KANSAS CITY, Missouri - The Embry-Riddle men's basketball team is having its best season since joining the NCAA ranks, thanks in large part to the contributions of Romeo Crouch and Luka Majstorovic. The pair were honored on Wednesday by being named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 watch list. The award, which is presented annually by Small College Basketball to the player who has had the finest overall season for a non-NCAA I team. Of the 100 players listed, five hail from the Sunshine State Conference, with the Eagles garnering two spots on the list.

Crouch, a junior guard from Titusville, Florida that is in his first season with the Eagles, has had an immediate impact on the Blue and Gold, leading the Eagles with 18.1 points per game. Crouch's 3.9 steals per game leads all NCAA divisions, while his 6.2 assists per contest is the best mark in the SSC. Crouch is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 47 percent from three-point range and has scored 20-or-more points in seven games this year.

The Eagles' lone senior, Majstorovic has saved his best season for his final collegiate campaign, averaging 17.0 points and 8.1 rebounds for Embry-Riddle. The Belgrade, Serbia native also averages 3.0 blocks per game, the fourth-best mark in NCAA II. Majstorovic ranks 20th all-time in ERAU program history with 1,343 points, while his .589 career field goal percentage is the fifth-best of all-time. The senior center will soon break into the top-10 in career rebounds (662 currently) and field goals made (551 currently).

"Congratulations to all of the players that have made the initial Bevo Francis Award Watch List of 100 players for the 2019-20 season," John McCarthy, SCB founder said. "This is a very elite group of players that have been chosen from approximately 1,100 - 1,200 colleges and universities throughout the country. The committee takes into consideration season statistics, individual achievements, awards, milestones, and - importantly - team success. As we move further along in the process, we will dig into personal character of the candidates as well. This is an incredibly prestigious award, as this award will only be given to one player within Small College Basketball per season." 

On February 15th, the list will be reduced to the Top 50 players. One month later on March 15th, the Top 25 players will be announced. On April 4th, the finalists of this year's award will be announced, followed by the Bevo Francis Award winner being crowned on April 6th.