Jim Crutchfield's first press conference as the new men's basketball coach at Nova Southeastern University was held on Thursday afternoon on a makeshift stage located at what is now his place of business – the court at Rick Case Arena.
 
Perfect.
 
In fact, the only thing that could've made things even better for Crutchfield would've been permission to put his new players through their first practice right then and there.
 
Observing Crutchfield, one gets the distinct impression that he would rather not make empty promises about wins, championships and parades. Those things have to be earned.
 
No, the preference for Crutchfield would be that he and his players roll out some basketballs, roll up their sleeves and get to work. 
 
"A lot of times, when things aren't working, my first thing to do is not to change things – but to try harder," Crutchfield said. "Let's just see how hard we can go. Give it our very best, and we'll evaluate ourselves then."
 
That simple philosophy has worked exceptionally well for Crutchfield, who compiled an .855 winning percentage in 13 years as the head coach of the West Liberty Hilltoppers, turning the rural West Virginia school into an NCAA Division II power.
 
Of all NCAA Division I, Division II or Division III coaches who have spent at least 10 years running a program, Crutchfield has the best winning percentage.
 
To put things in perspective, Crutchfield has a better win percentage than legendary basketball minds such as Adolph Rupp, who is No. 3 on the list; John "The Wizard of Westwood" Wooden, who is fifth; and Jerry Tarkanian, who is ninth.
 
NSU Director of Athletics Michael Mominey paid homage to Wooden while also praising Crutchfield on Thursday.
 
"If I were to put a headline on this story," Mominey said, "I would say: 'The Wizard of West Virginia is going to meet South Florida'."  
 
Under Crutchfield, West Liberty went to nine NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Sweet 16 round seven times, the Elite Eight round five times and the Final Four round three times. Five of his teams won at least 30 games. 
 
In all, Crutchfield built a 359-61 record at West Liberty, never failing to win at least 20 games in a season. The Hilltoppers made the NCAA Tournament in each of Crutchfield's final eight years at West Liberty, including a 28-4 record this past season. 
 
The Hilltoppers, ranked seventh in the nation and seeded third in their region this year, were upset 96-95 in overtime by sixth-seeded Wheeling Jesuit on March 11. West Liberty lost its leading scorer for the final 33 minutes of that first-round game due to a leg injury.
 
Even so, the Hilltoppers nearly won the game with a 30-foot three-pointer that went in off glass at the buzzer, touching off a wild celebration. But after a lengthy review, the shot was ruled as having been released a split-second after the buzzer.
 
That heartbreaker was Crutchfield's last game for West Liberty. Ten days later, he was announced as NSU's coach.
 
"It happened fast," Crutchfield said of the process by which he became part of the Sharks family. "One thing I've always known is that (NSU) is a great institution. I've played here twice, and everything about this place is good.
 
"The reason for coming is the challenge. But this school is in a great location. In the world of recruiting, I'd like to think that if I were an 18-year-old young man walking out of high school and coming to this campus and this arena … this is a great place to be."
 
Crutchfield will no doubt hit the recruiting trail hard and right away. The Sharks lose three seniors off their 2016-2017 team, including star 6-9 forward Harrison Goodrick.
 
There were 11 underclassmen on this past season's roster, but – as with any new coach – a certain amount of turnover is expected.
 
Fortunately for the Sharks, Crutchfield retained assistant Jordan Fee, who worked for previous coach Gary Tuell, who retired after 13 years at NSU.
 
The irony here is that Crutchfield coached Fee for two years at West Liberty, and they had great success together. As a junior, Fee helped West Liberty run off 33 consecutive wins before falling to BYU-Hawaii 110-101 in the Division II national semifinals.
 
As a senior, Fee helped West Liberty post a 32-3 record and a berth in the Elite Eight. The Hilltoppers lost another heartbreaker that year, losing 91-90 to Stonehill College. In those two years, Fee helped West Liberty compile a 65-4 record.
 
In announcing that he had retained Fee, Crutchfield displayed his dry sense of humor.
 
"I'm going to say some nice things now about Jordan so I can get them out of the way," Crutchfield said, perhaps only half-jokingly. "(Later), I'm going to be asking him to do things without saying please or thank you. I won't have time for that. I'm going to work (Fee) to death."       
 
Fee said he is ready for the challenge, and that's a good thing because Crutchfield's teams play the way he coaches – fast and with remarkable precision.
 
West Liberty ranked in the top four in Division II in points per game in each of his 13 seasons, and you can expect more of the same at NSU.
 
"People know who I am," Crutchfield said of his style of play. "I have coached against half of the coaches in this league (Sunshine State Conference). They know we will press off makes, we will press off misses, and we will push the ball down the court.
 
"It's about getting high-percentage shots with guys in rebounding position. It's about getting stops. And the way we do is to be aggressive and efficient."
 
Crutchfield said leaving West Liberty was an "emotional" decision.
 
He left the Hilltoppers with a heavy heart, and West Liberty President Dr. Stephen Greiner said the feeling was mutual.
 
"For West Liberty, it's the end of an era," Greiner said on his school's website . "Jim is a class guy and a true gentleman.
 
"And even though we regret losing a quality coach and quality human being, we congratulate him and thank him for everything he's done as a coach and mentor. He leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten."  
 
Crutchfield, who has a 24-9 record in NCAA Tournament games – the best among all active NCAA Division II coaches – was twice named the National Coach of the Year by Basketball Times, in 2012 and 2013.
 
That first national championship, however, has been elusive.
 
Perhaps it will happen at NSU.
 
Crutchfield won't promise that, of course. But he will get to work.
 
"I'm leaving a great situation, but this is an incredible situation that I couldn't pass up," Crutchfield said.
 
"It will be a difficult challenge because this (Sunshine State Conference) is a great league.
 
"The one guarantee I will make is how hard we will work to try to win basketball games."