Joe Crispin Named Head Coach for Air Force Basketball
· Yahoo Sports
Joe Crispin named Air Force Head Men’s Basketball Coach pic.twitter.com/QpNcSJrWjm
— Air Force Men's Basketball (@AF_MBB) March 18, 2026
In a surprise move, Penn State assistant coach Joe Crispin has taken a head coaching job at the Air Force Academy. What was first reported by CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein was later confirmed by Air Force Basketball’s official Twitter account, as seen above.
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Crispin had been an assistant in Happy Valley for the last three seasons, joining the coaching staff when Mike Rhoades took over as the Nittany Lions head coach in 2023. Prior to Penn State, he spent seven years as a head coach at Division III Rowan College, amassing a 114-54 overall record and having teams that routinely scored 80-plus or 90-plus points per game.
Joe will certainly have his work cut out for him, as Air Force just finished this season with a dismal 3-27 record and went 0-20 in Mountain West conference play, and saw their previous head coach suspended before being ultimately fired for mistreatment of cadet-athletes. The Falcons have not been to an NCAA Tournament since 2006, and have not even finished with a winning season since 2013.
The timing of this move also feels rather ironic, given that we recently covered Crispin’s heroics in the historic upset over North Carolina in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Perhaps if he’s able to turn things around significantly enough at Air Force, he may find himself a top candidate for the head coaching gig at PSU the next time it opens up.