Army fires basketball coach after 7 losing years

Sep 24, 2009 - 9:51 PM WEST POINT, N.Y.(AP) -- Army fired men's basketball coach Jim Crews after seven losing seasons.

Athletic Director Kevin Anderson said in a statement Thursday that Crew won't be on the bench when the Black Knights start the 2009-10 season.

Crews brought the Knights to the Patriot League tournament semifinals the past three seasons but his best overall record was 15-16 in 2006-07. Army went 11-19 last season.

In seven years, Crews had a record of 60-139, a .302 winning percentage.

Anderson said a national search for Crews' replacement will begin immediately. Army Deputy Athletic Director Gene Marshall will serve as interim coach.

The Black Knights, whose head coaches have included Mike Krzyzewski and Bobby Knight, have not had a winning season since 1984-85.

Crews came to West Point in March 2002 after 17 seasons at Evansville University in Indiana. His teams had 11 winning seasons, reached the NCAA tournament four times and the NIT twice. Crews was a reserve under Knight at Indiana University, including the 1976 team that went 32-0 and won the national championship.

Anderson told ESPN.com on Thursday that an incident in which Crews reportedly yelled at a cadet contributed to his dismissal.

A message left at a West Point phone number under the name James S. Crews was not immediately returned.