I say officially because this was the worst-kept secret of the year. Crass has been basically doing the job all summer, including running Coach Steve Shields summer basketball camps. But we didn't want to jinx it until it was officially announced, which it was by UALR yesterday.
Regular readers of this blog know how I feel about Crass. I've never seen anybody work as hard as he has to do the things he has. He's a great person and will be a very good coach at whatever level he eventually lands at.
Here's the story I initially wrote when Crass was promoted from manager to player:
http://burnthehorse.blogspot.com/2012/02/ualr-student-manager-gets-shot-at-d1.html
Here's Crass before last season talking about being the Trojans' only senior:
http://youtu.be/tnB_o3YpY10
And here's Crass taking that leadership to another level last season:
http://burnthehorse.blogspot.com/2013/01/bth-morning-after-crass-inspiration.html
I give Crass total credit for what he's accomplished. But I also give Coach Steve Shields a ton of credit for giving him a chance -- as a manager, as a player and now as a coach.
"I think Ted is the perfect fit for this job," Shields said. "He's been with us for five years now, both as a player and student manager. His work ethic and loyalty are second to none. He's worked closely with each of our last two directors of basketball operations and he knows this job inside and out. I couldn't be more excited for him to stay with our program in a full-time capacity."
Crass, who graduated from UALR in May, will oversee academics and living arrangements, team travel accommodations, video exchange and community liaison for outreach programs.
Crass replaces Kerry Darting, who was with UALR for one season.
