Saint Joseph CHS' Joe Cravens chosen as UHSAA 2013 Coach of the Year

Intermountain Catholic

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By Rachael Sutherland

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

The Utah High School Activities Association has named Saint Joseph Catholic High School girls basketball coach Joe Cravens the 2013 Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.

The award honors a Utah coach who exemplifies the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct and moral character.

"It’s always an honor and I’m so flattered," Cravens said. "An honor like this is always much less an individual honor than it is a team-type honor. If I didn’t have such a good team, the backing of the administration and the parents and fans, I would not have been able to accomplish this. It’s an honor for everyone involved."

With a warm smile and slow Southern drawl, Cravens is recognized among the St. Joseph community for his coaching abilities and folksy anecdotes that offer advice. In addition to coaching the girls basketball team, he is the student counselor at SJCHS.

"He teaches us by his example – both on and off the court," said senior Elizabeth Tomon, a member of the basketball team. "He uses every moment, even something as small as a change in practice time, as a way to guide us."

It is not often that a 1A girls basketball team finds itself with a head coach with Cravens’ background. With more than 30 years of experience, he coached Division-I Men’s Basketball for the majority of his career. In 2003, the Weber State University Mens Basketball team, under his direction, won the Big Sky Conference Championship. That year, he also was named College Insider’s Mid-Major 2003 Coach of the Year.

In 2009, Cravens was asked to host a basketball camp at St. Joseph Catholic High School. By then he had stopped coaching to pursue an interest in television broadcasting, but when he hosted the camp he felt a desire to return to coaching. When the school offered him the head coaching position, former players Katie Berry (2012) and Katie Panushka (2013) encouraged him to accept. He began coaching at St. Joseph Catholic High School in 2009 and won the 2012 and 2013 Girls 1A Basketball State Championship titles.

"My decision to coach here [at St. Joseph] was a very spiritual one. I enjoyed being back in the gym and teaching," said Cravens. "Coaching 1A Women is about as far away as you can get from Division-I Men. The first year was quite an experience! But a very enjoyable experience, and one that I take very seriously."

St. Joseph Athletic Director Alex Salvo said, "Our school is blessed to have someone of Coach Cravens’ quality who not only brings incredible experience from the college level, but also a spiritual component to coaching. And that’s exactly why Coach Cravens is the recipient of such an award."

As the top Utah coach, Cravens will be eligible for section and national UHSAA Coach of the Year awards.

Rachael Sutherland is a senior at St. Joseph Catholic High School.