Hall of Fame
Two conference championships, two NCAA tournaments, four conference tournament appearances, and a firsthand experience on two of the best women's basketball teams to ever take the court for Utica College. Just about anyone would take that for a four year collegiate career. Devon Croll was fortunate enough not only live it, but become a crucial part of teams that are so fondly remembered long after their playing days.
Croll suited up for four seasons for Head Coach Michele Davis and the Pioneers as they ascended to the highest of heights that the program has ever experienced. As a freshman, Croll was put right into the mix in a starting role in the Utica backcourt. She averaged 12.8 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, notched 90 steals, and added 14 blocks and 72 assists to polish off a well balanced stat line. Her contributions while playing over 30 minutes a night as a rookie led Utica to the 2008 Empire 8 Conference Championship and a run into the 2008 NCAA tournament.
A terrific start to Croll's career as a freshman foreshadowed three more years of excellence on the hardwood. She went on to start 107 games in 108 career appearances in blue and orange. Croll averaged 12.2 points per game for her entire four-year career and finished with 1,321 points to become the fifth-highest scorer in program history. She also distributed the rock well with 344 career assists to rank third all-time in program history.
Croll was one of the program's greatest shooters, and her progress over four years was a testament to her consistent effort and a willingness to always go the extra mile for the program. She was as reliable as they come at the foul line, as she made 366 foul shots in her career, the second most ever at UC. She did it with efficiency as she blossomed into a career 78.1 percent free throw shooter after shooting just 68 percent as a rookie. She developed into an accurate perimeter threat and made over 42 percent of her three point attempts as a senior. Her 145 career made three-pointers is the third most in Pioneer history.
She was also the picture perfect definition of defensive discipline, as she never once fouled out of a game in her entire college career.
The team's crowning achievement during her tenure came during her junior season when the Pioneers advanced into the NCAA second round. Croll added 11 points and seven rebounds to the effort as the Pioneers mounted an epic double digit comeback against Moravian College and went on to win 64-61. That NCAA tournament win advanced Utica into the second round of the tournament for the first time since 1984.
The Pioneers never had a losing season with Croll on the court. She was a two time second team All-Conference selection, a one time first team All-Conference selection, and a one time Empire 8 honorable mention pick. She adds a second hall of fame accolade onto her storied basketball career, as she was also an inductee into the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill high school athletic hall of fame in 2016.
