“Thank you Coach Crews and the staff, taught me amazing things in being a man much beyond the game of basketball,” he wrote in all capital letters.

Crews, 62, coached the Billikens for four seasons, the first coming in an interim role after Rick Majerus took a leave of absence before his death in 2012.

He led the team to the NCAA Tournament and first-round wins in 2013 and 2014, but had trouble rebuilding after five starters left. He leaves with a 77-56 mark.

The Billikens finished in last place in the Atlantic 10 last season and tied for 12th this season, posting an 8-28 conference record those two years. They were 16-20 at home over that span and had a losing record at Chaifetz Arena this season for the first time in the venue’s eight-year history.

This season was the first that Crews has coached a roster consisting entirely of players he recruited. The Billikens will lose one senior and add one freshman.

“I’d like to apologize for some things because when you don’t win, you make some other people’s jobs harder,” Crews said. “That’s the last thing I would want is to make someone else’s job harder.”