Majerus Tabs Jim Crews as Assistant Coach

ST. LOUIS – Jim Crews, former head coach at Army and Evansville, has been named assistant coach at Saint Louis, as announced today by SLU head coach Rick Majerus. Crews begins his duties immediately.

Crews brings 24 years of head coaching experience to the Billiken staff. Including Majerus and assistant coach Jim Whitesell, the trio has 73 years of combined head coaching experience and 1,232 total victories.

“Two national championship rings as a player and assistant coach under the great Bobby Knight, 13 NCAA Tournaments, 12 conference championships and a terrific head coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point says it all,” Majerus said. “Jim’s career has been distinguished by coaching prowess, the success of his teams and of course the graduation rate of his student-athletes, which approximates 100 percent. We are fortunate to have him on board as a Billiken. Our players are looking forward to being coached by a tremendous teacher and educator.”

“I am fortunate to have an opportunity to work with these players and the coaching staff, in particular Coach Majerus, who I feel is one of the best teachers of all time,” Crews said. “Also, I could not be more pleased to be associated with a head coach and a University that both truly care about the student-athlete.”

Most recently, Crews served as head coach of Army for seven seasons, beginning with the 2002-03 campaign. Preceding his appointment at West Point, Crews coached for 17 years at Evansville and played and coached at Indiana. He has a career head coaching record of 354-348 in 24 seasons.

Crews had a successful 17-year stint at Evansville from 1985-2002, accumulating a 294-209 record. He guided the Purple Aces to six postseason appearances, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament. All six of those squads registered at least 21 victories. A four-time conference coach of the year (1987, 1989, 1992 Midwestern Collegiate; 1999 Missouri Valley), Crews is the only coach in the tradition-rich history of Evansville to post nine consecutive non-losing seasons.

Perhaps what Crews is most known for is his ability to graduate players. During his tenure at Evansville, 52 of the 53 players who spent four years with the Purple Aces earned a degree. Every senior in Crews’ final 12 years graduated. At Army, he graduated all 30 four-year players that came through his program.

Crews learned from the legendary Bob Knight at Indiana for 12 seasons, four as a player and eight as an assistant coach. During his four-year playing career from 1972 to 1976, the Hoosiers forged a remarkable 108-12 record. As a senior in 1976, Crews helped IU to a 32-0 record and a national championship, the last time a Division I men’s program has posted an undefeated record. After graduating from Indiana, Crews returned for an eight-year stint on Knight’s coaching staff. Indiana captured another national championship in 1981, won three Big Ten championships (1980, 1981 and 1983) and posted a 174-76 record during his tenure as an assistant.

Crews, a native of Normal, Ill., has a wife, Kim, and two children, a daughter Abby and a son Todd.