Jason Crafton

Biography

Jason Crafton enters his second season with the Lady Lions in 2026-27 and will serve as the general manager for the women’s basketball program. He arrived in Happy Valley with an abundance of experience of over 20 years at various different levels in a variety of different roles. In his role as the first-ever general manager for the Lady Lions, Crafton is responsible for roster building and maintenance, generating NIL strategies and overall program development on and off the court. In his first season on the Penn State staff in 2025-26, Crafton served as an assistant coach in addition to his role as the general manager. The industry veteran mentored Kiyomi McMiller, a second team (media) and third team (coaches) All-Big Ten selection to a stellar season. The sophomore guard produced six-straight 30-point performances, becoming the first division I women’s college basketball player to do so since Caitlyn Clark in 2023-24. She also produced a 40-point outing against USC, becoming the first Lady Lion to produced 40 points in a Big Ten contest since 2001. Prior to arriving in Happy Valley, Crafton served as the Chief Program Strategist for the Columbia men’s basketball team, helping the Ivy League squad achieve its best non-conference start in 50 years with an 11-2 record. In this position, he worked closely with head coach Jim Engles and the rest of the staff to provide innovative ideas to enhance the growth of the program on and off the court. Before his short stint at Columbia