Freshman Juan Cranford, Jr. (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne), a member of the Saint Francis men's basketball team, has been named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Year, announced by the league on Tuesday.

Junior Riley Parker (Mandurah, Australia/Mandurah Catholic College) earned All-NEC first-team honors, and junior Valentino Pinedo (Murcia, Spain/Sunrise Christian Academy [Kansas]) nabbed All-NEC third-team recognition. Cranford and fellow freshman Jeremy Clayville (Ridgewood, N.J./Saint Joseph's Metuchen) received two of the five spots on the NEC All-Rookie team.

Cranford paced NEC rookies in scoring (9.5 ppg.) and assists (59) while ranking second in field goal percentage (45.2) and steals (31), third in 3-point percentage (37.4), third in 3-pointers made (1.54) and fourth in minutes played (27.30). Overall, Cranford played in all 30 games and started 18 games with 15 double-figure point games, 11 games with at least five rebounds, nine games with at least three assists, and seven contests with at least two steals. He registered a career-high 21 points on December 19 at Maryland, which was unranked when the Red Flash played the Terps but sits No. 13 in the AP Poll. He also registered 10 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists at Chicago State on February 8. 

Cranford was named the NEC Rookie of the Week four times to join current assistant coach Devin Sweetney (four times, 2006-07), Keith Braxton (seven times, 2016-17), Landon Moore (seven times, 2022-23), and Darshan Luckey (eight times, 2002-03) as players to be the NEC Rookie of the Week at least four times. Cranford, Braxton, and Luckey would also earn NEC Rookie of the Year honors. Cranford is the fourth NEC Rookie of the Year in Red Flash history, joining Luckey (2002-03), Malik Harmon (2012-13) and Braxton (2017-18). Head coach Rob Krimmel was an assistant coach when Luckey became the first player to earn the distinction and was the head coach when Luckey, Braxton, and Harmon took the honor.

Parker ranks fifth in assists (3.53), sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.38), sixth in 3-pointers made (1.90), seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (39.4), eighth in scoring (13.6 ppg.), seventh in field goal percentage (48.6), and eighth in minutes played (31.53). He ranks sixth in scoring (16.3) and fifth in 3-pointers made (2.06) in NEC games. Parker has registered 10+ points 20 times this season, five or more rebounds, and assists eight times each. The junior has six 20-point performances, including a career-high 29 points against LIU on January 24 in Loretto. He is the seventh player under Krimmel to register tilts in one season, joining an impressive list: Isaiah Blackmon, Keith Braxton, Earl Brown, Josh Cohen, Jamal King, and Andre Wofford. The Australia native also became the first player since Ramiir Dixon-Conover in 2021 to record a double-double with points and assists thanks to 15 points and 10 assists against Penn State Shenango on December 4. 

Pinedo ranks second in the league in offensive rebounds (2.48), third in field goal percentage (57.1), fourth in rebounding (6.7), ninth in blocked shots (0.64), ninth in defensive rebounds (4.12), and 20th in scoring (10.2 ppg.). The junior is third in field goal percentage (58.0) and fifth in rebounding (6.9) in NEC games. The junior appeared in 25 games with 22 starts, posted double figures in points 15 times, had five or more rebounds 21 times, four 10+ rebound games, and three double-doubles. Pinedo is the only player under Krimmel to register two 10+ rebound games against two Power 5 teams, including a double-double against Penn State on November 12 with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The junior posted a career-high 24 points at Stonehill on February 13. 

Clayville powered the team with 59 baskets made downtown and ranked third in the NEC in 3-pointers made (2.11) and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (40.4). Clayville has 11 double-digit point games and has made at least three from behind the arc 11 times. He posted a career-high 21 points against Penn State Schuylkill on November 20 and an NEC career-high 17 points against Mercyhurst on January 10 and at Chicago State on February 8.

Parker becomes the 16th different player to garner All-NEC first-team honors and the first since Josh Cohen in 2022-23. He is the seventh player in Krimmel's tenure as head coach to earn the distinction, with 10 total honors among the seven players. Krimmel also was an assistant coach for two players named to the first team, including assistant coach Devin Sweetney in 2009-10. 

Pinedo is the fourth player to earn All-NEC third-team recognition and the first since Ramiir Dixon-Conover in 2020-21. All four players who earned the distinction have played for Krimmel.

Cranford and Clayville are the 16th and 17th players in program history selected to the All-Rookie team. Krimmel has served as the head coach for eight players selected to the All-Rookie team and three as an assistant coach. Krimmel also played two players who made the list. It is the third time Saint Francis has had two players named to the All-Rookie team in the same season, joining Ben Millaud-Meunier and Stephon Mosley in 2012-13 and Carlos Lopez and Eli Wilborn in 2023-24.

Along with serving as head coach when Harmon, Braxton, and Cranford earned NEC Rookie of the Year honors, Krimmel has also served as the head coach for three NEC Players of the Year (Keith Braxton [2018-19], Isaiah Blackmon [2019-20] and Cohen [2022-23]), one NEC Defensive Player of the Year (Josh Nebo [2016-17] and three NEC Most Improved Players (Earl Brown [2012-13], Andre Wofford [2017-18] and Cohen [2021-22]). Krimmel was the NEC Coach of the Year in 2018-19. 

Saint Francis, the third seed in the NEC Tournament, will host sixth seed Wagner on Wednesday in the NEC Quarterfinals. Game time is 7 p.m. Tickets for the NEC Quarterfinals game are on sale. Tickets are $12 for reserved tickets and $10 for general admission. Children 5-18 years general admission tickets are $5. Tickets are available the day of the game or by calling Director of Athletics Jim Brazill at 814-472-2774.