Edgewood Academy officially announced the hiring of its next two basketball coaches on Wednesday.
The school announced that Brad Starks will take over as Head Varsity Girls Basketball Coach while Josh Crawford has been hired as Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach and offensive coordinator for the football team.
The two hires will replace former head coach Darryl Free, who took the headmaster position at Hooper Academy last month.
Starks comes to Edgewood from Tuscaloosa Academy, where he served as the varsity girls head coach and volleyball coach. During his tenure as head coach, Tuscaloosa Academy had a record of 53-14.
He has been a part of multiple state championship winning coaching staffs and has been to multiple final fours.
“We are excited to have coach Starks joining our staff,” Athletics Director Chad Michael said. “His success on the court and his passion to grow young people made it a great fit for our school. We look forward to him becoming a part of the Wildcat family and continuing the success of our girls basketball program.”
Edgewood Academy’s girls team is coming off its second-consecutive AISA Class AA state championship and the first undefeated season (27-0) in program history. Starks inherits a team that returns the most of its starting lineup and production from its undefeated season.
For the boys head coach, Edgewood is hiring a former alum who has coached on the country’s biggest stage. Crawford, who graduated from Edgewood Academy in 2015, was a three-star running back who played at Vanderbilt University.
He has experience on the coaching side as well as he served as the Graduate Assistant at Tennessee State before taking a running backs/Offensive Graduate Assistant at the University of Utah. There, he helped coach the Utes to a Pac-12 championship.
“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Coach Crawford back,” Michael said. “Not only are we welcoming a Wildcat back home, we’re also getting an extremely talented, motivated, energetic, young coach with a track record of developing younger athletes.”
Crawford will also take over for a basketball team coming off a state championship. The Edgewood boys finished this past season 23-4 and won the AISA Class AA state title, its second title since 2019.
The Wildcats will graduate its top two scorers but return three of its five starters. On the football field, he will help coach an Edgewood offense that reached the Class AA semifinals this season.
Editor's Note: This story will be updated with quotes from Coach Starks and coach Crawford.
