Crutcher, Watson sign NBA contracts with Eastern Conference finalists

Watson (No. 2) and Crutcher (No. 10) provided the bulk of the scoring (33.3 combined points per game) for the Flyers during the 2020-21 season, which finished with a record of 14-10 and an NIT appearance. Photo courtesy of Griffin Quinn, Flyer News.

Peter Burtnett
Sports Editor

Former University of Dayton men’s basketball guards Jalen Crutcher and Ibi Watson signed their first NBA contracts Friday after going undrafted Thursday night.

Crutcher has signed with the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, while Watson has signed with the team the Bucks defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games: the Atlanta Hawks.

During his time at UD, Crutcher won three team MVP awards, averaged 13.5 points per game and shot 37.5 percent from three over his 4-year career. Crutcher started 109 of 118 games played, and finished 16th in all-time scoring at UD with 1,593 points. But most of all, “Clutcher” will be remembered by the Flyer faithful for his clutch shots throughout his career.

https://twitter.com/DaytonMBB/status/1421180657842081794

Watson, meanwhile, transferred to UD from Michigan, and began playing for the Flyers during the 2019-20 season. The first man off the bench in year one and a proven starter in his second season, Watson averaged 12.5 points per game and shot 40.6 percent from three over 55 games played and 25 starts (all but one in 2020-21).

https://twitter.com/DaytonMBB/status/1421178425168048138

The NBA Summer League appears to be the next destination for both players, set to take place with five games for all 30 NBA teams Aug. 8-17 in Las Vegas, Nev. at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus.

For more sports news like Flyer News on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@FlyerNews & @FlyerNewsSports) and Instagram (@flyernews)