Georgette Crawford-Crooks came to North Carolina Central University as head volleyball coach in 2006 after spending two years as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at North Carolina State University.
In her first season as head coach, the Eagles posted an overall record of 32-13 (the most victories in school history), including a 14-0 record in CIAA play. NCCU also won the CIAA Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championship for the third consecutive year.
Crawford-Crooks inherited the two-time defending CIAA champions, but only returned four letterwinners and one starter from the previous season. Still, the Eagles extended their CIAA winning streak to 41 straight contests and won two tournaments in which NCCU was the lone NCAA Division II representative (the Hampton University Lady Pirate Invitational and the Winston-Salem State Lady Rams Invitational).
Under the guidance of Crawford-Crooks, six Eagles received post-season women's volleyball honors, including junior outside hitter Shari Matthews as the CIAA Player of the Year and the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year.
For her efforts, Crawford-Crooks was voted as the 2006 CIAA Women's Volleyball Coach of the Year.
In 2007, her second season at NCCU and the program's first season as a Division I competitor, the Eagles posted a 21-13 overall record, against an entire Division I schedule.
On August 24, 2007, the first day of Division I athletic competition for NCCU, the honor of opening the Eagles' Division I era went to the women's volleyball team. The Eagles swept Norfolk State in the first match of the day, and then in the nightcap against ACC opponent N.C. State, the Eagles found themselves behind two games to none, but rallied for a 3-2 victory.
Crawford-Crooks joined NCCU with a total of 11 years of coaching experience to the job, including four years as the head coach at High Point University. She was head coach when High Point moved to NCAA Division I in 1999, and helped guide the Panthers program to a successful transition to the NCAA's highest classification. During that time, she also was the area representative for the American Volleyball Coaches Association's weekly Division I Top 25 rankings.
Prior to N.C. State, Crawford-Crooks was the assistant coach at North Carolina A&T State University, where she put her experiences as a head coach to use in helping the Lady Aggies with recruiting, coordinating practices, conditioning and workouts, and scouting opponents. The Lady Aggies recorded 20-plus victories both seasons she was with N.C. A&T.
A graduate of California University of Pennsylvania, Crawford-Crooks was a first-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference selection in 1992, 1993 and 1994, helping lead her team to a conference championship in 1992. She also earned AVCA all-region honors as a junior and senior.
She received her bachelor's degree in business administration in 1994, and then earned a master's in business administration in 1996, followed by another master's in education, math and computer science in 1999, all from California University of Pennsylvania. Crawford-Crooks was later inducted into the 2003 California University Hall of Fame.
Crawford-Crooks has also been a member of the Jamaica Women's Senior National Team, earning such honors as best scorer and best hitter in the 2000 Caribbean Championships, best hitter in the 1998 Caribbean Championships, and MVP and best hitter in the 1996 Caribbean Championships. Selected to Jamaica's national team in the summer of 2005, Crawford-Crooks played for her country in the FIVB Women's World Championship Qualification Tournament.
Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, she currently resides in High Point, N.C., with her husband Joseph Crooks and her daughter Nejari Simone Avielle Crooks born on November 2, 2009. She is also currently enrolled at the United States Sports Acadamy pursing a Ph.D. in Sports Management.
VOLLEYBALL COACHING EXPERIENCE:
North Carolina Central University, Head Coach (2006- )
North Carolina State University, Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator (2004-05)
North Carolina A&T State University, Assistant Coach (2003)
High Point University, Head Coach (1999-2002)
North Carolina A&T State University, Assistant Coach (1998)
California University of Pennsylvania, Interim Head Coach (1997)
California University of Pennsylvania, Assistant Coach (1994-97)
