BURNABY, B.C. – Simon Fraser University has hired a history-making coach to lead the SFU men's basketball program.

Bringing two decades of university head-coaching experience to Burnaby Mountain, Barnaby Craddock of Vancouver will start in his new role on May 7. He is the only person in U SPORTS history to coach three different schools to the Final 8 men's basketball national championship tournament.

"SFU men's basketball has a rich tradition and it's an honor to lead this storied program forward into its next chapter," says Craddock. "Growing up in the Lower Mainland, I have always had a high level of respect for the talented student-athletes and success of SFU Basketball. The opportunity to coach this exceptional program in a community that I care deeply about is an exciting challenge and a privilege. I would like to thank all the previous coaches and student-athletes that have brought the program forward to this point, and I'm excited to get to work leading the program towards a very bright future."

He most recently completed a 13-season run at the University of Alberta, where compiled a win-loss record of 282-120 for a winning percentage of .701. Craddock led the Golden Bears to six Final 8 appearances, a pair of Final 8 bronze-medal results (2014, 2022), and two Canada West conference championships (2014, 2017). In Canada West regular season play, Alberta won three-quarters of its games, going 180-60.

Craddock won the Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy as U SPORTS Coach of the Year in 2022, while his colleagues selected him as the Canada West Coach of the Year three times during his stint with the Golden Bears (2018, 2020, 2022).

"We're thrilled to have a coach of Barnaby's experience and caliber to lead our men's basketball program," says Breanne Watson, associate director, SFU Athletics. "Coach Craddock has proven success as a head coach, and we believe he can bring that same success to SFU in the GNAC."

Before Alberta, Craddock led the men's basketball programs at Brandon (2005-07) and Fraser Valley (2007-12).
 
He went 53-24 (.688) in his two seasons at Brandon, making the post-season both years. The Bobcats placed second in the Canada West and reached the Final 8 national championship game in 2007. Craddock's efforts earned him his first U SPORTS and Canada West coach of the year honours.

He then moved back to his home province to lead the Fraser Valley Cascades, which had just joined U SPORTS and the Canada West. Craddock coached UFV to four league playoff appearances and the school's first U SPORTS national ranking in his five seasons in Abbotsford. The 2011-12 edition of the Cascades won Canada West silver and earned a fourth-place finish at the 2012 Final 8.

In total, Craddock has been named the top coach in U SPORTS twice in his career, and the best coach in the Canada West four times.

Craddock also brings professional and international experience into his new role.

He was the head coach of the Canadian men's team that finished seventh out of 22 teams at the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea.

Craddock has been an assistant coach with four Canada Basketball national teams. In 2011, he was on the staff of the silver medal-winning squad that competed at the 2011 World University Games. Craddock then coached with the Canada Basketball Cadet (under-17) program at FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cups in 2012 (Lithuania) and 2014 (United Arab Emirates) and the 2013 FIBA Under-16 AmeriCup in Uruguay.

In 2019, the Edmonton Stingers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League hired Craddock to be their inaugural general manager and head coach.

Before starting his coaching career, Craddock excelled as a player. After graduating from Vancouver's Lord Byng Secondary School, he starred at Vancouver Community College. He then moved to Lethbridge, meriting U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian honours in 1997 and two Canada West All-Star selections (1996, 1997) with the Pronghorns. He was named the Male Athlete of the Year at Lethbridge in 1997. Craddock then played professionally in Europe from 1997 to 2002.

-     With files from the University of Alberta and usportshoops.ca