One streak ends (at 62 games) but another one continues for NSU men’s basketball
Jim Crutchfield said he recently got a present from his wife – a sign for his office that reads:
“Fixer of Everything.”
Crutchfield loves the gift, and – as it turns out -- he has some fixing to do after his Nova Southeastern University men’s basketball team had its 62-game regular-season win streak snapped on Wednesday in a 93-82 loss to host Florida Southern.
The win streak was an NCAA Division II record, but Crutchfield wasn’t overly upset by the defeat.
“It was not as monumental a feeling as you might think,” said Crutchfield, who led the Sharks to the first national title in program history last season. “I never talked about the streak. I never thought about it.”
The day after the streak ended, Crutchfield said he and his staff met for three hours, looking for answers on video. Then they put their players through a two-hour practice.
On Saturday at 4 p.m., NSU (10-1 overall, 4-1 Sunshine State Conference) will put its 51-game home winning streak on the line against the Tampa Spartans.
After losing all five of his starters from last season’s national champs – including four players who transferred to Division I programs to cash in on NIL money – Saturday will be the first opportunity to see if “Mr. Fix It” has repaired what’s “broken” with the Sharks.
THIS AND THAT
▪ James Montgomery, Barry University’s 6-8 senior forward, leads the Sunshine State Conference in rebounds (12.5), ranks fifth in scoring (18.1) and seventh in field-goal percentage (55.2).
Montgomery, named on Dec. 21 as the National Player of the Week for NCAA Division II, is also a terrific student with a 3.9 grade-point average.
“His success on the court is the result of him getting in great shape this past summer,” Barry coach Butch Estes said of Montgomery, who is from East Rockaway, New York.
Montgomery, who works hard on his rebounding in daily practice drills, played this past summer at famed Rucker Park in New York City, competing against players with NBA experience such as Will Barton and Montezl Harrell.
In past years, NBA legends such as Kobe Bryant, Julius Erving, Kevin Durant, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have played at Rucker.
“It was great to play in front of New York City fans,” Montgomery said. “They are tough. If you are not playing well, you will hear from them. But if you are playing great, you will hear that, too.”
▪ The Florida Memorial men’s basketball team – much improved under first-year coach Delano Thomas -- is off to a 12-1 start. The Lions went just 14-14 last season. Thomas previously turned around another NAIA program, Shawnee State, taking that school to a national title in the 2020-2021 season.
▪ The St. Thomas University men’s basketball team is off to a 9-3 start, going 0-2 against top-25 NAIA teams. The Bobcats, who are 2-0 in overtime, will play host to Florida Memorial on Wednesday.
▪ MDC volleyball star Ana Tevdoradze has signed with LSU. Tevdoradze, a 6-3 outside hitter from the nation of Georgia, was named first-team junior college All-American.