Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 1999-00 Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball National Championship

"What do I have to do next year for us to win a national championship? I've GOT to have a ring."
--Jason Cruse, March 13, 1999

The end of the 1998-99 season was a disappointing one for the Embry-Riddle men's basketball team. For the fourth year in a row, the second round of the NAIA II National Tournament proved to be something of an Achilles heel for the seventh-seeded Eagles who were ousted by 10th-seeded Black Hills State.

Fast forward eight months to November 1999 and the beginning of the 1999-00 campaign. The Eagles were looking at what many would consider to be a rebuilding year with the task of replacing three experienced starters who graduated in the spring of 1999.

But the Eagle faithful had reason to be optimistic with the return of eight players from a team that captured back-to-back Florida Sun Conference regular season and tournament crown and had been part of four straight trips to the national tournament.

ERAU fans knew about Jason Cruse, the All-American whose question to ERAU Head Coach Steve Ridder about what he needed to do in order for the team to win a national championship just hours after the loss to Black Hills State showed evidence of his singular focus.

They knew about Kyle Mas, the junior who was poised to play a key role in the Eagles' success.

They knew about Yon Price, a team leader looking to make his presence felt on the court in his final season wearing the Blue and Gold.

And then, the season began, and the fans met "Rock" and "HP".

Ryan "Rock" Rothrock transferred into the program as a sophomore and was immediately entrusted with starting point guard duties.

Harold "HP" Pierson came off the bench and electrified fans with 20 points in his collegiate debut.

The first game of the season gave fans lots to cheer about – a 94-68 defeat of Southern Wesleyan; balanced scoring; a double-double by Cruse.

All the pieces seemed falling into place and the "Drive for Five" held the promise that there was something special on the horizon.

The second game of the season brought Thomas (Ga.) to town. Cruse took over the game from the first whistle with 12 points and eight boards in just 14 minutes.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

While battling for a rebound under the Thomas basket on the east end of the court, the senior fell to the court and landed awkwardly on his arm.

There was a collective gasp as the Eagle headliner hit the ground…hard!

"I will never forget walking onto the court and Jason saying, 'It's broken', and the using his other hand to cradle that arm," said Shari [Hilscher] Mullin who was the Eagles' head athletic trainer at the time.

Despite his self-diagnosis, Cruse popped to his feet while holding his arm and said to the bench, "Coach, I'm coming back. Don't worry."

But as Mullin led the Eagles' big man back to the locker room, the fans weren't so sure. Neither was Ridder.

"It's severely broken," the Eagles' head coach said in a postgame interview.

Cruse, who had already utilized a redshirt, had broken both bones in his right forearm.

Ridder stated, "I can't fathom him coming back any time in the next couple of months."

"Jason had surgery almost immediately," Mullin recalled. "They got him in so fast. It was amazing!"

Once he was able, Cruse, whose forearm now contained two plates and 13 pins, and Mullin began the grueling rehab process.

"Right after surgery, we used ice, massage, and ultrasound therapy to attempt to speed healing," Mullin continued. "I think we did treatments 2-3 times per day. Then once the doctors permitted, we started rehab with strength and range of motion exercises."

For many, such an injury might spell the end of the season. In fact, prognosticators speculated that he might be able to come back for a few games in February.

Cruse had other ideas.

"That dude's mentality was at an entirely different level," Ridder said. "From day one, when he transferred, it was all about him wanting to compete for a national championship. You knew that he was never just not going to achieve that goal."

Cruse proved Ridder's assessment of him true.

He worked hard at rehab. 

His voice was heard at every practice.

He was involved in every game, playing a key role even while sitting on the bench.

And 53 days after that awkward fall, Jason Cruse returned to the court.

His first game back on December 31 showed glimpses of his greatness with eight points, four rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes off the bench.

"In the first five or six minutes that Jason played, we saw signs of him being back," Ridder said.

The next night Cruse poured in 17 points, dished out five assists and played 23 minutes as a sub. That performance showed that the brace on his right forearm didn't affect his left-handed shooting prowess. It showed that his conditioning was not an issue. It put him back in the starting lineup.

Cruse was back.