Players

Jim Crews

Year Inducted: 1985

Category: Players

Schools / Organizations: (Normal) University High School
Indiana University
The University of Evansville
St. Louis University

Biography: Twice Jim Crews led Normal’s University High School to the Sweet Sixteen and in three seasons led the Pioneers to a 67-20 record. Crews scored 1,399 points at University High. Twice Crews was all-Intercity, all-Corn Belt Conference, all-WRAW-TV, all-Pontiac Holiday Tournament and twice named all-state by the Chicago Daily News, Champaign News-Gazette, Rockford Register-Star, and Associated Press. The Daily News named him the honorary captain of its 1972 team. Basketball Weekly named him all-America as a senior. Twice Crews led University High to Corn Belt titles.  Twice he was named the most valuable Pioneer and was captain as a senior. Crews may make his greatest impact as a coach. After playing on four Indiana University basketball teams (1973-76), which won the Big Ten and NCAA, Crews became the first coach of Bobby Knight’s former IU players to join his coaching staff. Coming to IU in 1972-73, Crews started as a freshman for the Hoosiers as they won the Big Ten and finished third in the NCAA. Indiana teams won three more Big Ten titles going 108-12 with Crews playing a key role coming off the bench. Crews graduated from IU with a business management degree in 1976 and worked one year as a business marketing manager before joining the IU staff.   Jim has continued in basketball as an assistant at Indiana University and St. Louis University.  He has been a head coach at Evansville University, Army, and St. Louis University posting a career record of 431-404.