AU prolific scorer Cracknell signs first professional contract
By Carlos Rodriguez | Sports editor
The Reading Rockets of the National Basketball League (NBL) of England announced on Aug. 31 the signing of former Augusta University men’s basketball player Troy Cracknell.
“It’s always been a dream of mine when I first started playing,” said Cracknell about playing professionally. “To accomplish that dream is surreal and hopefully I can keep playing for a while.”
Cracknell, from the Charlotte, N.C., metro area, played for the Jaguars the past five seasons and just graduated with a master’s degree in business administration this past summer. His undergraduate degree was in finance.
Over his career, Cracknell eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark, helped the Jaguars win two Peach Belt Conference regular-season and tournament titles and earned All-PBC second team honors his graduate year while helping AU advance to the NCAA Division II national championship game.
“Being at Augusta the last five years has allowed me to grow a lot,” said Cracknell. “It showed me the highs and the lows of basketball from my freshman year to my graduate year. I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience there.”
Cracknell mentioned what he’ll miss most about leaving Augusta.
“I’m going to miss the camaraderie the most with my teammates and the great fans at Augusta,” he said. “Coach Dip (Metress) has been a great mentor and so was Drew Gibson for the two-year stand at Augusta. The training staff was also great, and I will miss them dearly.
Cracknell has some specific things he’d like to work on as he starts his professional career.
“I can always work on ball handling and putting on some more muscle,” he said. “My goal is to be able to play the point guard and the shooting guard position in the future.”
Cracknell spoke about the adjustment to living in a new country and being with a new team.
“My sleep schedule has been the hardest thing so far to get adjusted to, but all my teammates and coaches out here are great and really supportive,” said Cracknell. “This is a great starting place for my first year pro and I’m excited for what the future holds for my professional basketball career.”
Metress said Cracknell is in line with many of his past players.
“Troy is the 22nd player in my tenure to sign a contract and to get paid to play the game of basketball,” Metress said. “He was instrumental in our success last year because he was a guy we could count on every day to show up, work hard and was about winning.”
Other former AU players, Deane Williams and Keshun Sherrill have been playing professionally overseas since they’ve left the program. Both Williams and Sherrill signed new contracts for the season.
Sherrill, who’s entering his sixth season in his professional career, has signed with APU Udine, a team in Italy competing in the Serie A2 basketball league. Previously he played in Turkey for TED Ankara Kolejliler team out of the Turkish Basketball League. He also played in the Netherlands.
Williams enters his fourth season on the pro circuit with a new team after signing with Telekom Baskets Bonn, a club based in Bonn, Germany. The team competes in the Basketball Bundesliga League, which is the highest level in Germany. Williams spent last season playing in France for the Saint-Quentin Basketball Club.
Contact Carlos Rodriguez at carrodriguez@augusta.edu.
Troy Cracknell (L) lines up a three-pointer for the Jaguars. Cracknell scored more than 1,000 points for AU and was a three-point specialist. At the top of the page, Cracknell drives to the hoop against Georgia College as teammate Tyshaun Crawford prepares for the rebound. (staff photos)
