UC Irvine guard Pierre Crockrell II does not compute.
In this golden era of 3-point shooting, 6-foot Crockrell has launched only one from behind the arc this season. He has attempted 12 free throws in 16 starts covering 389 minutes and 7 seconds. And he moonlights as assistant general manager of The Basketball League’s Seattle SuperHawks, a pro franchise owned by his father.
“A lot of (recruiters) are afraid of a point guard who doesn’t extend the floor with his shooting,” said UCI coach Russell Turner, whose Anteaters play Hawaii tonight at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. “He’s an unusual player in the age of analytics and other things. If you look at the way analytics people evaluate players, Pierre’s value doesn’t really show. But guys who play basketball with Pierre know how valuable he is. He’s a perfect example of how analytics tells an incomplete story.”
UH offensive coordinator Brad Davidson said Crockrell, despite averaging 6.7 points per game, is “the glue who brings them together. When he gets out and runs in transition, everybody else runs hard because they know he’ll reward them if they run hard enough.”
The Anteaters, who are 11-5 overall and atop the Big West at 4-0, were built on meticulous recruiting and intensive development, a method UH also employs. There are three transfers on the Anteaters’ active roster, notably Crockrell, who played at Pacific for three years before entering the portal in 2022.
“I don’t think we’ve made a habit of trying to recruit transfers to step above guys in our development process,” Turner said. “That’s the drawback of recruiting transfers. If you consistently bring in guys above the guys you’re developing, those developments are stunted.”
Guards Justin Hohn and Andre Henry have benefited during their time at UCI. Both are hitting better than 42% of their 3s. Henry averaged 3.0 points in his first three UCI seasons. He is averaging 9.5 points in 16 starts this season.
On UCI’s accurate outside-shooting, Turner said, “We take good ones. And when we take good ones, the guys we’ve got are going to make them.”
Many of the scoring opportunities initiate with Crockrell’s drives and then tosses to open outside shooters or feeds to the post players.
“It’s really a great feeling as Pierre’s teammates know he’s going to put you in position to make plays by delivering the ball,” Turner said. “I think he gives us a lot of energy. He’s important to our success.”
Against Big West teams, Crockrell has constructed a 3-to-1 ratio of assists-to-turnovers. The Anteaters have an average plus-12.5 points when Crockrell is on the floor.
The Anteaters also are effective between the low post and mid-range areas. They have hit 52.9% of their 2-point shots while relinquishing 43.9%. A key is funneling opposing ball-handlers toward their tall wall of paint defenders.
“They’re big every year,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “They’re consistent. They’re good on the boards … defensively, one of the best, and offensively off to a great start as well.”
Ganot said the ’Bows’ offense begins with establishing a presence inside — and reducing mistakes. “Turnovers can be a problem that fix a lot of areas,” Ganot said.
Ganot acknowledged 6-8 forward Justin McKoy, a transfer from North Carolina, has played well in an inside-out role.
“We’re just making sure we execute,” McKoy said. “In practice, we go hard, we go at each other. I think that makes us better.”
Rainbow Warriors Basketball
At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Hawaii (9-6, 1-2 BW) vs. UC Irvine (11-5, 4-0 BW)
>> When: Tonight at 7
>> TV: Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: 1420-AM/97.5-FM
