ACU adds former UALR assistant to staff
4/21/2016 10:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ABILENE – ACU men's head coach Joe Golding announced Thursday that he has hired Ted Crass as an assistant coach on his staff, replacing Solomon Bozeman who left earlier this month to take an assistant coaching job at his alma mater at Arkansas-Little Rock.
Crass spent the last eight seasons as a part of the Arkansas-Little Rock staff where he worked under former head coaches Steve Shields and Chris Beard. He was the Director of Player Development in 2015-16 under Beard, helping the Trojans finish 30-5, win the Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Crass – who was a student manager and player for the Trojans when Golding was an assistant coach at UALR – also served as a student manager, player, assistant coach and Director of Operations in his time with the Trojans.
"I believe Ted will excel in the areas of recruiting, player development, coaching and academic support and will be a positive mentor to our players," Golding said. "I have complete confidence that Ted will help us continue building a program that will compete for Southland Conference championships. He understands that student-athletes are the most important part of what we do, and I look forward to watching him cultivate relationships with our current players and future Wildcats."
In his role at ACU, Crass will recruit, coach on the floor in practice and games, scout opponents and monitor academic progress for each of the players in the program.
"I am very excited to join the ACU family and work for Coach Golding," Crass said. "I have followed this program since Coach Golding took over and I am very excited about the future. I want to thank everyone at Little Rock for everything because I would not be where I am today without them."
In 2014-15, Crass was an assistant coach for the Trojans during the 2014-15 season. He assisted with all aspects of the program, including recruiting, evaluating, scouting and budget preparation. Crass spent the 2013-14 season as the program's Director of Basketball operations following five years as a player and student manager for the Trojans.
Crass first joined the Trojans' basketball staff as a student manager prior to the start of the 2008-09 season, serving three-plus years in that role before joining the roster midseason in 2011-12. He suited up as a player for the first time at Middle Tennessee on Feb. 11, 2012 and saw the first game action of his career against Florida International just five days later.
A native of Little Rock, Crass played two seasons at Little Rock Central HS under head coach Oliver Fitzpatrick, earning a letter as a sophomore. He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in May 2013 with a bachelor's degree in speech communications.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT TED CRASS
"Joe Golding made a great hire in Ted Crass. He is a high-character winner who fits the ACU program. The players will benefit more than anyone. Ted has a special talent to relate to and inspire players. He can both recruit and coach. I am happy for Joe and Ted."
Chris Beard
Head coach, Texas Tech University
Former head coach, Arkansas-Little Rock
"I am extremely proud of Teddy and his growth and development in our profession over the last seven or eight years. I saw an outstanding work ethic in him as a manager in our program, then as a player I saw that same worth ethic, as well as an ability to lead a very young group of teammates. After his graduation, I knew immediately that I would hire him with an operations job open, mainly because of his attention to detail in everything he does. I am certain that he will be a great addition to the winning program Joe Golding continues to build at Abilene Christian."
Steve Shields
Special Assistant to the Head Coach, University of Missouri
Former head coach, Arkansas-Little Rock
Crass spent the last eight seasons as a part of the Arkansas-Little Rock staff where he worked under former head coaches Steve Shields and Chris Beard. He was the Director of Player Development in 2015-16 under Beard, helping the Trojans finish 30-5, win the Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Crass – who was a student manager and player for the Trojans when Golding was an assistant coach at UALR – also served as a student manager, player, assistant coach and Director of Operations in his time with the Trojans.
"I believe Ted will excel in the areas of recruiting, player development, coaching and academic support and will be a positive mentor to our players," Golding said. "I have complete confidence that Ted will help us continue building a program that will compete for Southland Conference championships. He understands that student-athletes are the most important part of what we do, and I look forward to watching him cultivate relationships with our current players and future Wildcats."
In his role at ACU, Crass will recruit, coach on the floor in practice and games, scout opponents and monitor academic progress for each of the players in the program.
"I am very excited to join the ACU family and work for Coach Golding," Crass said. "I have followed this program since Coach Golding took over and I am very excited about the future. I want to thank everyone at Little Rock for everything because I would not be where I am today without them."
In 2014-15, Crass was an assistant coach for the Trojans during the 2014-15 season. He assisted with all aspects of the program, including recruiting, evaluating, scouting and budget preparation. Crass spent the 2013-14 season as the program's Director of Basketball operations following five years as a player and student manager for the Trojans.
Crass first joined the Trojans' basketball staff as a student manager prior to the start of the 2008-09 season, serving three-plus years in that role before joining the roster midseason in 2011-12. He suited up as a player for the first time at Middle Tennessee on Feb. 11, 2012 and saw the first game action of his career against Florida International just five days later.
A native of Little Rock, Crass played two seasons at Little Rock Central HS under head coach Oliver Fitzpatrick, earning a letter as a sophomore. He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in May 2013 with a bachelor's degree in speech communications.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT TED CRASS
"Joe Golding made a great hire in Ted Crass. He is a high-character winner who fits the ACU program. The players will benefit more than anyone. Ted has a special talent to relate to and inspire players. He can both recruit and coach. I am happy for Joe and Ted."
Chris Beard
Head coach, Texas Tech University
Former head coach, Arkansas-Little Rock
"I am extremely proud of Teddy and his growth and development in our profession over the last seven or eight years. I saw an outstanding work ethic in him as a manager in our program, then as a player I saw that same worth ethic, as well as an ability to lead a very young group of teammates. After his graduation, I knew immediately that I would hire him with an operations job open, mainly because of his attention to detail in everything he does. I am certain that he will be a great addition to the winning program Joe Golding continues to build at Abilene Christian."
Steve Shields
Special Assistant to the Head Coach, University of Missouri
Former head coach, Arkansas-Little Rock
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