Omaha Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics Adrian Dowell announced a contract extension for men’s basketball head coach Chris Crutchfield coming off the most successful season in the Division I history of Maverick men’s basketball, keeping him tied to Omaha through April 2030.
“We are excited to have Coach Crutchfield continue as the leader our basketball program,” said Dowell. “In the current collegiate athletic environment, leadership stability is vital and it’s a tremendous opportunity for our campus to have Coach Crutchfield extending his stay at his alma mater. The historic 2024-25 season has propelled Omaha Athletics and our institution to the forefront of the national conversation and we look forward to continuing this significant momentum under his leadership.”
“The teams Coach Crutchfield leads represent who we are as a university,” said UNO Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA. “They’re bold, resilient and deeply connected to our community—exactly what it means to be a Maverick. Watching this program grow under Coach Crutchfield’s leadership has been nothing short of inspiring. Omaha basketball is uniting our campus, energizing our city and showing the country what makes this university so special. I am proud to have Coach Crutchfield leading this program and energized by what’s ahead. Congratulations, coach!
The 2024-25 Summit League Coach of the Year, Crutchfield led the Mavericks to a program-record 22 victories en route to the Summit League regular season and tournament titles, both firsts for Omaha.
Last week, Omaha made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament which came in Providence, R.I. against #2 St. John’s.
A UNO alum and former basketball and football student-athlete, Crutchfield guided the Mavericks to 16 wins against conference opponents in 2024-25 and under his tutelage, senior Marquel Sutton was named the 2024-25 Summit League Player of the Year. Fellow seniors JJ White and Ja’Sean Glover also earned All-League plaudits on the First Team and All-Defensive Team, respectively.
“It is an honor to continue as the head men’s basketball coach at the school I care about so deeply,” said Crutchfield. “This historic season was incredibly special in unifying our institution, rallying the City of Omaha and showing fans across the country what Omaha basketball and UNO are all about. I am grateful to Chancellor [Joanne] Li and [athletic director] Adrian [Dowell] for their work on this extension and continued trust in me and our staff. The best is yet to come for Omaha men’s basketball.”
Crutchfield, the second head coach in the program’s Division I era, charged Omaha to a nine-game win streak during the season which ranks as the longest since Omaha joined the DI ranks and the third-longest all-time for Omaha.
The Mavericks’ elite offense ranked second in the conference, averaging 84.2 points per game and boasted the Summit League’s best scoring margin at 7.3.
