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Jamal Crawford Led High School Alma Mater to Victory as Substitute Head Coach

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby: Lawrence Fernandez01/16/25lawandfern
Jamal Crawford
© Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Jamal Crawford remains connected with basketball three years after he retired from the National Basketball Association. In addition to joining the NBA on NBC broadcast crew for the 2025-26 season, he’s also an assistant coach in his alma mater, Rainier Beach High School.

However, as he has done as a reliable sixth man, Crawford stepped up to the plate as head coach. The Vikings’ head coach for 31 seasons, Mike Bethea, wasn’t feeling well before Rainier Beach’s game against Eastside Catholic. Hence, as SI.com’s Todd Milles wrote, Bethea reached out to Crawford to hand over coaching duties hours before the game.

Crawford’s command must have inspired the squad in this rematch of the 2023-24 Class 3A state championship game. Rainier Beach raced to a 19-point lead midway through the first quarter and completed a 99-72 victory.

Keaundre Morris paced the Vikings with 27 points, while Jaylen Petty and Kaden Powers contributed 23 points. Converting ten three-point attempts allowed the Vikings to create a comfortable cushion. Milles added that Jamal Crawford exuded a calm demeanor for most of the game. However, he would occasionally question referees about what he thinks are questionable calls.

The victory’s credit went to Crawford, not Bethea, according to Washington Interscholastic Basketball Association president Nalin Sood. Meanwhile, defeating Eastside Catholic improved their record to 12-1, making them the top squad in the Washington On3 Composite Team Rankings.

The official victory came 27 years after Crawford led Rainier Beach to a state championship. After finishing his high school basketball career, he played for the Michigan Wolverines before getting drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2000.

Jamal Crawford played for nine teams and won three Sixth Man of the Year honors in his 20-year NBA career. While covering league games with NBC will take some of his time, he will continue to contribute his basketball wisdom to Bethea’s staff at Rainier Beach.