Rodney Crawford is in his third season as an assistant at Eastern Kentucky. When he arrived, Crawford was given the responsibility of changing the team’s defensive philosophy to a more aggressive man-to-man defense.
The result has been two of the most successful seasons in program history. The 2012-13 squad won a school record 25 games, including EKU’s first victory in a national postseason tournament game in 68 years. In 2013-14, the Colonels won 24 more games, an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship and made a trip to the NCAA Tournament where Eastern nearly upset No. 2 seed Kansas in the second round.
Eastern Kentucky’s 49 wins the last two seasons are the most during any two-year period in program history.
In 2012-13 the Colonels forced 17.5 turnovers per game and ranked fourth in the nation in turnover margin (+5.69). Eastern finished second in the OVC in three-point field goal defense and third in steals. This past season, EKU was second in the nation in turnover margin (+6.3) after forcing 16.9 turnovers per game. The team also ranked sixth in the nation in steals and second in the conference in scoring defense (70.9 ppg).
Against these six teams -- Illinois, West Virginia, North Carolina State, VCU, Wisconsin and Kansas -- combined the last two seasons, Eastern Kentucky has committed 19 fewer turnovers (65-84) and has out-scored these teams 89-65 off turnovers (+24).
“As a player, Rodney was known for his toughness at the defensive end within Coach Huggins’ man-to-man defensive system,” EKU Head Coach Jeff Neubauer said. “As a basketball coach, he is charged with helping to instill that toughness into our defense.”
Before coming to EKU, Crawford served the two seasons as an assistant coach at Duquesne where he helped the Dukes equal a program record with 10 conference wins in 2010-11. That Duquesne squad went on to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2011 College Basketball Invitational.
Prior to entering the collegiate coaching ranks, Crawford spent four years coaching at the prep level. Crawford compiled a combined 102-12 record as head coach at Harmony Community School in Cincinnati and The Academy at Mountain State University in Beckley, W.Va. In that time frame, Crawford coached more than 20 future NCAA Division I players.
“Rodney has been an outstanding addition to our coaching staff,” Neubauer said. “He brings a wealth of experience as a player, a prep school head coach and as an assistant in the Atlantic 10 for two years. He will make a major impact in our recruiting, especially in his home state of Ohio.”
As head boys’ basketball coach and director of student operations at Mountain State Academy, the Falcons posted a 22-4 record in 2009-10 which included an ESPNU nationally televised 59-53 win over Oak Hill Academy in the quarterfinals of the ESPN RISE National High School Basketball Invitational. Mountain State Academy finished the season ranked No. 17 nationally in USA Today’s Super 25.
Prior to his season at Mountain State, Crawford coached three seasons at Harmony Community School. Harmony finished as National Christian School Athletic Association runner-up in 2006 and national champion in 2007. In 2008, Crawford guided Harmony to the National Prep Championship Elite Eight.
As a collegiate player, Crawford played in 49 career games for head coach Bob Huggins at the University of Cincinnati (2000-02) despite missing six weeks of his junior season with a fractured ankle. The Bearcats went 56-14 in his two seasons with back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. The 2001-02 UC team finished 31-4 overall and ranked No. 5 nationally by The Associated Press.
Crawford was a four-year starter at Cincinnati Withrow High School prior to playing two years at Bakersfield College where he averaged 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds as a sophomore.
It was after his two seasons in California that he decided to return to his hometown to enroll at Cincinnati where he completed his undergraduate degree in criminal justice in 2002.
Crawford and his wife, Tracy, have two daughters, Jocelyn and Jordyn.
Coaching ExperienceHarmony Community School (Head Coach, 2005-08)
Mountain State Academy (Head Coach, 2009-10)
Duquesne (Assistant Coach, 2010-12)
Eastern Kentucky (Assistant Coach, 2012-present)
