Tuesday, December 6, 2016

So who is going to scoop up Rick Croy?

Down in Riverside, California Baptist University is currently 8-0 (hope we don't spawn a jinx like being on the cover of Sports Illustrated) and the elephant-in-the-coaching-circles question is when will CBU Coach Rick Croy be hired as a D1 head coach? He possesses a sparkling coaching pedigree and has won big at every level. It seems the sole element missing at this point is the proverbial 'connection' with an AD at a four-year school.

Read his official bio:

"In just three years as the head coach of the California Baptist University men's basketball team, Rick Croy has turned the program around. His team boasts a 78-18 overall record in three years, going an impressive 45-2 at home in the Van Dyne Gym.

Over his short tenure, Croy has led CBU to a 49-11 record in the PacWest, three-straight NCAA postseason tournaments, two PacWest first-place finishes and 36 weeks in the NABC Top-25 Poll.

Last year (2015-16), the Lancers finished with a 28-7 overall record, and 15-5 conference mark for first place. It was the third-straight 20-plus win season and tied a program record with 28 wins, but the most program wins in NCAA. They went on to dominate the PacWest Conference Tournament, downing rival Azusa Pacific 101-64 in the championship game to win their first tournament title. 

That year, CBU grabbed its highest NABC ranking with a No. 4 spot on Nov. 24, during its record of 14-straight weeks in the poll carried over from the 2014-15 season. Several Lancers went on to garner postseason accolades as Michael Smith was named the PacWest Player of the Year, PacWest Tournament MVP, PacWest All-Tournament, All-PacWest first team, All-West Region and All-American after hitting the 1,000 career point mark in the middle of the season and leading the conference in scoring for most of the year. Gelaun Wheelwright also hit the elusive 1,000 career point mark in under two seasons as a Lancer. It led to him being named All-PacWest first team, PacWest All-Tournament, All-West Region and West Region All-Tournament.

The 2015-16 season also marked the third-straight year the Lancers were featured on a national broadcast, with two televised games. CBU was selected as an NCAA Division II Game of the Week on ESPN on Jan. 9 and then on Fox Sports West on Feb. 3. It puts their tally to five TV games as Fox Sports West showcased CBU twice during the 2014-15 season — once at Point Loma and again to conclude the year at home against Notre Dame de Namur — and a Fox Sports West game against Hawaii Hilo on Feb. 15, 2014, all of which CBU has won.

In 2014-15, Croy led the Lancers to a program-best NCAA Division II Sweet 16 finish after making their second-straight postseason appearance. CBU finished with a 26-7 overall record, 16-4 PacWest mark for second place. 

Following the successful year, two Lancers garnered postseason honors. Wheelwright and Taj Spencer were named to the All-PacWest Conference teams, with Wheelwright also being named the Newcomer of the Year. Wheelwright went on to earn PacWest All-Tournament honors, All-West Region honors, West Region All-Tournament honors and All-West District recognition.

During the 2013-14 season, his first at the helm, Croy led his team to set two new records: program best start and longest win streak after starting the season 16-0. The Lancers went on to grab as high of a No. 7 NCAA Division II ranking and finished the year with the program's first-ever PacWest Championship title and a 24-4 overall record, 18-2 in conference.

The Lancers competed in the program's first-ever NCAA Division II Championship Tournament, dropping a close decision to Chico State in the first round.

After the conclusion of the season, Croy was named PacWest Coach of the Year, highlighting a Lancer-dominated award grouping. Freshman Ryan Berg was named both Freshman and Player of the Year, the first time in conference history a player grabbed both honors in the same season. Berg went on to also become the first freshman since 2001 to be selected to the Daktronics All-West Region team.

Chris Brown earned the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year to join Berg on the all-conference team, along with Anthony Cosentino, Kevin Crabb and Ivan Patterson.

Croy, who became the 12th coach in program history, was announced as one of 12 finalists in the 2014 Clarence "Big House" Gaines award following the end of his debut season. The award is presented annually to the top NCAA Division II men's basketball coach and was named after one of men's basketball's legends, Clarence Gaines. 

Prior to CBU, Croy spent the past three years as the lead assistant coach at NCAA Division I St. Mary’s. During his time working under Coach Randy Bennett, the Gaels went 80-22 overall, winning two regular-season West Coast Conference championships and making two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Before St. Mary’s, Croy spent five years as the head coach at Citrus College in Glendora, Calif., along with current Lancer staff Coach Asprilla, Coach Dunaj and Coach Wellman. During his stint there, he quickly staked his claim as one of the state’s best junior college coaches compiling a 130-35 record, which included the program’s first-ever state championship in 2008.

He led the Fighting Owls to three straight Western State Conference titles (2008-09-10) and an appearance in the 2010 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Final Four. He was a three-time WSC Coach of the Year, going 92-9 in conference games in that span. Citrus was 35-1 in 2008, 28-5 in 2009 and 29-3 in 2010, the best three-year run in the state.

During his time at Citrus, 13 players moved on to the NCAA Division I level and 97 percent (36 of 37) of his players went on to four-year schools.

Croy’s ties to Riverside run deep. His first ever coaching job was a two-year stint at UC Riverside, working under Head Coach John Masi in 2000 and 2001. He worked the 2002 season as the associate head coach at Concordia University in Irvine under Head Coach Ken Ammann, recruiting the class that went on to win the NAIA National Championship in 2003.

In 2002-03, Croy returned to UC Riverside as the top assistant to Masi for three years before taking the Citrus job. While at UCR, Croy recruited the Big West Freshman of the Year (Nate Carter), the Big West Defensive Player of the Year (Vili Morton) and UCR’s all-time leading scorer (Larry Cunningham).

Croy played collegiately at San Francisco State, ranking among the program leaders in five categories, including holding the school record for 3-pointers (167). He is second in games played, third in assists and steals and eighth in scoring. Croy was a three-time All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) selection and led SFSU in scoring three straight years..."

So why isn't Croy not already at a four-year institution somewhere in the Golden State? Yes, it's hard to argue when Pacific lands a Damon Stoudamire and Herb Sendak comes to Santa Clara but...

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