River Bluff’s Yasir Cromer is having an excellent senior season for the Gators and recently etched his name in the record books. 

Cromer became the school’s all-time leading scorer after turning up his scoring this season. The guard is averaging a career-high 19 points per game as the team’s number-one option on offense. 

“ I'm blessed and thankful to be able to break the record this year with my teammates,” Cromer said. 

The Gators are having a strong year thanks in part to Cromer’s efforts. River Bluff began this week 13-5 and 3-0 in region play with a showdown against Dutch Fork scheduled for this week. The winner will take sole possession of the top spot in region. 

River Bluff head coach Ben Lee credited some of the success to Cromer’s play. Not only has he lit up scoreboards, but he also distributes the ball to get his teammates involved, averaging five assists per game. 

 ”He's very mature, and I trust a lot of his thoughts and opinions on what we do and how,” Lee said. “ Even guys that aren't on the varsity team, they're motivated by him. They're inspired by him. They want to make sure that when he comes back as a college student, they're maintaining that standard that he set.” 

Cromer has been a vocal leader from a young age. 

He’s been playing basketball since he could walk. His grandfather was his first coach and taught him many of the things that make him successful now. 

“ He taught me what it was to have split-second decisions in basketball, and how that can change the trajectory of a game,” Cromer said. 

Lee first remembers hearing Cromer’s name when he was in middle school. He made a trip to the old Lexington Middle School to see the guard in action, and a few things immediately stood out. 

“ What stood out to me was his ability to communicate and lead,” Lee said. “He's a skilled guy, but you don't usually walk into a middle school game ready to see a young man control the whole thing.”

His growth since arriving at River Bluff has also stood out. He has gone from a young pass-first point guard to a seasoned do-it-all guard who consistently puts his team in a position to win and elevates those around him. 

“ He became a leader really early, probably even his sophomore year, but he had to navigate what his skill set would look like,” Lee said. “He transitioned from a pass-first guy to now clearly a pretty impactful, if not dominant, scorer for us.”

Cromer isn’t just trying to make his varsity teammates better. He also invests in the underclassmen on the school’s lower teams. 

“He's always done a great job of communicating, but he's gone from a position of how do I talk to upperclassmen to now, how do I not just talk to my teammates on the varsity team,” Lee said. “He invests a lot in those JV, B team, middle school. There's even a rec-level team that he coaches. It's pretty impressive to see.”

It’s been a long journey to this point for Cromer. He has put in the work for years, training with different coaches to achieve the level of success he has now. 

“ I'd like to thank Christian Savage. My guy at Upper Starsake, he kind of took my games to the next level, whether that's being coachable or playing defense, playing hard as you can,” Cromer said. “Also my guy coach Lee changed my views on basketball from being a basketball player to one day being a man in life, being a father, a better brother or a husband one day”

Cromer does not remember when he scored his first points as a Gator, but he does remember his first impactful bucket. 

It was his freshman season, and the Gators were taking on the Cam Scott-led Lexington team. River Bluff won that game thanks to Cromer’s go-ahead floater over Scott. 

Fast forward to today, Cromer is one of the best players in the region and the state. He has his team contending for a region title with a few weeks left in the season and has his sights set on more. 

First, Cromer wants to lead his team to a state championship. He also wants to become the first player in program history to pass 1,000 points. He wants to continue to make his teammates better, and he wants to find a place to continue his basketball career and pursue a higher education. 

“ Just handle business,” Cromer said. “ Just keep investing in ourselves and we will get what we put in.” 

When he graduates, Cromer wants to attend a four-year school to play basketball and study law. He is interested in a pre-law track, political science and criminal justice. 

“ I like knowing about the laws, knowing about history, just kind of a law geek,” he said. 

Cromer knows to achieve his goals, he is going to have to keep putting in the work he has been and continue balancing his basketball and non-basketball life. 

“ I had to learn that there's going to be a day where the ball stops bouncing, so when I walk into school, I have to be ready to learn and ready to engage,” Cromer said. “ Then I step on the court. That's when it's basketball and trying to learn it as well.” 

Both Lee and Cromer know one day soon his career at River Bluff will come to an end. But until then they will do whatever it takes to delay the inevitable.

“ I'm not emotionally prepared to not be coaching them, and when that season ends, it's always hard on seniors. It's very hard on our coaches,” Lee said. “Saying goodbye to a group of young men is tough. This is a special senior group.”

When Cromer does depart River Bluff he will be missed. Not just for his statistical contributions, but his leadership. 

“First I'm going to have to learn how to coach again after he leaves,” Lee said. “I can put so much in his hands, whether that's him calling an offense in the game, giving him the range to call the defense in the game, whether it's even maybe structuring practice.” 

For his next chapter, Lee just wants Cromer to find a place that will accept him with open arms. 

“ He's still got a lot of years to impact the world, and Yasir is going to impact people in a lot of different ways,” Lee said. “ You want to go to a place where you know that coach is going to love on you. Where the program, the pre-law or poly sci program is full of professors that are going to love on you and guide you and teach you. So it's about finding the right fit.”

While his time at River Bluff was just a quick stop on his life’s journey, Cromer will look back on his time with nothing but fondness. 

“ Every moment here at River Bluff is a special one,” Cromer said. “Playing with different players throughout the years, playing with the team we have now, the coaches, the staff, every moment will go down as a memory that I will cherish.”