollard was also named to the 2023 HBCU All-Star Game in Houston, Texas. Crafton was named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Coach of the Year award, recognizing the top Division I minority coach annually.[7] On December 9th, 2024, Crafton was formerly named as Chief Program Strategist for Men's Basketball at Columbia University.[1] Head coaching recordNCAA DII
NCAA DI
References
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