4/28/2022 basketball Edit

2024 Introduction: Elijah Crawford

Keegan Nickoson • TheHoosier

Staff Writer

In my senior year at Indiana studying Sports Media and Sports Journalism. I live for the most outlandish takes on the IU boards. Fat Dan's has the best food in Bloomington.

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Indiana has been in contact with Elijah Crawford, a 2024 guard out of Georgia. (@ARosenfeldHoops)

Indiana has recently been in contact with Elijah Crawford, a three-star, 2024 guard out Augusta Christian High School in Augusta Georgia.

The offers have started to roll in for the raw prospect, notably from LSU, Ole Miss, Xavier, Wichita State and Georgia State. The Hoosiers have yet to extend Crawford an offer, but Woodson and staff were in Orlando to see him plat at the first EYBL session of the summer and also saw him in Indianapolis this past weekend where he exploded for 77 points through the four games.

Here is a closer look at what Crawford brings to the floor.

Crawford sets himself apart when you see him on the court. A super shifty, well-rounded point guard who puts an emphasis on his own offensive production, but is talented enough as a passer to see his teammates have success as well. He dominates the ball on offense and isn't afraid to show off his smooth shooting stroke from beyond the arc, converting 7-of-23 3s through the first two weekends, and going 4-of-10 at Session I in Orlando. Crawford doesn't shy away from shooting with little space as well, his quick release makes it even harder to defend.

Working well with bigs down low is another factor in Crawford's game, he's definitely not afraid to pull off flashy passes. Getting out of trouble and finding his teammates while close to the basket was something that stuck out to me. 16 assists at session two in Indianapolis helped The Skill Factory have a great weekend, including 18 points and eight assists from Crawford in Saturday's game against the Rose City Rebels.

He reminds me of Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson for multiple reasons. His quickness in the paint, willingness to take over the scoring, and his confidence while being one of the smaller players on the court.

Crawford also abuses the floater, his natural touch and ability make it a consistent, reliable scoring threat instead of another tool that he flippantly uses from time to time. He is also not afraid to initiate contact in the paint and get to the free-throw line where he has shot 70 percent through the first eight games of the evaluation period this summer.

Defensively he’s a pest. Crawford doesn’t give his opponent an inch, utilizing his hands very often to force turnovers or at minimum disrupt offensive possessions. He takes pride in his defensive intensity.

Crawford does need to work on his ability to run an offense smoothly. Too often he will pick up his dribble far from the basket and run into trouble, finding himself waiting for his teammates to come to him for help. However, his ability to pass will usually bail him out.

A ton of raw talent and plays with confidence. A name to keep an eye on.

From TheHoosier's Kyler Staley:

Standing at 6-foot-1, Elijah Crawford is a stocky yet strong, and quick, lead guard. Does not always play like a traditional point guard and oftentimes has the mindset of a “score first, pass second” player. Shows comfort in the post and has a really good midrange jumper that should eventually translate him into a knock-down three-point shooter with some added work.

He plays all over the place at times, not necessarily in a bad way, but does not always have the best decision-making with his passes. He moves naturally with the ball in his hand and is just an aggressive player overall.

Crawford averaged 19.3 points on 31-of-55 (56.4%) made field goals, 2.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 steals in four games during the second live evaluation period.