![]() Florida has always made running shooters off the three-point line a priority under Mike White, so it will be a great test for them to take on the Eagles. The Gators are going to have a lot of shooters to contend with, something that will be a great challenge for their defense. Elijah Jenkins (42%), Nick Heard (46%), Chris Murray (46%), and David Park (39%) rounded out what was one of the most incredible shooting teams in the country, and guess what, all five of these lethal marksmen are back this season. Embry-Riddle hit an unbelievable 39% of their threes in 2019-20, and it wasn’t all Romeo Crouch. If there is one thing that Coach Ridder’s teams have been able to do, it’s score the basketball. It’s always impressive for a coach to stay at one program for that long, and his 30-year tenure shows his dedication to the program, one that has had a lot of sustained success. Head coach Steve Ridder is a respected man in the business, and he has been at Embry-Riddle since the 1989-90 season. One of the great stories of the Embry-Riddle basketball program is the continuity of their coaching staff. The Eagles don’t have a huge frontcourt so it’s likely Alessandro will get minutes at the five, and he’s got some perimeter skill that could challenge a few of Florida’s bigs. Alessandro is 6’7” and 210 pounds, someone that brings some skill and length to Embry-Riddle’s frontcourt. That level of efficiency on that high of volume is nothing short of spectacular, and the Gators will have to be aware of his ability to bomb from deep.Īnother player to note is Jon Alessandro, a transfer from West Liberty, a D2 powerhouse. Offensively, he put together one of the craziest shooting seasons you will see at any level of basketball, hitting 43% on just a hair under 9 attempts per game. The 6’3” guard also had a reputation as one of the best defensive players in the country at the D2 level, averaging a whopping 3 steals per game. There, in 2019-20, he had one of the greatest seasons in program history averaging 19 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. Crouch started his collegiate season at the division-1 level playing for Presbyterian where he was a capable rotation player before transferring to Rembry-Riddle. ![]() The most important player to be aware of is Romeo Crouch, a Titusville, Florida native. Though a few key pieces from their 2019-20 season are gone, they still have a talented roster this year and should provide the Gators a good test. They were on their way to the D2 NCAA Tournament when it was cancelled due to the pandemic. In that season the Eagles had a 20-10 record, just coming short of winning the Sunshine State Conference Tournament. Unfortunately, their entire 2020-21 season was cancelled due to COVID, particularly sad due to the fact they were set to return a talented team after a successful 2019-20. And Ihmir Smith-Marsette, whom the Bears claimed off waivers from the Vikings on Thursday, is still learning the playbook.For Embry-Riddle (the Eagles), the exhibition against Florida will be a tremendous return to basketball. Rookie Velus Jones was back, too, after missing practices and two preseason games with various unspecified injuries. Pringle practiced Monday after missing almost a month because of a quadriceps injury he suffered in practice in early August. “Step up at any given time of a ballgame and be able to help Justin out throughout the game.”īut that’s a matter of faith, as half of the Bears’ six receivers have legitimate cause for concern entering Sunday’s season opener against the 49ers. “I feel like every player in this locker room, as far as a receivers standpoint, has got the talent and has got the mindset and the strength to do it,” wideout Byron Pringle said. And that’s particularly alarming, given the Bears’ most important task this season: determining if Fields has what it takes to be their franchise quarterback. There are enough question marks about skills, health and time spent catching passes from Justin Fields to make the Bears’ wideouts even more of a riddle than they were heading into training camp. However, the position group being at full strength shouldn’t be confused with it being a strength.
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