PEORIA, Ill. -- Former Bradley Basketball star guards Jeremy Crouch (Pekin, Ill./Pekin H.S.) and Will Franklin (Houston, Texas/Alief Hastings H.S.) will be reunited as professionals by teaming together with the New Yorker Phantoms in the German Bundesliga during the 2008-09 season. Crouch signed his first professional contract with the Phantoms over the weekend, while Franklin signed on with the German squad earlier this summer after playing in both Cyprus and Bosnia during his rookie season in 2007-08.
The New Yorker Phantoms are based in the German city of Braunschweig and finished ninth in the 2007-08 Bundesliga standings with an even 34-34 record. The team's signing of both Crouch and Franklin puts three former Bradley guards in one of Europe's top pro leagues: James Gillingham is preparing for his fifth season with TBB Trier.
Crouch was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection as a senior in 2007-08 after producing one of the best all-around statistical seasons in league history. Crouch became just the fifth player in Valley history to score at least 500 points (600), grab 100 rebounds (138), dish out 100 assists (122) and snare 50 steals (57) in a single season. And after sharing the national individual title in 3-point field goal percentage (.500) during his junior season in 2006-07, Crouch became just the third player in league history to make 100 treys in a season last winter, using a school-record 118 3-pointers to also set the school career record with 262 triples.
While Crouch led the 2007-08 Braves in scoring at 15.8 points per game, Franklin was the team's scoring leader at 14.6 ppg during his senior season in 2006-07. Together the backcourt mates helped the Braves to a 22-13 record in 2006-07 season and a first-round win against Providence (90-78, OT) in the first round of the MasterCard National Invitation Tournament. In addition to leading the team in scoring during his senior season, Franklin led the Braves with 88 3-pointers in 2006-07 and finished his career as the school's all-time leader in 3-point field goal percentage by making 42.0 percent (105-250) of his long-range attempts in two seasons.
The New Yorker Phantoms will open the 2008-09 Bundesliga season Sept. 20 against Eisb?ren Bremerhaven and will play two league games versus TBB Trier: at home Oct. 26 and on the road March 7.
