Croom leadership skills compensate for injury woes Tibbetts, Greene will also be honored

Look at the paper record of Jamar Croom’s University of Maine career, and he doesn’t stand out.

He has never hit a game-winning shot. He has never made a game-saving defensive stop.

In fact, in five years in Orono, the 6-foot-8, 250-pounder has played in 31 games and scored only 21 points. He has also grabbed 14 rebounds over that span.

Here’s what you don’t know: Croom already has one degree in hand (in kinesiology) and is pursuing his master’s. He blew out his knee during the summer after his junior year in high school and lost both his senior year … and his best chance to contribute at Maine as a true freshman.

And since September, every time he takes a step, every time he runs up and down the court, Croom feels pain shooting down his leg, the result of a back injury he sustained in preseason workouts.

That’s why his coach, John Giannini, has this to say about his senior captain.

“I like so many of our players, but if I could pick a player to put out for a representative for us, and have everyone know, it would probably be Jamar,” Giannini said.

“What is more impressive is for him to be as dedicated and as tough as he is, without basically getting external rewards for it,” he said.

Croom and teammates Todd Tibbetts of Windsor and Errick Greene of Killeen, Texas, will be honored tonight during Senior Night festivities at Alfond Arena before the Black Bears take on Northeastern at 7:30 p.m.

The game is the final home contest of the year for the 10-15 Bears.

Croom, who played for Reading (Pa.) High School, said his latest health problem cropped up unexpectedly.

“I woke up one morning after doing preseason workouts and I couldn’t get out of bed,” Croom said. “I couldn’t put my socks on. I couldn’t tie my shoes. I just felt like my back was in cement.

“It’s not gonna get better until I stop playing altogether and it gets time to heal, but this being my senior year, I wanted to go ahead and try to practice and do the things I could to help the team.”

Although Croom realized that he wasn’t realistically going to be able to battle for playing time, he continued to contribute in other ways.

“I realize there’s nothing I can do about it with my injury. The only thing I can do is put things in perspective, support my teammates and just be happy for them,” Croom said. “Being in the position I’m in as captain, I have to lead by example in other ways.”

And after five years in Orono, Croom doesn’t regret a thing. He doesn’t think of what might have been, or where else he could have gone and not sat on the bench behind all-conference players like Nate Fox, Julian Dunkley, and Carvell Ammons.

“It was an exciting time. It was a fun time,” Croom said. “I have a lot of fond memories here of people, coaches, and my teammates. It’s just been great. It’s been the perfect experience.”