Standout Senior Breaks Records

Men’s Basketball

Men’s Basketball

With 12 seconds left in his L&C basketball career, senior Zeke Crawford locked in his focus for the first of two free throws.

All eyes watched as the ball arced toward the net—and sailed in. The student section in Pamplin Sports Center erupted into cheers. Crawford shot the crowd his trademark grin—he had just earned the 1,000th point of his collegiate career.

“I missed a lot of close shots in the first half, but I tried not to let it eat me up too much,” says Crawford. “I trusted my teammates—and the process—and I’m happy I got the shot.”

Crawford had entered his final weekend of games in need of 40 points to reach the career milestone. After a 19-point performance the night before at George Fox, Crawford struggled on 3 of 11 shooting during the first half of his Senior Night game against Pacific Lutheran. But during the second half, he managed to pull off a 15-point performance—culminating in the key free throw—adding another milestone to arguably one of the best senior seasons for a men’s basketball player in recent memory.

Crawford was L&C’s first All-Northwest Conference First-Team selection since the 2012–13 season. He was also picked All-West Region by D3Hoops.com, a first for a Pioneer since 2003–04. In addition, Crawford was the NWC’s most dominant shot blocker throughout the season. He finished with 59 total blocks, a single-season Lewis & Clark record, and 18 more than anyone else in the conference. The total ranked him 15th in the nation in blocks per game. Along the way, he set a new school record for career blocks (131) and matched the Pios’ single-game record when he swatted six shots against Puget Sound.

“The coaches ask us about the legacy we’re going to leave, and I’ll always have those blocks,” says Crawford. “That makes me extremely happy.”

The Pioneers finished within two games of the postseason tournament, and Crawford was one of two All-NWC First-Team selections from non-NWC tournament teams. Lewis & Clark was one of four NWC institutions with a selection on the All-West Region list.