The head coaching search is officially over, and Patrick Crarey II has been announced as the 15th men’s head basketball coach. Coach Crarey II previously coached and served in the Assistance Athletic program role at St. Thomas University located in Miami Gardens, Florida.
After seven seasons, Coach Crarey II will step in for former FAMU head coach Robert McCullum. During his three-year tenure at St. Thomas University, he coached 88 games, winning 61 games and losing 27 games, leaving the program 34 games above .500 and a 69% winning percentage. Three years straight, he led the Bobcats to the Sun Conference tournament, and in his last two years, he coached in back-to-back Sun Conference championship games.
Coach Crarey II is a Washington, D.C. native who started his head coaching at Takoma Academy, a high school in Maryland. He has 15 years of coaching experience under his belt.
This past season, he led St. Thomas to a 22-9 record, became the league’s regular-season champions, won the Sun Conference Coach of the Year, and advanced to the second round of the NAIA tournament.
FAMU is coming off a 6-23 season. Coach Crarey II spoke about what students and fans can expect from him this upcoming season.
“We will be a schematically analytical team. I do things based on the numbers, a lot of things based upon the numbers,” Coach Crarey II stated.
He also alluded to what fans can expect on the court from his team.
“We are going to score a lot of threes here. We are going to put people in a position to score at the basket a lot. A lot of threes and a lot of lay-ups. A lot of high-percentage shots. I’m going to build my team based upon shooting, athleticism, basketball IQ, and character,” said Coach Crarey II.
President Dr. Larry Robinson expressed his excitement about the new hire.
“I look forward to supporting him in this new role at Florida A&M University,” Dr. Robinson said.
Athletic Director, Tiffani-Dawn Sykes, discussed her vision for the men’s basketball coach during the hiring process.
“Identifying a candidate with successful head college coaching experience, someone who experienced success at a limited resource institution, someone who has an understanding of the current landscape of college basketball, someone who knows the importance of building relationships with the players, alumni, and community. And last but not least, someone who could love FAMU as much as I do. Coach Crarey checked all of those boxes,” stated Sykes.
With the college basketball transfer portal closing on May 1st, Coach Crarey II explained what he’s looking for in the transfer portal.
“At this point in time, it’s the depth that we’re really looking for that schematically fits what we’re trying to do on both ends of the floor. You know they say defense wins championships, but offense gets you on the team. So, we have to ge that percentage up a little higher. High major, low major, D2, NAIA, JUCO, we’re looking for really good guys. So I’m not a guy who’s going to come in here and say I’m going to take this kid from the University of Georgia over this kid at Georgia State JUCO just because of a name. Bring your game,” stated Coach Crarey II.
One era ends, and another starts. This upcoming season, all eyes will be on Coach Crarey II and his team.