University of Georgia Athletics
Joni Crenshaw Joins Lady Bulldog Staff
April 28, 2011 | Women's Basketball
April 28, 2011
ATHENS, Ga. --- Joni Crenshaw has joined the Georgia Basketball staff as an assistant coach, head coach Andy Landers announced on Thursday. Crenshaw, who was a four-year letterwinner at Alabama and the Crimson Tide's captain for the 2000-01 campaign, has nine seasons of coaching experience, including the last three in the Southeastern Conference.
"We're very excited to have Joni Crenshaw as part of our Georgia Basketball family and in particular our coaching staff," Landers said. "She brings a vast amount of experience as both a college basketball coach and former player in the Southeastern Conference. Joni is a skilled recruiter and coach, but equally important she's a quality person who will be an excellent role model for the young people whose lives we impact on a daily basis."
Crenshaw spent last season as an assistant coach at LSU after spending two years as associate head coach at Alabama. She has displayed a penchant for recruiting the nation's premier players, helping Alabama and LSU sign top-5 prospects in the classes of 2010 and 2011. Crenshaw also spearheaded the Crimson Tide's recruiting class for 2010 that ranked among the nation's top 10.
"I'm really excited about coming to Athens and the opportunity to work with Coach Landers," Crenshaw said. "Georgia recruited me when I was in high school so I've been familiar with the program for a long time. Playing and now coaching in the Southeastern Conference, I've always had a great deal of respect for Coach Landers and what he's done and what he continues to accomplish at Georgia. This is a wonderful opportunity to work with him and to learn and grow as a coach."
Crenshaw also was on the staff at Louisiana Tech for three seasons, serving as an assistant coach for two seasons (2005-07) before being promoted to associate head coach. She began her coaching career with a three-year stint at Troy from 2002-05.
Throughout her career, Crenshaw has signed highly successful prospects. In addition to the signees at LSU and Alabama, she helped Lousiana Tech ink the 2006 Miss Basketball for both Alabama (Shanavia Dowdell) and Mississippi (Tiawana Pringle). At Troy, Crenshaw recruited the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year honorees for 2004 (Lee Holman) and 2005 (Amy Lewis).
Crenshaw herself was a highly-recruited player. A native of Meridian, Miss., she was the 1997 Gatorade Player of the Year for Mississippi after leading Meridian High to a 67-7 record during her junior and senior seasons. Crenshaw also won three state titles in track and field and was selected as the school's Homecoming Queen.
At Alabama, Crenshaw was a significant contributor to four teams that reached post-season play, advancing to the 1998 and 1999 NCAA Tournaments and the 2000 and 2001 WNITs. She was a two-year starter and scored 716 points, grabbed 555 rebounds and blocked 103 shots, a tally that ranks No. 4 among the Crimson Tide's career leaders.
Crenshaw also was a standout in the classroom and the community. She earned her bachelor's degree in education from Alabama in 2002 and was recognized as one of the most influential African Americans on the Alabama campus in 2001. She was named to the SEC's Community Service team for women's basketball in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and was awarded a post-graduate scholarship from the Southeastern Conference for her community service record.