James S. Crews (born February 14, 1954) is an American former men's
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
coach for
Saint Louis University. He was promoted to head coach after serving on an interim basis following the health concerns and eventual death of former Billikens head coach
Rick Majerus
Richard Raymond Majerus (February 17, 1948 – December 1, 2012) was an American basketball coach and TV analyst. He coached at Marquette University (1983–1986), Ball State University (1987–1989), the University of Utah (1989–2004), and ...
. He was on Majerus' staff since 2011. After leading the Billikens to a school-record 28 wins, Crews was formally named SLU's 25th head coach on April 12, 2013. He was fired after the
2016 Atlantic 10 tournament resulted in the elimination of the Billikens and marked the end of two 11–21 Billikens seasons.
Crews spent the first 13 years of his adult life at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universi ...
under
Bob Knight. He played on the
1976 NCAA Championship-winning team, the last undefeated champion in the men's division. After graduating, he served as an assistant on Knight's staff for eight years before moving to the
University of Evansville
The University of Evansville (UE) is a private university in Evansville, Indiana. It was founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College. The university operates a satellite center, Harlaxton College, in Grantham, England.
UE offers more than 80 differ ...
in 1985. In 17 years, he led the Purple Aces to five NCAA Tournaments. His best team was the 1988–89 unit, which tallied the school's only NCAA Tournament win to date. He then coached at the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
for seven years.
Head coaching record
References
External links
Saint Louis profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crews, Jim
1954 births
Living people
American men's basketball coaches
Army Black Knights men's basketball coaches
Basketball coaches from Illinois
Basketball players from Illinois
Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball coaches
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball coaches
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball players
People from Normal, Illinois
Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players