Crockett readies for season in France

The only constant for Jaye Crockett is that he’s constantly on the move with his basketball career.

Crockett, the No. 2 scorer in Clovis High history behind Bubba Jennings, is getting set to rock one more jersey overseas. This time it’s Le Portel of France. If that sounds at all familiar, it’s because Crockett’s old team, the Bakken Bears, swept them in the Danish League finals this past season.

Crockett, the finals MVP with 19 points and seven rebounds, clearly made an impression.

Le Portel will be Crockett’s seventh team since starting his overseas career in 2014.

What was the recruiting process like with Le Portel following the finals?

It was the team we played in the Europe Cup. I had two pretty good games against them. Two weeks after, there was communication between a French agent and one of my agent’s partners in France. They gave me an offer, I told them I didn’t want it, and they came back with another offer. The whole process took about a month.

Had you planned to stay with Bakken another season, or was the writing on the wall you’d get other opportunities?

I wanted to go to a bigger league, but if they could have paid more, I would have stayed there. But a bigger league is nice, more exposure.

How much do players move there compared to the NBA?

As far as Americans go, you’re usually going to a new team each year unless they really like you. You try to move up each year.

Your agency page refers to you as a Slashing 4. In the U.S. game, we think of the 4 as a power forward. How is the European view of positions different?

It’s kind of like a four-guard lineup. You try to create an advantage. Most of the time, you just play outside. It’s a lot like the Golden State Warriors, and how they use Draymond Green.

Your first season back from Italy (Tortona), you said you ate chicken wings every day for two weeks because you couldn’t get them overseas. On the flip side, what’s something you miss from overseas when you are back in America?

Just a while ago, I wanted tea. It’s hard to get tea here, but on every corner (in Europe) there’s a place to get a tea or a croissant. Just a healthy meal, honestly, is sometimes hard to find here.

What would have to happen for you to get a call from an NBA club?

I’d really just have to be in a position where I’m seen. Maybe do something like (Clovis native) John Dawson does with the G-League. A lot of times when they go overseas they’re looking for the younger guys, like the guy from Lithuania (No. 3 pick Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks). In the basketball world, I’m basically old because they want a new kid.

— Compiled by Managing Editor Kevin Wilson and edited for length and clarity