ORLANDO, Fla. — On the 50th anniversary of the Sunshine State Conference's first athletic event, the league unveiled its Golden Anniversary Men's Basketball Team, honoring the top players of the past 25 years. The SSC recognized 14 of the most accomplished athletes from 2000–2025, who will be paired with the league's Silver Anniversary Team (1975–1999) to form a historic 28-member roster celebrating five decades of excellence.
The Golden Anniversary Team reflects a modern era defined by national championships, record-breaking achievements, and growing national prominence. The honorees include National Players of the Year, All-Americans, 2,000-point scorers, and NCAA Division II champions.
Nova Southeastern University tied with Florida Southern for the most selections, with four players named, RJ Sunahara, MJ Iraldi, Dallas Graziani, and Sekou Sylla, while Head Coach Jim Crutchfield was voted the Top Coach of the Past 25 Years, underscoring the program's sustained national dominance.
Jim Crutchfield - Top Coach of the Past 25 Years
Head Coach Jim Crutchfield has elevated Nova Southeastern into one of the premier programs in NCAA Division II basketball. Across the past five seasons, NSU has compiled an astounding 139–5 overall record, including 78–3 in SSC play, while claiming five consecutive SSC regular season and tournament titles, multiple NCAA South Region championships, and national titles in 2023 and 2025.
Crutchfield's high-tempo, efficient style has produced some of the most explosive offenses in Division II, including the 36–1 squad in 2024–25 that led the nation in scoring, scoring margin, assists, and turnovers forced. His tenure also includes the historic 36–0 undefeated national championship season in 2023 and an 88-game home winning streak dating back to February 2020. He has coached nine All-Americans, multiple National Players of the Year, and multiple professional basketball players, while surpassing 500 career wins.
Golden Anniversary Team Selections
RJ Sunahara
A foundational piece of NSU's rise, Sunahara powered the Sharks to their undefeated 36–0 national championship in 2022–23, earning SSC, South Region, and National Player of the Year honors along with the Bevo Francis Award. A three-time All-SSC selection, he anchored both ends of the floor and remains one of the most decorated players in program history.
MJ Iraldi
The 2025 Division II scoring champion, Iraldi, set the NSU single-season record with 873 points (23.6 ppg) while leading the Sharks to the national title. He swept postseason honors—SSC, South Region, NABC National, and Bevo Francis Player of the Year and earned Most Outstanding Player awards at the SSC Tournament, South Region Championship, and Elite Eight. His two seasons at NSU defined the program's continued championship pedigree.
Dallas Graziani
A key engine of NSU's 2025 National Championship run, Graziani delivered one of the greatest playmaking seasons in SSC history. He set both NSU and conference single-season assist records (340), led Division II in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, and finished second nationally in steals. A First Team All-SSC and All-Defensive pick, he averaged 12.9 points with 15 double-doubles and was vital in both the 2023 and 2025 national title seasons.
Sekou Sylla
Sylla became NSU's first Division II National Player of the Year (D2CCA) in 2022 after averaging 22.6 points and 10.5 rebounds with 22 double-doubles. He led Division II in field goals made and became the first in SSC history to earn Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in the same season. His dominance reinforced NSU's position as a national powerhouse.
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