Penn State women’s basketball has hired Jason Crafton as an assistant coach and general manager, the team announced Tuesday.

Crafton will bring over 20 years of experience to Penn State, most recently serving as the chief program strategist for Columbia men’s basketball for one year. Prior to that, he spent five years as the Maryland Eastern Shore head coach, going 43-76 despite an 18-13 season in 2022-23.

Crafton’s first collegiate job was a video coordinator for Villanova, where he worked with Kyle Lowry and Randy Foye, who both went on to have successful NBA careers. He’s also had stints as an assistant and associate head coach at Navy, as well as head coach at Nyack College.

As a player, Crafton was a two-time captain for Nyack and helped lead his team to the school’s only CACC title in 2003.

In his new role at Penn State, Crafton will oversee building and maintaining the roster, NIL strategies, and player development.

The Lady Lions currently have a nine-player roster after Gracie Merkle announced she will return and not transfer to Maryland.