DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) – Nova Southeastern University’s men’s basketball is known for its powerful performance season after season, and now the coach behind their triumphs has received a high honor on the home court.
Entering his eighth season, head men’s basketball coach Jim Crutchfield has already led the Sharks to two Division II national titles in the last three years. Rick Case Arena on NSU’s campus will henceforth also be known as Crutchfield Court.
“I’m trying not to feel more pressure from that. We have a win streak going here on that court,” he said.
To be exact, the Sharks had 86 straight home wins that started in February of 2020.
Under Crutchfield, NSU comes in ranked number one in Division II. The coach said this puts a target on his team players’ backs, but they’re ready for it.
“We’re the hunted. The team we open up with, if they’re not hunting us, nobody is,” he said. “We try to talk about, ‘Let’s not put ourselves in that position. Let’s be the hunter,too.'”.
There are only two returning starters from the 2025 national championship team. Crutchfield will once again lean on senior guard Dallas Graziano from Pembroke Pines. Graziano started all 37 games last season.
“Being around him every day, like, you realize just kind of the way he thinks, and it’s kind of unique, just in everything,” said Graziano. “And, I don’t know, he always gives us little tidbits of information. I think it’s always – the guys always love it.”
Senior guard Ryan Davis will be starting his fourth straight season.
“Guys that have been here like me — Dallas, people that have been through it all — we just got to really install it, that every game is like a championship game for the other team,” said Davis.
There are changes every single season. Crutchfield has a knack for finding players who fit his system.
“I look for guys who have good motors, guys that are willing to accept the fact that they can get better and keep working hard to get better, and guys that are probably a little bit selfless in the fact that we don’t promote individualism as much as we do a team here,” he said.
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