| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 9, 1954 Scottsburg, Indiana, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1972–1974 | Brunswick JC |
| 1974–1976 | Texas–Arlington |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1977–1978 | Texas–Arlington (asst.) |
| 1978–1981 | Southwest Texas State (asst.) |
| 1981–1985 | Texas–Arlington (asst.) |
| 1985–1989 | Washington (asst.) |
| 1989–1993 | Utah (asst.) |
| 1989–1990 | Utah (interim HC) |
| 1993–1996 | Idaho |
| 1996–1997 | UC Irvine (asst.) |
| 1997–1999 | Weber State (asst.) |
| 1999–2006 | Weber State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 170–141 (.547) |
Joseph Dale Cravens (born March 9, 1954) is a former American college basketball coach. He was the head coach at Idaho,[1] Weber State, and the interim head coach at Utah for most of a season.[2][3]
Born and raised in Scottsburg, Indiana, Cravens played college basketball at Brunswick Junior College in Georgia and transferred to Texas–Arlington for his final two seasons. He was an assistant coach for a year at his alma mater, then at Southwest Texas State in San Marcos for three years, and returned to Texas–Arlington.
In 1985, he joined the staff of new head coach Andy Russo at Washington in Seattle for four years in the Pac-10, then went to Utah under new head coach Rick Majerus in 1989. In mid-December, Majerus required major heart surgery and Cravens took over as interim head coach of the Utes in the WAC for the remainder of that first season.[2]
After four years in Salt Lake City, Cravens was hired as head coach at Idaho in Moscow in April 1993, succeeding Larry Eustachy,[1][4][5] and led the Vandals on the Palouse for three seasons.[6][7][8] After Idaho, he coached in Switzerland that summer, then was an assistant at UC Irvine for a season,[9] and for two more back in the state of Utah at Weber State in Ogden under Ron Abegglen.[10] Promoted to head coach in March 1999,[10][11] he compiled a 116–88 (.569) record in seven seasons. Cravens led the 2003 team to an undefeated (14–0) record in the Big Sky Conference (26–6 overall), but the Wildcats fell to fifth-seed Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament's first round at Spokane.[12]
Cravens is a college basketball analyst on the MountainWest Sports Network; he formerly coached girls' basketball at St. Joseph Catholic High School in Ogden. In his second year as coach at St. Joseph, Cravens led his girls to the 2011–12 1-A state championship. They defeated Milford 29–23 in the opening round, Manila 51–23 in the quarterfinals, Piute 63–41 in the semifinals, and heavily favored and defending 1-A champion Rich 45–34 in the finals.
Despite losing several key players after their first title, Cravens led the defending champs to an undefeated season in 2012–13, including victory in their second state title game over Piute, 39–29. He stepped down as coach after the 2015 season, but remained at the school as a counselor.
NCAA Division I
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Utes (WAC) (1989–1990) | |||||||||
| 1989–90 | Utah | 12–12 | 7–9 | 6th | |||||
| Utah (interim): | 12–12 (.500) | 7–9 (.438) | |||||||
| Idaho Vandals (Big Sky) (1993–1996) | |||||||||
| 1993–94 | Idaho | 18–10 | 9–5 | 3rd | |||||
| 1994–95 | Idaho | 12–15 | 6–8 | 6th | |||||
| 1995–96 | Idaho | 12–16 | 5–9 | 6th | |||||
| Idaho: | 42–41 (.506) | 20–22 (.476) | |||||||
| Weber State Wildcats (Big Sky) (1999–2006) | |||||||||
| 1999–00 | Weber State | 18–10 | 10–6 | t-4th | |||||
| 2000–01 | Weber State | 15–14 | 8–8 | t-4th | |||||
| 2001–02 | Weber State | 18–11 | 8–6 | 3rd | |||||
| 2002–03 | Weber State | 26–6 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA first round | ||||
| 2003–04 | Weber State | 15–14 | 7–7 | 2rd | |||||
| 2004–05 | Weber State | 14–16 | 7–7 | 5th | |||||
| 2005–06 | Weber State | 10–17 | 4–10 | t-7th | |||||
| Weber State: | 116–88 (.569) | 58–44 (.569) | |||||||
| Total: | 170–141 (.547) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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