Former Sewanee player John Crump enters his second season as an assistant coach on the men’s basketball staff in 2026-27.
The Tigers posted a 10-16 overall record, 6-8 in conference play in 2025-26, a campaign that featured only one returning starter and major contributions from seven players who were either freshmen or had played a handful of minutes in their careers. After an 0-6 start, Sewanee reeled off five victories in their next six outings and 8-of-10 to reach .500 in mid-June. The team struggled over the final month in the heart of conference play but tied for third in the league standings.
Junior Fletcher Bigham earned SAA Player of the Year honors while Nikolas Avaliani was voted Rookie of the Year and Reid Carrier received Honorable Mention All-League accolades. Bigham and Avaliani were named All-Region by D3hoops.com and Bigham was selected All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
A 2023 Sewanee graduate, Crump returned to the Mountain after serving as an assistant coach at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C. He prepared scouting reports, led the varsity scout team during practices, and coordinated individual and small group player development sessions with the Crusaders.
He also served as head coach for Belmont Abbey’s top developmental team, guiding the program to its first conference semifinal appearance. As the lead recruiter, he signed 37 recruits over two years, contributing to the team’s 2023-24 Conference Carolinas Northwest Division championship.
Crump also brings coaching experience from Gaston Day School in Gastonia, N.C., where he assisted with game preparation, practice planning, and skill development for guards, in addition to running summer basketball camps.
As a player, Crump was a two-time team captain for the Tigers, helping Sewanee to the 2023 Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Tournament championship and an NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. He topped the SAA in assist-to-turnover ratio his senior season (2.45) and was a two-time selection to the SAA All-Sportsmanship Team.
Crump earned his bachelor’s from Sewanee in Economics with a minor in Business in May 2023 and completed his master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Sports Management from Belmont Abbey in May 2025.
Updated 6/18/26
