Here’s the official announcement from Air Force on the hiring of Joe Crispin as their new head men’s basketball coach:
Joe Crispin has been named head men’s basketball coach at Air Force, according to an announcement today from Director of Athletics Nathan Pine.
“We are thrilled to welcome Joe, Erin and their five children to the Air Force Academy family,” Pine said. “Coach Crispin is an impressive leader, and he separated himself from a deep candidate pool as absolutely the right person to lead Air Force men’s basketball into the future. He is passionate about player development, joy for the game, and using the sport of basketball to develop young men. He has been a successful leader as a collegiate and professional player, assistant and head coach, and I’m confident he will set the example and drive a culture of success for our men’s basketball program as we forge leaders of character for our Air Force and Space Force.”
“I want to thank Nathan Pine and the executive leadership team for the incredible honor of leading the Air Force men’s basketball program as head coach,” Crispin said. “I am excited for the opportunity to build upon the mission of the Academy and to cultivate a brand of basketball that is distinctively Air Force: Fly. Fight. Win. I am confident that as we cultivate men of integrity, service, and excellence in everything, our team will compete at the highest level and play in a way that makes our entire Academy community proud. My family and I can’t wait to get started and are honored to represent the Air Force Academy.”
Crispin comes to the Academy from his alma mater Penn State, where he was assistant to the head coach the last three seasons.
Crispin helped orchestrate the highest-scoring offense in Penn State history in 2024-25 as the Nittany Lions set a single-season program record with 79.1 points per game during his second season on staff. Penn State scored 100+ points in three games in the same season for just the second time in program history. The Nittany Lions earned two wins over top-15 ranked teams in #8 Purdue and #12 Wisconsin as Penn State earned its first top-10 win since 2019 and highest-ranked road win since 2009.
Crispin helped lay a strong foundation during his first season on the sidelines at Penn State in 2023-24. As offensive coordinator, Crispin helped engineer the highest-scoring offense under a first-year head coach at Penn State since 1954-55 as the Nittany Lions averaged 75.1 points per game in Mike Rhoades’ debut season. Penn State’s 75.2 points per game in regular-season Big Ten play was the second-highest in Penn State’s 32 seasons in the Big Ten, behind only the 2000-01 Nittany Lions team’s 75.4 points per Big Ten game.
Prior to the return to his alma mater, Crispin spent the previous seven seasons as the head men’s basketball coach at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. where he guided the Profs to a 114-54 record, three NCAA Tournament appearances, two conference titles and the 2023 Sweet 16. He collected the fourth-most wins by a head coach in school history through his seven years on the sideline.
Crispin engineered one of the most prolific offenses in the country at Rowan, as the Profs averaged more than 80 points per game in each of his final six seasons including 90+ points per game in each of the last two years.
A longtime professional player, Crispin joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001 as a free agent and enjoyed a highly successful career in Europe for more than a decade.
A four-year starter and 2001 captain, Crispin starred for Penn State during one of the program’s best periods as the team made three postseason appearances during his career, including trips to the 2001 NCAA Sweet 16, 1998 NIT final and 2000 NIT semifinals. Crispin scored 21 points in an upset victory of No. 6-ranked and No. 2-seeded North Carolina in the 2001 NCAA Tournament to help Penn State reach the Sweet 16, widely considered one of the greatest games in Penn State history.
Crispin’s name is all over the Penn State record books. He currently stands fourth in school history in career scoring (1,986 points), fourth in career 3-pointers (308), fifth in career assists (485), sixth in career free throws made (448) and seventh in field goals made (615).
Crispin earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2001 (coaches), and second team in 2000 (coaches and media) and 2001 (media). He was a Big Ten All-Tournament team honoree in 2000 and 2001 and earned four Big Ten Player of the Week awards. Crispin averaged 19.5 ppg in 2001 and was named NABC All-District first team while earning a share of the John Lawther team MVP award. Penn State posted a 72-55 mark in his four seasons.
Crispin and his wife Erin, who played soccer at Penn State, have five children – Abby, Elijah, Naomi, Isaiah and Daniel.
The Air Force Academy was assisted by Elevate Talent and Kyle Bowlsby on the head coaching search.
Joe Crispin – Coaching History
2023-26 – Penn State, Assistant to the Head Coach
2016-23 – Rowan, Head Coach (114-54 record)
2014-16 – Rowan, Assistant Coach
Joe Crispin Professional Playing Career Highlights
Played for Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns in 2001-02
2004 ABA Most Valuable Player with Kansas City Knights
USBL Champion with Pennsylvania Valley Dawgs
All-Polish League selection with Anwil Wloclawek
All-Star honors with Banvit in Turkey
All-League honors with Enel Brindisi in Italy
