Joe Crispin has been appointed as the new head men’s basketball coach at Air Force, according to a March 18 announcement from Director of Athletics Nathan Pine.
The appointment is significant for the Air Force Academy as it seeks to strengthen its men’s basketball program and develop leaders of character for the Air Force and Space Force. Crispin brings experience as both a collegiate and professional player, as well as a successful coaching record at multiple institutions.
“We are thrilled to welcome Joe, Erin and their five children to the Air Force Academy family,” Pine said. “Coach Crispin is an impressive leader, and he separated himself from a deep candidate pool as absolutely the right person to lead Air Force men’s basketball into the future. He is passionate about player development, joy for the game, and using the sport of basketball to develop young men. He has been a successful leader as a collegiate and professional player, assistant and head coach, and I’m confident he will set the example and drive a culture of success for our men’s basketball program as we forge leaders of character for our Air Force and Space Force.”
Crispin joins Air Force after serving three seasons at Penn State as assistant to the head coach. During his tenure there, he helped orchestrate record-setting offensive performances, including leading Penn State to its highest-scoring season in history with an average of 79.1 points per game in 2024-25. The Nittany Lions also achieved notable victories over top-ranked teams such as Purdue and Wisconsin during his time on staff.
Prior to Penn State, Crispin was head coach at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey for seven seasons where he compiled a 114-54 record. His teams made three NCAA Tournament appearances, won two conference titles, reached the Sweet 16 in 2023, and consistently ranked among national leaders in scoring offense.
Reflecting on his new role, Crispin said: “I want to thank Nathan Pine and the executive leadership team for the incredible honor of leading the Air Force men’s basketball program as head coach. I am excited for the opportunity to build upon the mission of the Academy and to cultivate a brand of basketball that is distinctively Air Force: Fly. Fight. Win. I am confident that as we cultivate men of integrity, service, and excellence in everything, our team will compete at the highest level and play in a way that makes our entire Academy community proud. My family and I can’t wait to get started and are honored to represent the Air Force Academy.”
