Craven Becomes Second Bearcat In Three Seasons To Win GCAC Newcomer Of The Year

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Rust College men's basketball program has had a knack for bringing in impact transfers that contribute right away and this season was no exception as former Bryant & Stratton (Ohio) and Texarkana transfer Davonte Craven was awarded GCAC Newcomer of the Year on top of being named to the All-GCAC First Team.

Craven, a junior forward from Cleveland, Ohio, is the second Rust men's basketball student-athlete to earn the recognition since becoming a member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, joining Ronald Strothers at the conclusion of the 2020-21 campaign.

The 6-foot-8 Maple Heights High School alumni was named GCAC Player of the Week on November 22 and was among the NAIA's top-50 regarding both blocks (1.5) and minutes (33.9) per game.

He led the league in numerous offensive categories including field goals made (150), field goals a contest (6.2), and defensive rebounds (130) while ranking as the conference runner-up for points per night (17.0), free throws a game (3.8), total minutes played (814), points (408), and boards (181).

Craven was the team's top scorer on a nightly basis and did a little bit of everything for Head Coach Michael Poindexter Jr., slotting top-five among his GCAC peers by averaging 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals to go along with high efficiency ratings in terms of field goal percentage (52.6%) and free throw percentage (72.8%).

Craven and the fifth-seeded Cats open tournament play Friday night at 7 p.m. versus #4 Wiley College in the GCAC Quarterfinals on the campus of Tougaloo College.

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