Jacob Daniels and Bobby Crawford Jr. spent four years turning Gibbs High into one of the most dominant programs in Florida. As freshmen at Lander University, they helped the Bearcats reach the NCAA Division II national championship game for the first time in school history.
Lander’s run ended April 5 with an 84-61 loss to Gannon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game aired nationally on CBS. Back in St. Petersburg, Gibbs High held a watch party for the former Gladiators.
Daniels, a true freshman point guard and the Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, led the South Carolina university in scoring at 13.7 points per game and ranked ninth in Division II in assists. He scored 11 in the title game and was named to the All-Tournament team alongside teammate Greyson Pritzl. Crawford, a freshman forward, contributed throughout the postseason run.
The highlight of the tournament came March 27 in the national semifinal, when Lander upset top-seeded Nova Southeastern 91-81 at Pittsburgh’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Sharks entered as defending national champions with a 30-1 record and averaged 99.4 points per game, best in Division II. Lander held them to 32.6% shooting and 2 of 16 from 3-point range — both season lows. The Bearcats led for 32 of 40 minutes and broke open a tied game with a 15-2 run midway through the second half. Daniels scored 17 in that game. Crawford added 10.
None of it surprised anyone who watched them at Gibbs. The two reached the Class 4A final four all four years under coach Larry Murphy. They won a state championship as juniors in March 2024, beating Jacksonville Andrew Jackson 49-43 to end a 55-year title drought. A no-look pass from Daniels to Crawford for a dunk late in the third quarter swung that game.
As seniors, they nearly repeated. Gibbs carried a 20-game winning streak into the 2025 title game and led Fort Lauderdale Stranahan by six with 32 seconds left before losing 63-62 on a last-second layup. Daniels scored a team-high 19.
Both graduated having never missed a trip to the state final four.
Lander, which went 15-14 a year ago, finished 30-6 after winning the Peach Belt Conference regular season, conference tournament and Southeast Regional championships. The Bearcats won 15 straight before falling to Gannon.
“It was legendary,” Lander forward Navaughn Maise said after the title game. “Everybody is going to remember 2025-2026,” coach Omar Wattad added. “It will never be forgotten.”
Daniels and Crawford already know what that feels like. They have been making memories like these since high school.
Quick hits
Former Gibbs star Delancy falls short in national title game with Montverde
Former Gibbs standout Oneal Delancy scored 17 points for Montverde Academy in a 69-65 loss to CIA Bella Vista in the Chipotle Nationals championship game April 4 in Fishers, Indiana.
Delancy, a four-star junior guard who transferred to the national powerhouse last summer, helped Montverde pull off an improbable run to the final that included a double-overtime semifinal upset of top-seeded AZ Compass Prep, in which he scored 20 points. But a 26-6 second-quarter collapse dug a 36-19 halftime hole the seven-time champion Eagles could not escape. West Virginia signee Miles Sadler led CIA Bella Vista with 23 points and nine assists.
Delancy was not the only former Gladiator playing on a championship stage this weekend. Jacob Daniels and Bobby Crawford Jr., who were teammates with Delancy on the Gibbs squad that won the 2024 Class 4A state title, played for Lander University in Sunday’s NCAA Division II national championship game.
Stat leaders
Here are the statistical standouts on offense for Pinellas County baseball and softball players. The list was compiled from MaxPreps state leaders.
Baseball
Batting average
.688: Gabriel Blaxberg, Canterbury
.514: Micah Murton, Calvary Christian
.490: Victor Martinez-Morales, Largo
.486: Jeffrey Crain, Admiral Farragut
.485: Sebbie Silva, Palm Harbor University
RBIs
25: Noah Ritchie, Seminole
25: Gabriel Blaxberg, Canterbury
24: Cooper Riley, Clearwater Central Catholic
21: Aiden Sherifi, East Lake
21: Brody Nelson, St. Petersburg
Home runs
4: Gabriel Blaxberg, Canterbury
3: Easton Stegbauer, Osceola
3: Alain Esquivel, Hollins
Softball
Batting average
.641: Lucy Mondok, East Lake
.639: Ryann Vigue, St. Petersburg
.581: Ali Sheffield, East Lake
.558: Ava Vargas, Hollins
.556: Aviana Dunlap, Northside Christian
RBIs
27: Ava Twinam, Northeast
22: Lucy Mondok, East Lake
21: Auhbree Northrup, Pinellas Park
21: Aviana Dunlap, Northeast
19: Angelina Rodriguez, Osceola
Home runs
8: Ava Twinam, Northeast
5: Lucy Mondok, East Lake
4: Mylie Stout, Palm Harbor University
4: Claire Caoili, Calvary Christian
4: Lourdes Guzman, Canterbury