Mavs coach Chris Crutchfield shares his joy leading Omaha to NCAA tournament (2025)

MAVERICKS MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM WILL MAKE THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. THE TEAM’S HEAD COACH IS A UNO ALUM AND FORMER PLAYER, AND KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S LAUREN MICHELSON HAS AN EXCLUSIVE SIT DOWN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS CRUTCHFIELD. HERE WE GO. CHRIS CRUTCHFIELD SMILE SAYS IT ALL GENUINE HAPPINESS BECAUSE HIS PLAN CAME TO FRUITION AND GRATITUDE TO BE MAKING HISTORY WITH THE PLACE WHERE IT ALL STARTED. I PLAYED FOOTBALL AND PLAYED BASKETBALL IN JUNIOR COLLEGE AND ENDED UP GETTING OFFERED TO PLAY FOOTBALL AT UNO, AND SO I WENT IN AND, YOU KNOW, TOOK THE SCHOLARSHIP. PLAYED FOOTBALL. AND ALL ALONG I WANTED TO PLAY BASKETBALL. THEN MY SENIOR YEAR, BOB CAME OVER AND TOLD ME, I CRUTCHY YOU WANT. I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN BEGGING ME ABOUT PLAYING BASKETBALL. YOU WANT TO COME AND PLAY NOW? I GOT SOME GUYS INJURED AND WE WERE SHORT OF PRACTICE PLAYERS, SO I CALLED A CRUTCH. YOU GOT TO COME OUT HERE AND HELP US. AND HE CAME OUT HERE AND I KID COACH BUDAH ALL THE TIME THAT HE FELL IN LOVE WITH BASKETBALL. FORGOT ALL ABOUT FOOTBALL AFTER THAT. HIS COACHING CAREER STARTED IN 1995 WITH THE MAVERICKS AS AN ASSISTANT. HE WENT ON TO HAVE STINTS WITH OREGON, OKLAHOMA, ARKANSAS AND OTHERS. I’VE BEEN SO. I’VE BEEN BLESSED TO BE AROUND SO MANY GOOD COACHES. CRUTCHFIELD SOAKED IN MOMENTS FROM EVERY STOP IN HIS JOURNEY, KNOWING ONE DAY HE’D HAVE HIS OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD A DIVISION ONE PROGRAM. I’VE BEEN BLESSED BECAUSE THEY GAVE ME THE BLUEPRINT ON HOW TO BUILD A PROGRAM THE RIGHT WAY, WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE. COACH HANSEN SAID, HE KIND OF TOLD YOU NOT TO TAKE THIS JOB. COACH. DID HE WARN YOU NOT TO TAKE IT? HE DID. HE’S NOT THE ONLY ONE. THERE’S ABOUT 3 OR 4 PEOPLE THAT ARE CALLED THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND THE PROGRAM, THAT HAVE BEEN IN OMAHA FOR A LONG TIME, THAT KNEW THE PROGRAM AND KNEW WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT. THEY ALL SAID, I DON’T KNOW IF IT’S A GOOD JOB FOR YOU, BUT YOU HAVE A GREAT JOB AT OREGON. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? LIKE, AND JUST MY CONVERSATIONS WITH ADRIAN, I JUST KNEW THINGS WERE GOING TO CHANGE. THINGS WAS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT. FROM THE MOMENT CRUTCHFIELD WAS HIRED, HE HAD A CLEAR VISION. NO. WHEN I TOLD HIM, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE THIS PLACE RELEVANT IN 3 TO 4 YEARS, I DIDN’T I DIDN’T HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT NCAA TOURNAMENT. RELEVANT. BUT BUT JUST RELEVANT IN OUR LEAGUE. IT TAKES IT TAKES A WHOLE COMMITTEE OF PEOPLE TO GET A PROGRAM TURNED AROUND. CRUTCHFIELD’S PLAYERS AND STAFF TRUSTED IN HIS THREE YEAR PLAN. NOW THE MAVS ARE DANCING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY. HE LIFTS PEOPLE UP, MAN. HE LEADS BY EXAMPLE. AND SO JUST TO HAVE COACH CRUTCH, YOU KNOW, BEING OUR LEADER AND BEING OUR CAPTAIN OF OUR TEAM IS IS REALLY WHAT GOT US HERE. OMAHA EMBRACING BEING THE UNDERDOGS AND SOAKING IN EVERY MOMENT TOGETHER. WELL, WE’VE BEEN IN THAT THAT ROLE ALL YEAR. OUR GUYS DON’T KNOW ANYTHING DIFFERENT. I THINK JUST IT’S JUST BECOME OUR MANTRA OF NO BLAMING, NO COMPLAINING, NO EXCUSES. AND THAT’S WHAT WE LIVE BY. IN PROVIDENC