By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – Jacob Crews, a 6-7, 210-pound guard from Daytona State College, has signed with the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball program. Crews will have two years of eligibility remaining in a Skyhawk uniform starting in the 2023-24 season.
Crews is off to a hot start this season as he has helped the Falcons to a 5-0 start. Playing under head coach Joey Cantens, Crews has averaged team-highs of 19.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest while adding 1.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steal per game. He is shooting 57.4 percent (35-of-61) from the floor, which includes a 41.1 percent clip (12-for-29) from three-point range. He is also a perfect 14-of-14 from the free throw line.
Crews’ season began with 26 points on 8-of-16 shooting (including six 3-pointers) and eight rebounds against State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota on Nov. 1. He nabbed double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds against Southwest Tennessee Community College on Nov. 5 and tacked on another 20-plus point performance (21 points on 9-of-13 shooting) against Palm Beach State College on Nov. 11.
UT Martin head coach Ryan Ridder was a former head coach at Daytona State while his brother Reed was an assistant at Daytona State before joining the Skyhawk staff in June.
“Obviously Reed knows Jacob well from his time coaching him at Daytona State,” Ridder said. “Jacob has a chance to come in and be a major impact player because of his ability to shoot the basketball. I really think he’s one of the best players in the country at the junior college level. He will fit in perfectly in our system – we are excited to get a player of his caliber.”
A Hilliard, Fla. native, Crews began his collegiate career under head coach Matthew Driscoll at North Florida, who competes in the ASun Conference. Crews played in 31 contests from 2020-22, compiling 123 points, 58 rebounds, 11 assists, eight blocks and eight steals in 12.5 minutes per outing while sinking 80 percent (8-for-10) of his free throw attempts.
As a freshman, Crews played alongside current UT Martin forward Josh Endicott and cracked the starting lineup in each of the final three games of the season. He pumped in a career-best 12 points (on 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range) in just 20 minutes at Florida State on Dec. 2 and also scored in double figures (10 points with five rebounds) in 18 minutes on Dec. 21 against Edward Waters. He knocked down multiple three-pointers on seven separate occasions while hauling in a career-high six rebounds against Jacksonville on Jan. 9. He additionally excelling on the defensive end, posting a career-high three steals against Liberty on Feb. 12 and a pair of blocks at Stetson on Feb. 27.
Crews’ sophomore campaign included season-highs of 10 points and four rebounds in only 18 minutes against Webber International on Nov. 20. He equaled a season-high with four rebounds against UCLA on Nov. 17.
Crews was a highly touted prep standout at Hilliard High School under head coach Myron Saunders, tossing in over 2,500 career points. He set the Flashes’ single-game scoring record with 53 points against Union County on Jan. 10, 2020, helping the squad to the State 1A runner-up finish. He was a three-time All-First Coast honoree while winning County MVP accolades three times over his storied career. He averaged a double-double in all four years – including 23.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game as a senior, 27.7 points and 12.8 rebounds as a junior, 28.7 points and 13.6 rebounds as a sophomore and 19.0 points and 10.0 rebounds as a freshman.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information