Men’s basketball continues to break records, despite win streak ending

By Bella Giaquinto, Josh Leatherman and Abraham Velasquez

On Nov. 5, 2022 the NSU men’s basketball team began, what would eventually become a memorable season, with a 101-81 victory over the Chargers from Alabama-Huntsville. The victory over Alabama-Huntsville set into motion a remarkable winning streak lasting 431 days.

Since the start of the 2021-22 season, the Sharks won back-to-back Sunshine State Conferences and South Region championships, culminating in the sixth ever undefeated national championship winning season in 2022-2023, with an overall record of 36-0.

cOURTESY OF NSU ATHLETICS Fifth-year guard Trey Doomes leads the offense up the floor against Eckerd.

In defeating West Liberty, NSU broke the NCAA Division II record for points scored in a national championship game with a final score of 111-101.

Jim Crutchfield, head coach, has led the program since 2017, bringing it to new heights with an overall record of 147-22.

Crutchfield attributes much success to his team, as he expresses great pride and appreciation of their performance. “These guys came out every single game, and played every game like it was a championship game,” he said.

Crutchfield has been named SSC Coach of the Year three times since his arrival and in back-to-back seasons. In 2023, Crutchfield was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year and the Clarence Gaines Coach of the Year.

An important contribution to Crutchfield’s success was RJ Sunahara, who was named Division II player of the year last season. Sunahara averaged 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists this past season. He later transferred to the University of Georgia to compete in Division I basketball.

“I chose Georgia because of the coaching staff and the opportunity to play the best of the best,” Sunahara said.

After the 2022-2023 season ended, several athletes made the big jump to Division I programs. This expected migration of talent speaks volumes about the type of athletes Crutchfield cultivated during his tenure in the program.

Coach Crutchfield’s unique basketball strategy and winning culture has led to multiple key players getting opportunities to transfer to the Division 1 level including: Sekou Sylla (Towson University), RJ Sunahara (University of Georgia), Jonathan Pierre (University of Memphis), Kobe Rodgers (College of Charleston), Dallas Graziani (Samford University).

The Sharks continue to defend its home court at the Rick Case Arena. On the court affectionately dubbed “The Shark Tank,” NSU has won 52 consecutive games with the remainder of the 2023-24 season ahead.