If you do a web search today of Albertus Magnus College basketball the names Ray Askew, Darius Watson and Bryon Reaves pop up in the results. In the last three years, the Albertus Magnus men’s basketball team has put its name on the map, winning two Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) titles, being ranked as high as 15th in the Nation and making two trips to the prestigious Division III NCAA Tournament.

Before Reaves or Askew stepped onto the court on the New Haven campus, Albertus Basketball was headlined by other names such as Tim Russell, Bobby Leonzo and Ari Crooks.

Let’s not forget another man by the name of Jason Crockett, who, prior to the 2011-12 season, was the only Albertus Magnus men’s basketball player in the history of the program to score over 1,000 points and record over 1,000 rebounds.

Let’s not forget that Crockett, prior to the 2011-12 season, held the Albertus men’s basketball rebounding record with 1,036 in his four-year career.

And let’s not forget that Crockett was a part of the Falcons’ 1995-96 squad that won the first-ever GNAC Men’s Basketball Championship title with a 103-81 victory over Emerson in the championship game.

Jason Crockett was a four-year letter winner at Albertus Magnus for three different head coaches, including Bob McMahon, who held that post for 10 years. Crockett also played baseball and tennis for the College and batted over .300 as a Falcons’ outfielder.

Crockett served as a basketball team captain during his junior and senior seasons, while he was named to the GNAC All-Conference First Team as both a junior and senior. He was also tagged as the GNAC Player of theYear in 1997.

Crockett held the title of Albertus Magnus men’s basketball all-time leading rebounder for 14 years before a fellow Hamden, Connecticut native surpassed his impressive mark on a snowy Saturday afternoon in New Haven. On January 21, 2012, Albertus senior Ray Askew pulled down nine rebounds in a 20-point win over Anna Maria to become the Falcons’ all-time leading rebounder. Crockett was in the stands for the accomplishment.

“I had mixed emotions (about the record being broken),” said Crockett. “The record was something that I was really proud of but losing it to such a great player and, more importantly, a great person, made it a lot easier.”

Basketball continues to be a big part of Crockett’s life as he did not only play in college but has now coached at the collegiate level as well as within the AAU organization. He officiates both high school and college basketball as well. “Basketball has played a huge role in my life despite thefact that I started playing it relatively late,” Crockett said. “Going into my senior year of high school I had actually not played organized basketball since about third grade.

"My sister convinced me to tryout my senior year, which I did,” added Crockett. “I was really into skate boarding at the time and that allowed me to pick up the footwork needed in the post and on defense really quickly.”

Crockett’s sister, Leila, was an All-State basketball player for Hamden High School and played for St. John’s University in 1994-95 and1995-96. Leila played in 40 games for the Red Storm and recorded 124 points and 94 rebounds in two seasons.

Playing in high school helped Crockett fall in love with the game of basketball. “I was a shy, mixed up kid when I found basketball and I really feel that it changed my life. It gave me confidence, instilled work ethic and taught me about teamwork and leadership. In athletics, you can make a mistake or fail and while it might feel like the end of the world, it’s not. When done correctly, athletic competition provides a safe environment to practice dealing with the many ups and downs that one will inevitably go through during life.”

Crockett was not thinking about playing basketball in college when he was in high school. In fact, he wasn’t planning on continuing his education until the game of basketball steered him in the direction of Albertus.

“I wasn’t really even planning on going to college but the fun I had playing changed my mind. I didn’t have a whole lot of schools recruiting me out of high school. I think Bryant and UNH and two schools in South Carolina were the only other ones and I just liked Albertus better than all the other schools.”

Crockett came to Albertus in 1994 and graduated in 1998 after majoring in sociology and communications. His name remains fourth in the GNAC all-time record book in career rebounds with 841 as the 195 rebounds recorded during his freshman year did not count towards his GNAC tally since the GNAC’s inaugural season took place in 1995-96.

To this day, Crockett remains a big supporter of Albertus Magnus Athletics as he showed by braving that January snowstorm to watch Askew break his rebounding record. Albertus Athletics would not be where it is today without the dedication and support from its former student-athletes and alumni.

Those individuals paved the way for athletes today. And let’s not forget, in order for one to break records, there needs to be someone from the past setting them.