Like most coaches, Jim Crutchfield is driven by a challenge.

But, the former West Liberty head basketball coach, who is now leading the Nova Southeastern program, isn’t as driven by the challenge of winning a national championship or winning at the highest of levels.

Quite simply, he’s driven by whether or not he can implement a system that will turn a program that’s been struggling for success and consistency into one that wins on the yearly.

Thus far in his career, which started as a head basketball coach in 2004, Crutchfield is two for two.

“The greatest experience in coaching is being part of a culture change,” Crutchfield said. “It’s honestly like a drug to me.”

Crutchfield has turned a Nova Southeastern squad, which finished 6-20 in the season before his arrival, into a yearly NCAA Division II tournament entrant and entered this weekend’s tourney with a 30-0 record and ranked No. 1 in the national Division II polls.

“When I came here, this was a team that wasn’t supposed to win,” Crutchfield said. “We’re no longer the hunters now. Really, that didn’t last long enough for me.”

Crutchfield, obviously, enjoys the winning he’s done at both of his stops in his career. But, even with a 458-81 career record, Crutchfield has looked deeper into the success.

“Winning is good, but the changing of the program is what drives me,” Crutchfield said. “I had a very enjoyable experience at West Liberty, but I wanted to see if I could take another program that wasn’t as successful (to the next level). So, I had to go somewhere that wasn’t winning.”

Hello, Nova Southeastern.

But, that’s no longer the case. Nova has been to the Elite 8, is undefeated at this point for the second straight season and one of the favorites to cut down the nets in a few weeks in Evansville, Ind.

Crutchfield realizes the types of expectations that come with traditional success. But, he admits that they can lead to their fair share of challenges, too. And he has a good grip on that because he created the same type of expectations at West Liberty.

“I’ve already had some of our fans tell me, ‘I already have my tickets for the national tournament,'” Crutchfield said. “I was like, ‘wait a second! We have to win an incredibly difficult region first. The expectations changed very quickly.”

Actually, it was less than a dozen games into the current season when Crutchfield was hearing from fans and people around campus about going undefeated once again.

“You’re not going to go undefeated every year and it’s really still not hit me yet that we finished (the regular season) that way this year,” Crutchfield said. “Our guys simply keep responding.”

Though they’ve had only three games all season decided by fewer than 10 points, Nova Southeastern’s season has had its share of trials and tribulations.

“I think all of our players have at least a game or two (due to injury),” Crutchfield revealed. “But, it’s been a next-man-up mentality and our guys have answered the bell. Some have had to take on different roles at times. It’s a really good group of guys.”

As of earlier in the week, Crutchfield was actually still unsure if Kobe Rodgers, the team’s best defender, would be available for this weekend’s tournament.

“We feel good about our team and we have a number of guys who can step up and score,” Crutchfield said. “But, when you’re playing against ranked teams in the tournament, one bad shooting day or them having a great day can end a season quickly. We’re going to keep the same approach, which is to control the variables we can control with our pressure defense and rebounding and then hope shots go in.”

While Crutchfield is fully dialed in on the South regional that his Sharks are part of, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t at least paying a little bit of attention to what the Hilltoppers are doing in the Atlantic Regional at IUP this weekend.

“I definitely follow West Liberty and really reflect on my time there a lot,” Crutchfield said. “I am still pulling for West Liberty. There would be nothing more fun and exciting for me than if my team and West Liberty are in the national tournament.”

Crutchfield found himself in true reflection mode at the end of last year’s regular season when the final coaches association poll came out and the Sharks and Hilltoppers were one and two, respectively.

“I saw that poll and just thought, ‘wow! What are the chances?” Crutchfield said.

Actually, the chances are pretty good because of the programs both the Sharks and Toppers have built. And clearly Crutchfield’s impact is felt in both places.

SETH’S SCOOPS

SHADYSIDE GRAD Luke Nardo has landed a position as a graduate assistant at West Virginia University.

BRIDGEPORT grad Caitlyn Kroll saw her basketball career come to an end at Ohio University. A former All-Ohioan for the Bulldogs, Kroll suffered a season-ending injury late in the season. She finished her college career, which included a stop at St. Francis (PA), with 952 career points.

SAD TO hear that Wellsville Athletics Director Don Elliott died last Thursday at the age of 58. He worked at his alma mater for 34 years.

WHEELING UNIVERSITY’S football program is hosting a spring coaches clinic on Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m. Attending the clinic, which will feature Matt Nardo (Bluffton), Brandon Robinson (Bethany), Justin Kropka (Martins Ferry), Michael Edwards (Worthington Kilbourne) and Mike Picetti (Thomas Worthington), is free. There is a $9 fee for lunch.