Jamal Crook added to Hilltopper coaching staff as Graduate Assistant

Former Hilltopper point guard Jamal Crook is coming back to the Hill, and is joining the coach that helped bring him here in the first place, as WKU announced Crook will be a Graduate Assistant come this 2014/15 season.

Crook, who graduated in 2013, ranks fourth in WKU history with 358 career assists, and averaged 6.3 points per game over his 123 game career. His senior year saw an average of 12.1 points and four assists which were both career highs. After leaving the Hill, Jamal went up north and joined the National Basketball League Canada and played with the Ottawa SkyHawks last year, averaging 11.8 points and 3.4 assists per game in 16 games before a right foot fracture in December sidelined him for the year. That, coupled with the fact that the SkyHawks ceased operations prior to this season starting, brings him back to the Hill.

In the official WKU release, Crook’s jobs will feature such things as assisting “with various administrative tasks involving the program, assist in current team managers and help with film study.” Whatever that may mean.

I, for one, am incredibly excited to see Crook back at WKU. Not only was he one of my favorite Tops, but he was reliable and learned how to manage the floor, which is something he’ll have to pass on to the five new guards coming into the season. The one thing that will completely derail the WKU season is an injury to an upperclassmen guard, say T.J. Price or Chris Harrison-Docks, but with a guy like Crook on the bench to help put confidence in the young guys, it’s a recipe for success. Crook also brings with him big game success – he was the point guard for the historic come back win against Mississippi Valley State, as well as the UK defeat, and he was in the starting line up that almost took Kansas down a year ago. With a new year in Conference USA, there is no one better to fill the GA void than Mr. Crook.