Tim Craft
Head Coach
Tim Craft is  entering his  10th season as the head coach of the Gardner-Webb University men’s basketball program.

Craft amassed  74 wins in his first  four seasons, and has helped lead GWU to four straight winning seasons. Their longest in their Division 1 history.

In his first season at Gardner-Webb, Craft won 18 games, tying Gregg Marshall for the most wins by a first-year head coach in the Big South Conference. He became the first coach in program history to be named one of the 10 finalists for the Joe B. Hall Award, given to the top first-year head coach in the nation.
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Craft, returned to Gardner-Webb in 2013 after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at East Carolina and the previous three seasons on staff at Auburn - one as Director of Basketball Operations and two as an assistant coach. Craft spent each of those six seasons at the side of former North Carolina point guard standout Jeff Lebo, who starred for the Tar Heels from 1986-1989. Auburn and East Carolina combined to win 109 games and make three postseason appearances during Craft’s time on staff, averaging more than 18 wins per season.

Prior to his time on Lebo’s staff, Craft spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb (2004-2007) and played a critical role in the two best seasons the Runnin’ Bulldogs enjoyed as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Craft returned to Gardner-Webb following perhaps the best season in East Carolina basketball history. The Pirates won a school-record 23 games in 2012-2013 and capped the run with a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) championship.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in history with a minor in secondary education from the University of Florida in 2000. Craft and his wife, Jessica, have three children – Lola, Macy and Bennett.

Jeremy Luther
Assistant Coach

Jeremy Luther is entering his tenth season as an assistant coach with the Gardner-Webb University men’s basketball program, and brings a wealth of knowledge and outstanding credentials to the bench.

During his time as an assistant under Craft, the Runnin' Bulldogs have won at least 17 wins per season, including 19 wins and upset of Big Ten foe Nebraska during the 2016-17 season. He also helped three players garnish all-conference honors, including one on the conference tournament first team.

Three Runnin’ Bulldogs earned postseason honors in 2014-2015, as a junior Jerome Hill earned a spot on the Big South All-Conference First Team and senior Tyler Strange was named to the Second Team. Sophomore Tyrell Nelson was selected to the Big South All-Academic Team, while both he and Hill were named to the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association’s University Division All-State Team.

Under the direction of Luther and the rest of the Gardner-Webb coaching staff, the Runnin’ Bulldogs put together an 18-15 record in Tim Craft’s first year at the helm, finishing the regular season with a 10-6 mark in the Big South Conference to earn the fifth seed in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Conference Tournament.

A trio of Runnin’ Bulldogs earned all-conference honors during the 2013-2014 season, as sophomore Jerome Hill was named to the Big South All-Conference Second Team, rookie Tyrell Nelson was recognized on the Big South All-Freshman team and senior Mike Byron garnered the program’s second-ever Scholar Athlete of the Year honors. Hill also earned a spot on the Big South All-Tournament team.

Luther has 18 seasons of experience on the college sidelines, including six seasons as a head coach at a pair of NCAA Division II programs. The Tallahassee, Florida native forged an 82-80 overall record in those two head coaching stops.

He spent 2007-2009 rebuilding a Newberry program that had not won more than 12 games in a season since 2003-2004. In just his second season at the school, Luther led the Wolves to a record-setting campaign, posting a 21-8 overall record and a second-place finish in the South Atlantic Conference. The overall and league win total (10-6) both established new school records for Newberry.
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Luther directed Armstrong Atlantic to a pair of winning campaigns during his time in Savannah, including a 15-12 mark in 2012-2013. Senior guard Aric Miller was named NABC Division II All-American and Daktronics/CoSIDA All-Southeast Region after leading the Peach Belt in scoring at 23.7 points per game. Luther spent 2001-2007 as an assistant coach at Mercer, helping the Bears to an Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title in 2002-2003.

Luther started his playing career at Robert Morris (1992-93) before playing two seasons at Liberty and Covenant College. In his final two seasons at Covenant, Luther netted 1,300 points. He was named to the NAIA Division II All-America team following his senior season, when he poured in an astonishing 26.0 points per game.

Him and his wife, Ginny, have three children – Bryson, Kendall and August.

Andrew Brown
Assistant Coach

Andrew Brown is in his fourth season as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb, coming to the Runnin’ Bulldogs prior to the start of the 2019-2020 season.

Brown joins the GWU family after spending one season at North Carolina A&T, where he helped the Aggies to a 19-13 overall record and a spot in the MEAC semifinals in 2018-2019 under head coach Jay Joyner.

He previously coached for three seasons under James Wilhelmi at Winston-Salem State, earning a promotion to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2016-2017 campaign. Brown also served as the Rams’ interim head coach following the 2017-2018 season.

He gained valuable head coaching experience at St. Andrews (N.C.) University, taking over that program prior to the 2012-2013 season. He increased the program’s win total each of his three seasons at the helm. He was an assistant under head coach Richie Scheuler at St. Andrews in 2011-2012.

Brown was a graduate assistant coach for two seasons at his alma mater, Mercer, under head coach Bob Hoffman. He helped the Bears to the Atlantic Sun Conference title game in 2010. He also gained experience as an assistant coach under John Meeks at Wallace-Hanceville Community College in Alabama during the 2010-2011 campaign.

Brown played at Mercer for three seasons, leading the Bears in scoring as a senior with 15.5 points per game. He was a member of the A-Sun’s All-Academic Team as well. He joined the Mercer program after playing one season at Owens (Ohio) Community College in Toledo – helping his team to a 28-6 record.

He had a brief professional career in Germany’s second league and also toured overseas to the Czech Republic and Bulgaria with Athletes In Action in 2008.

Brown holds both a B.A., and a Master’s degree in education degree from Mercer University. The Pontiac, Mich., native is married to Paula Brown and they have one daughter, Peyton Brown.

Jake Delaney
Assistant Coach

Jake DeLaney is in his fourth season as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb University, rejoining the GWU family prior to the 2019-2020 season.

DeLaney, a Birmingham, Ala., native, most recently served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga. He will begin his second stint at Gardner-Webb, after serving as a graduate assistant from 2015-2017 with the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

“Jake gained valuable experience on the bench over the past two seasons and has a sharp basketball mind,” said Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft. “His familiarity with our program and philosophy will be helpful as he transitions into his new role. We are excited to welcome Jake back to our bench.”

DeLaney helped the Covenant Scots to a strong 18-9 record this past season, which included a 16-2 mark in the Division III USA South and a West Division title. The .667 winning percentage set a new program record and the 16 league wins were a new high mark for the USA South.

DeLaney was also part of a coaching staff that directed Covenant to an 18-10 mark in his first season on the bench as a full-time assistant coach in 2017-2018.

The former Oak Mountain (Ala.) High standout spent two seasons on Craft’s staff at Gardner-Webb, serving as video coordinator and graduate assistant coach. He helped the ‘Dogs post 36 wins and two Big South Conference semifinal appearances during his time on staff, including a 19-14 mark with a win over Nebraska during his final campaign in Boiling Springs.

DeLaney earned a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the GodboldSchool of Business at Gardner-Webb in 2017. He played three seasons at Covenant, seeing action in 56 career games. He started 16 games at guard over his career and earned a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Covenant in 2015.

DeLaney got his start in coaching as a student assistant at Covenant during the 2014-2015 season
Email:  abullard1@gardner-webb.edu 
Cell Phone: (910)-783-5202
Office Phone:  (704-)406-2611
​​Mailing Address:
​110 S. Main St.
​Boiling Springs, NC 28017