ST. LOUIS ? Bradley senior guard Jeremy Crouch (Pekin, Ill./Pekin H.S.) has been rewarded for producing one of the best all-around statistical seasons in modern Braves Basketball history by landing on the five-player All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team, according to a league-wide vote of head coaches, sports information directors, beat writers and radio play-by-play personalities.
In addition, senior point guard Daniel Ruffin (Peoria, Ill./Central H.S.) has earned honorable mention All-MVC notice, junior forward Theron Wilson (Topeka, Kan./Highland Park H.S.) landed on the MVC All-Newcomer Team and freshman guard Sam Maniscalco (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick H.S.) earned spots on both the MVC All-Newcomer and All-Freshman squads.
Crouch enters this week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the league's third-leading scorer at 15.5 points per game and he tops The Valley by averaging 3.2 3-pointers per game. The 6-foot-5 senior has proven to be much more than just a 3-point shooter, however, and needs just one more steal to join James Gillingham, Rob Dye, Hersey Hawkins and Mitchell Anderson as the only players in the 30 years the school has tracked steals to score at least 400 points (481), grab at least 100 rebounds (118), dish out at least 75 assists (94) and snare 50 steals (49). If he can accumulate 19 points, six assists and that steal, he will join Hawkins as the only players in school history to reach 500 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists and 50 steals.
Crouch, who earned a spot on the 2007 MVC Most Improved Team while sharing the individual co-national championship in 3-point field goal percentage (.500), now owns the school single-season (98) and career (242) records for 3-point field goals made. With two more treys, he will join Troy Hudson (Southern Illinois) and Kyle Korver (Creighton) as the only players in Valley history to make at least 100 3-pointers in a season.
Ruffin becomes a three-time All-MVC pick, having previously been voted honorable mention in 2006 and second-team last year. The nation's active leader with 605 career assists, Ruffin's senior season has been interrupted by injury and a recent suspension, forcing him to miss eight of the 18 conference games. Despite the missed playing time, he has joined Anthony Manuel as the only players in both school and league history to score 1,200 career points (1,205) and dish out at least 600 assists.
A junior college transfer from Seward County (Kan.) Community College, Wilson is second among all Valley newcomers in scoring (11.2 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg) and steals (1.3 spg). The 6-foot-5 wing enjoyed three 20-point scoring efforts in league play this year and owns three double-doubles. Most recently, he put up 24 points and 11 rebounds in this past Saturday's double-overtime epic at Creighton.
Maniscalco leads the Valley newcomers in assists (3.3 apg) and is the fourth-leading scorer (7.7 ppg) among the first-year league players. Twice forced into a starting role due to injuries to both Ruffin and sophomore guard Andrew Warren, he responded in impressive fashion, by averaging 10.9 ppg and 4.5 apg in his 13 starts.
The quartet of Bradley honorees will lead the Braves (17-14, 9-9 MVC) into this week's State Farm MVC Tournament at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis as the No. 5 seed. Coming of this past Saturday's 111-110, double-overtime loss to Creighton, Bradley will meet the fourth-seeded Bluejays (20-9, 10-8 MVC) in Friday's 2:35 p.m. quarterfinal game.
