The UT-Martin transfer took a little while to settle in, but once he did he made his impact outside the arc.
When Billy Hoyle stepped onto the asphalt court for the first time in White Men Can’t Jump, Sidney Deane didn’t think much of him. The whole premise of the existence of Hoyle is that nobody thinks he can play because he’s a white boy. As a former white boy baller, the struggle is real. Something I’m sure Jacob Crews can relate to as well.
Crews is a tall, lanky, somewhat goofy, white kid from a small town outside of Jacksonville, Florida. He scored a lot in high school, went to North Florida and then transferred to Daytona State College, a JUCO, where he scored a lot. Then he went to Tennessee-Martin and scored… a lot.
So when he came to Missouri he was obviously looked at someone who could score the basketball. What else could he do for the Tigers?
What Missouri thought they were getting was a relatively low-usage bucket getter and long range shooter.
What they got was a low usage bucket getter and long range shooter… eventually.
Crews started slowly. He played less than 10 minutes eight times in the first 19 games, and played 10 minutes or more in every game of the last 15. Looking at the non-conference games, Crews saw a DNP against Kansas, and played just 6 minutes against Cal, two minutes against Memphis, and four minutes against Howard. Teams with a pulse kept Crews on the bench until he saw 16 minutes against Illinois. Once conference play rolled around, Crews was beginning to find his sea legs.
Over the final 12 games in conference play Crews was what the Tigers wanted and needed. He shot 41.3% from three point range, 61.5% from inside the arc, and chipped in 8 points per game.
Eight points may not sound like some grand contribution, but you’re basically talking about two threes per game and an additional bucket in 14 minutes per game. A role player in every way, but one who is efficient with his minutes and scores the ball when he’s on the floor.
Crews, by all accounts, isn’t the best defender on the floor. But Missouri made several defensive modifications to account for the edges of a slightly weaker defense. They played more zone this year than years past and part of that was covering up some weaker defenders. However Crews has great length positionally, and he’s also a good rebounder, which makes it work.
Thanks to Diego Pavia (not something I thought I would ever type in a basketball column), Crews has an extra year of eligibility. Pavia sued the NCAA for extra eligibility because he played one season at a non-NCAA institution (Junior College) and the court ruled he was right, basically. So anyone who spent a season of their college eligibility at a JUCO could get a season back. Which means Missouri gets an extra year of Crews.
The benefit here is Crews has worked out the kinks, and you know what you’re getting. If Mizzou gets 14 minutes and 9 points per game at 40% three point shooting, they’re getting a very valuable piece for next season.