Crockett pro career continues in Lebanon

CLOVIS — Basketball has taken Jaye Crockett from Clovis, to Lubbock, to pretty much the rest of the world.

He hopes it will let him for another 10 years. The 2010 Clovis High and 2014 Texas Tech graduate is on his sixth season of professional hoops overseas. This year takes him to Lebanon.

Crockett, the No. 2 scorer in Clovis history, spoke with The News before leaving Clovis for the season.

Where are you playing this season?

Anibal Zahle. (Zahle is) the city, that’s the team name we go by. It’s part of First League in Lebanon.

What other places were you and your agent looking at?

Belgium. I was thinking about going back, but this situation worked out better. Belgium was a nine-month season, and this is a six-month season. After those six, I can go to another team that may be in the playoffs.

What was the tipping point for the decision?

It was a lot of things. The pay was good, the city was nice, it was a shorter league. A lot of these teams like to bring players back, develop relationships. Some leagues get you in and out.

If you are able to join a second team, would it be the first time you played for two leagues in one year?

One year, I was in Japan. I had an injury, came home and went to Switzerland. It was just a knee sprain. They thought it would be something more serious (and shut me down for the year). I was here during Thanksgiving and Christmas (while I healed). It was the first Christmas I’d had with my family for six years, because I’d always been at Tech.

Thoughts about the team you’re joining?

They should be good. They’re a young team. One of my teammates my rookie season (Ramon Galloway in Dartona, Italy), he’s there. That made me comfortable, knowing he chose them.

How many more seasons do you envision doing this?

I’ll play for another 10 years. I’m only 27. If I can play until I’m 37, even if it’s for lower-level teams, and it’s good money, I’ll keep doing that.

How have you changed as a player since going pro?

I’ve understood how my body works, getting into stuff like yoga and pilates. I’m a slim guy and I don’t need to lift like a guy who’s 290.

What impact does a country’s cuisine have on you?

I’m a pretty open-minded person. It makes it easy, and it’s fun. If you’re a guy who always wants a cheeseburger or pepperoni pizza, you’re going to struggle. But me, I’ll get lost and go to local places. I’ll use a Google translator on my phone and point it out.

And what about staying healthy despite the changes in available food?

It’s pretty easy. In those countries, they almost force you to be healthy. You’re not going to have a street with 10 fast-food restaurants.

How quickly do you get recognized as a basketball player in those countries? I imagine you stand out as a 6-foot-7 guy.

It’s almost the same as here. If I’m at Wal-Mart or the bank here, it’s the first question. “You’re tall; do you play basketball?” It’s the same there, but they say it in a different language.