Joni Crenshaw Season 2022-23

Joni Crenshaw, a former associate head coach at Alabama and Louisiana Tech, enters her first season as an assistant coach on Van Chancellor’s staff at LSU.

Crenshaw replaces Kenya Larkin-Landers who left the LSU program following the conclusion of the 2009-10 season.

“I am extremely pleased to have Joni join our staff at LSU,” said Chancellor on her official hiring date of April 24, 2010. “She’s grown up in the SEC, having both played and coach in this league. She is going to do a tremendous job recruiting for us and she will be a great role model for our players. This a great hire for our program.”

Crenshaw spent two seasons at Alabama as the associate head coach from 2008-10. She spearheaded the Tide’s recruiting efforts, including the Class of 2010 that was ranked ninth in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz.com. Crenshaw helped Alabama sign a pair of top 100 prospects led by the nation’s No. 5 overall player, Kaneisha Horn.

The Meridian, Miss., native previously lettered four years at Alabama where, during her playing days as a center, scored 716 points grabbed 555 rebounds and registered 103 blocked shots ranking her fourth in program history. She entered the starting lineup her final two years at the Capstone while serving as a team captain her senior season.

She was named to the Southeastern Conference Good Works Team for two years, was named to the SEC’s Academic Honor Roll all four years and received a post-graduate scholarship for community service from the SEC in 2001. That same year, Crenshaw was recognized as one of the 10 most influential African Americans on the Alabama campus by the Mentor Fellowship Society.

Crenshaw, 31, earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Alabama in 2002.

She started her coaching career at Troy University where she served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. In addition, she also handled post player development, served as academic coordinator and coordinated Troy’s summer camps. During those three years, Crenshaw recruited and signed the two Atlantic Sun Freshmen of the Year in Laura Lee Holman (2004) and Amy Lewis (2005).

Crenshaw then joined the coaching staff at Louisiana Tech where she served as assistant coach for two years (2005-07) and associate coach for one season (2007-08).

Crenshaw’s top responsibility in Ruston was serving as Louisiana Tech’s recruiting coordinator where she handled both high school and junior college efforts. An emphasis was placed in her home state of Mississippi as well as Alabama where she grew strong roots as a student-athlete.

Crenshaw’s recruiting work paid dividends for the Lady Techsters as she was instrumental in signing high school standouts Shanavia Dowdell (2006 Miss Basketball in Alabama) and Tiawana Pringle (2006 Miss Basketball in Mississippi). Crenshaw was part of a staff that won two Western Athletic Conference regular season titles in her first two years.

Prior to her collegiate career, Crenshaw prepped at Meridian High School where she was named the 1997 Gatorade Player of the Year and a USA Today All-American while leading the school to mark of 67-7 over her final two years. She also won three state titles in track and field during her high school days and was selected as the school’s homecoming Queen in 1996.

The Crenshaw File 
Birthdate: March 7, 1979
Age: 31
Hometown: Meridian, Miss. 
College: Alabama, 2002

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
1998-2001, Alabama 

COACHING EXPERIENCE
2002-05, Assistant Coach, Troy
2005-07, Assistant Coach, Louisiana Tech
2007-08, Associate Head Coach , Louisiana Tech
2008-10, Associate Head Coach, Alabama
2010-present, Assistant Coach, LSU