UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Head women’s basketball coach Carolyn Kieger announces the addition of Jason Crafton to her Lady Lions staff. Crafton will serve as the general manager as well as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball program. He arrives in Happy Valley with an abundance of experience of over 20 years at various different levels in a variety of different roles.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jason to our staff,” said Kieger. “With extensive experience coaching and managing at the highest levels of the game, Jason brings an elite understanding of player development, roster construction and competitive excellence. His proven leadership, deep knowledge of the game and ability to build string relationships will play a vital role in advancing our program’s pursuit of excellence.”
In his role as the first-ever general manager as well as assistant coach for the Lady Lions, Crafton will be responsible for roster building and maintenance, generating NIL strategies and overall program development on and off the court.
Most recently, Crafton served as the Chief Program Strategist for the Columbia men’s basketball team. In this position, he worked closely with head coach Jim Engles and the rest of the staff to provide innovative ideas to enhance the growth of the program on and off the court.
Prior to his short stint at Columbia, Crafton was the head coach at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore from 2019-24. He took the program to great milestones in his time with the Hawks, guiding them to their best winning percentage (.581) in 50 years with a 18-13 record in 2022-23. He also led the team to several broken school records including total steals (345) and steals per game (11.1). Throughout the same historic season, his squad also led the country in steals per game as well as turnovers forced per contest (19.0). On top of his 18-13 overall record during that campaign, he also guided the Hawks to a 10-3 record at William P. Hytche Athletic Center, the best home clip since 1973-74.
During the 2022-23 season, Crafton’s team recorded one of the biggest wins in the program’s history, a 86-78 win over Temple on the Owls’ home court. For the tremendous heights he took the Warriors, Crafton was a finalist for the Ben Jobe Coach of the Year Award in 2023. The award annually recognizes the top Division I head coach.
In 2021-22, Crafton led the team to a 10-plus win season while also earning the program’s first postseason appearance since 2014. He guided the team to a historic double-overtime victory on the road over Atlantic 10 opponent Fordham University during the campaign. His 2021-22 squad also sat atop the ranks in several defensive categories including a fifth-place rank in steals per game and 10th in turnovers forced game average. The Hawks also boasted the second-best scoring defense in the MEAC that campaign under Crafton. He coached an All-MEAC third team member, an All-Defensive team honoree and an All-Rookie award winner.
In his first season with the Hawks, Crafton’s squad set a school record in total blocks (102) while finishing fourth in the conference in scoring defense, allowing less than 69 points per game in MEAC action.
The coaching veteran spent the 2018-19 season as the Offensive and Defensive Coordinator as well as Director of Player Development for the Philadelphia 76er’ G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. He worked with the team to help instill similar philosophies as the parent club, the 76ers’, while also maintaining a developmental mindset. He assisted with the on-court development of several players who became contributors to the 76ers’ including Shake Milton and Kaywood Highsmith.
His first head coaching gig came at his alma mater, Nyack College from 2012-18. In his first season with the Warriors, Crafton inherited a major rebuilding project, with a team that finished the prior season with a 1-26 record. He generated one of the biggest turnarounds in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). By the 2015-16 campaign, the Warriors improved to an 11-15 record which marked a program best since 2009. Throughout a three-year span between 2013-16, Crafton guided the program to 22 wins, the school’s best three-year win span in several years.
The 20-plus year coach instilled his defensive philosophies in the Warriors squads, helping them to an 11th ranking in the nation in turnovers forced per game in 2016 while leading the league in steals per game in 2015.
Prior to his tenure at Nyack, Crafton was the associate head coach at the United States Naval Academy for two seasons under head coach Billy Lange. He served as an assistant for the Midshipmen from 2005-10 under Lange before his promotion. While in Annapolis, he was instrumental in developing the 2008 Patriot League Player of the Year, Greg Sprink as well as the 2011 Rookie of the Year, J.J. Avila.
Crafton got his foot in the door with collegiate coaching as a video coordinator at Villanova for two seasons under head coach Jay Wright from 2003-05. In his time with the Wildcats, he helped mentor two future NBA guards, NBA Champion Kyle Lowry and Randy Foye. In his final season at Villanova, the Wildcats earned a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2005.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in Communications degree from Nyack College in 2003. Crafton spent his four years as a member of the basketball team and served as a captain during his junior and senior seasons. He was a member of the 2000 CACC Conference Championship Team that also played in the NCAA Tournament.