Oregon assistant Chris Crutchfield hired at Omaha

Omaha announced on Friday the hiring of alumnus Chris Crutchfield as its new head men’s basketball coach. Crutchfield spent this past season at Oregon and also has stints at Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oral Roberts, TCU and others.

“It’s an exciting day for Omaha Athletics as we welcome Chris Crutchfield and his wife Jodi back home to UNO,” AD Adrian Dowell said in a statement. “Over the past 20 years, Coach Crutchfield has built an impressive resume as one of the best recruiters in the nation in addition to a successful track record in holistically developing talented student-athletes. He has worked alongside some of the brightest minds in the game, and his vast experience at the highest level of college basketball and experience in the Summit League will serve our program well.”

Crutchfield played for Omaha in the 1990s and started his coaching career there as an assistant in 1995. He has head coaching experience, leading Tyler JC (TX) for two seasons and D-II East Central (OK) during the 2020-21 season.

“I could not be more thankful and excited for the opportunity to return to the university and community that helped shape me into the person and coach that I am today,” Crutchfield said. “My family and I would like to thank President Ted Carter, Chancellor Dr. Joanne Li, and Athletic Director Adrian Dowell for the road map to return home. We are looking forward to building something special in Omaha.”

credit to Omaha Athletics for the image