Hogs associate HC Chris Crutchfield to be named HC at D2 East Central U. in Ada, OK

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas associate head coach Chris Crutchfield will be named the next head coach of men’s basketball at East Central University, an NCAA Division II school in Ada, Okla, according source information provided Monday morning.

Crutchfield was part of the Razorbacks’ staff for one season (2019-20) after being hired by Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman on May 17, 2019.

A 25-year college coaching veteran, Crutchfield has spent 8 seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma of the Big 12 conference — his final three campaigns with the Sooners were as associate head coach before he accepted the same position at Arkansas.

He will return to the state of Oklahoma to replace Ja Havens, who enjoyed seven winning seasons at ECU before taking the head job at his alma mater, Northeastern State University, in late May.

ECU will be Crutchfield’s first head coaching opportunity since he was at Tyler (TX) Junior College for two seasons (1999-2001) while compiling an overall record of 35-28.

Musselman will now have his first vacancy to fill from the Arkansas staff he put together after taking over the program in early April 2019, and a few potential candidate names to keep an eye on are Rex Walters (he was on Musselman’s staff at Nevada), former James Madison head coach Louis Rowe, and current Arkansas Director of Basketball Operations Anthony Ruta.