Nyack Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jason Crafton officially accepted an assistant coaching position with the Philadelphia 76er’s G-League Affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Coach Crafton will join the Philadelphia 76er’s organization immediately for the upcoming 76er’s training camp and will then report to Wilmington, Delaware for the start of the Blue Coats Training Camp later this fall. The Blue Coats will play an intense 50 game regular season schedule that begins in November.
Crafton served as head coach for the Warriors for six seasons. He inherited a major rebuilding project taking over a Warrior program that produced a 1-26 record the year prior to his arrival and was ranked 276 out of 277 NCAA Division II programs in 2012. In his second season he propelled the Warriors to the second best turnaround in the Central Atlantic Conference (CACC). By the 2015-16 season the Warriors 11-15 record marked as the programs best since 2009. The Warriors also achieved 22 conference wins between 2013-2016, it’s best 3-year span in several years. In the three seasons prior to Coach Crafton’s arrival the Warriors had only won a total of 9 conference games.
Throughout his tenure the Warriors made a name for themselves on the defense end where they achieved some impressive ratings. In 2016 Nyack ranked 11th in the nation in turnovers forced per game. In that same year Nyack was rated the 31st Most Efficient Man-to-Man Defensive Team in the country by Synergy Sports Technology. The 2015 Warriors led the league in steals per game while the 2018 team finished with a zone defense that was rated in the top 10% nationally by Synergy Sports Technology.
Crafton upgraded the schedule tremendously leading the Warriors to five straight Division I exhibition games including a 2014 game against his mentor Jay Wright and the eventual national champion Villanova Wildcats. Player development became a staple of the program as several players improved over the years. The most notable were Nick Moore and Chris Hampton. Both achieved All-CACC accolades and continued their playing career overseas. Over a dozen players graduated during Coach Crafton’s leadership while his teams consistently achieved 3.0 and higher Team GPA’s. Prior to Nyack Crafton served an Assistant and Associate Head Coach at The Naval Academy (2005-2012) and was the Video Coordinator for Jay Wright’s staff at Villanova (2003-2005).
Coach Crafton Stated: I’d like to thank President Scales, our Vice President Dave Jennings and Athletic Director Keith Davie for believing in me and offering me the opportunity to be the head coach at my alma mater back in 2012. During my six years I got the chance to recruit and coach GREAT student-athletes that will forever hold a special place in my heart. I enjoyed every second of investing in our culture at Nyack and I truly believe the program is in a tremendous position to continue its ascension in the CACC. I’m excited to see the future of Nyack Basketball! Special thanks to our faculty and administration that worked with us daily—I appreciate you! Every assistant coach that we’ve had over the years–Thanks for all of your efforts! To the student body, Nyack Community, Warrior Parents, Summer Camp Family along with our Fantastic Alumni Base — thanks so much for your support along the way! I will never forget my time and I look forward to continuing our relationships. Thanks again and see you soon Warrior Nation!
Nyack College Athletic Director Keith Davie said: We are proud of Jason and this achievement. Coach Crafton is one of us and we know that he will be successful in his job with the Delaware Blue Coats.
http://athletics.nyack.edu/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/20180906yclfl0
