Former Ankeny Centennial basketball star Jaron Crews is headed back to central Iowa.
After spending a year at Don Bosco Prep in Crown Point, Ind., Crews has committed to play for DMACC (Boone) next season.
“It was between DMACC and Kirkwood,” said Crews, who announced his decision via Twitter on Sunday. “I took visits and worked out at both (schools) and had a good time. At first I was leaning toward Kirkwood, but at the end of the day DMACC has built a great culture the last couple years and they also really value the relationships they make with players.”
Crews said he has formed a bond with DMACC head coach Brett Putz, who guided the Bears to a 28-8 record last season.
“He was a huge part of my commitment,” Crews said. “He was the first to show me love out of high school, and we stayed in contact and built a really good relationship.”
Crews was a two-time all-state pick at Centennial. The point guard averaged a team-high 15.9 points and 5.3 assists as a senior in 2020-21, when he led the Jaguars to a 14-5 record.
As a junior, Crews helped Centennial to a fourth-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament. It was the Jaguars’ first trip to state.
After graduating from Centennial, Crews elected to go to a prep school instead of beginning his college career.
“Honestly, my year at Bosco was tough,” he said. “I started the year off real strong and then had an ankle injury that had me sidelined and trying to get back healthy for most of the year, but I feel like everything happens for a reason and I really just took that time to grow, mature and get better.”