Erik Crawford - Men's Basketball Coach - Iowa State University Athletics

Erik Crawford

Title:
Director of Player Development
Email:
ecrawf@iastate.edu

Erik Crawford is in his fourth season at Iowa State, having been named an assistant coach in August 2024. Crawford returned to Iowa State for a second stint on the men's basketball staff in 2022-23 as the director of player development before becoming an assistant coach prior to the 2024-25 season. He served as a graduate manager and assistant director of basketball operations from 2006-10.

During Crawford's second stint with the Cyclones, Iowa State has advanced to three-straight NCAA Tournaments, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2024 and the second round in 2025.

The 2024-25 Cyclones finished the year 25-10 overall and 13-7 in the Big 12 with an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa State climbed to as high as No. 2 in the country in the AP Poll, the highest ranking in program history. ISU finished the season ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25, the 12th time in program history the Cyclones have been ranked in the final poll. Iowa State ended the season in the AP Top 25 for the 32nd-straight week, the seventh-longest streak in the country. The Cyclones ended the season with four Top 25 victories, tied for the 10th-most in program history. Curtis Jones was named an AP All-American, while earning Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team honors. Joshua Jefferson was named All-Big 12 Second Team and to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert were named to the All-Big 12 Third Team, while Lipsey was also selected to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.

The 2023-24 Cyclones won the Big 12 Championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones finished with a 29-8 overall record and a 13-5 league record, the second-most wins in school history. The 37 games played are tied for the most in program history. The Cyclones went a perfect 18-0 at Hilton Coliseum, the fifth undefeated year in the building's storied history. Iowa State had seven Top 25 victories on the year, including two wins over Houston when it was ranked No. 1 and No. 2 and a victory over No. 7 Kansas.

Crawford played a pivotal role in Lipsey's increased production during his sophomore season in 2023-24. Lipsey was just 5-of-25 from 3-point range as a freshman, but went 45-of-115 (39.1%) in his sophomore year. He also increased his rebound average from 4.0 to 4.6, while turning the ball over fewer times and increasing his assist total by 30. Lipsey averaged 7.3 points as a freshman and moved that number to 12.4 as a sophomore.

The 2022-23 Cyclones finished 19-14 on the year and 9-9 in the Big 12. Iowa State advanced to the NCAA Tournament and the Big 12 Championship semifinals, while also playing in the championship game of the Phil Knight Invitational in November. Iowa State opened the year with a 13-2 record, with the only losses coming to eventual National Champion UConn in the PKI Championship and at Iowa. Over the first 15 games of the year, the Cyclones knocked off No. 1 North Carolina, No. 12 Baylor and No. 17 TCU.

Iowa State led the nation with six wins over AP Top 10 schools. The Cyclones were one of two teams to have eight or more wins against AP Top 25 teams, as Texas (10) and Iowa State (9) led the country. The nine AP Top 25 victories are tied for the most in school history in a season.

In the 12 seasons prior to returning to Iowa State, Crawford was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Northern Iowa. During his time with the Panthers, UNI advanced to the postseason five times and won Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles in 2020 and 2022. The Panthers also picked up MVC Tournament titles in 2015 and 2016. UNI advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2016, while advancing to the NIT second round in 2012 and 2022. The Panthers made the 2013 CIT Semifinals.

After his first stint in Ames under head coach Greg McDermott, Crawford served as McDermott's director of basketball operations at Creighton before returning to UNI as an assistant coach.

Crawford played his final three seasons at Northern Iowa, where he was an important part of the unprecedented success McDermott achieved with the Panthers.

A native of Oakdale, Minnesota, Crawford participated in three NCAA Tournaments, amassing 985 points in his three-year Panther career. He was named to the Missouri Valley All-Newcomer Team in 2004 and was an honorable mention All-MVC selection as a junior in 2005. Crawford and former Cyclone Jake Sullivan were teammates at Tartan H.S. in Oakdale, Minnesota, helping the Titans win the 2000 Minnesota Class 4A state championship.

Crawford earned a degree in leisure youth and human services from UNI in May of 2006 and earned his master’s degree in kinesiology from Iowa State in May 2011. He and his wife, Nicole, have a daughter Mya, and two sons, Treyvin and Jaylen.