In this Boeheim’s Army 2019 Player Series we will feature the members of this year’s TBT (The Basketball Tournament) squad. Up next Jordan Crawford.
Boeheim’s Army is back baby, and boy do we have a great team this year! Once again you got your veterans like Eric Devendorf, Brandon Triche and Hakim Warrick back. This year though we also have fresh blood in Jordan Crawford.
Though Crawford has not been on Boeheim’s Army in the past or played for Syracuse basketball at any point, he is a welcomed addition to a team that can always use more athleticism, leadership, and scoring.
Devendorf, now a special assistant to the head coach at Detroit Mercy, according to The Daily Orange, and a Michigan native, he reached out to his friend, Crawford and recruited him to join this year’s team. He knows Crawford is a very talented guard/forward who can play multiple positions and can score at will.
Only one year removed from playing in the NBA, Crawford may be most known for starring for Xavier Basketball in college in 2009-2010. He led the Atlantic 10 Conference in scoring 20.5 points per game that year which also ranked him 21st in the nation, according to GoXavier.com In the NCAA tournament, he was named to the five-member NCAA Tournament All-West Region Team after scoring 29.0 points per game over three games.
Crawford is the full package, he can shoot inside and outside, can drive by just about anyone off the dribble, can steal, and play excellent defense. Boeheim’s Army will probably use him as their Swiss army knife, whipping him out whenever he’s needed. If they need scoring, he’ll score, if they need a clutch basket, he is the guy who can go out and get it. If the team just needs solid defense on the top or wing, he can do that do.
The best part about all this for Boeheim’s Army is that no opponent can truly know what to expect from him and that makes him a secret weapon that the Syracuse alumni team can unleash. By the end this year’s tournament run, I’m sure he’ll more than have earned his honorary Orange position on the team.
Though Crawford hasn’t played in The Basketball Tournament before, it shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment. For a player of Crawford’s caliber, this actually should be a good test. A lot of teams that face Boeheim’s Army will know how good he is just by watching some tape. He’s a household name people have heard of, and because of that, that may mean he may be a target by other team’s best defensive player.
Though that sounds like bad news, it’s actually good news because that will make Crawford try even harder to play his game, and if he gets shut down by a double team, that will just end up leaving some other scorer open for Boeheim’s Army.
Whether that’s John Gillon, Brandon Triche, or Eric Devendorf on the wings, or Arinze Onuaku, Darryl Watkins, Hakim Warrick, or Chris McCullough in the post, there will be no shortage of Orange stars who he can to pass it to.
This Boeheim’s Army team is capable and driven, and with the addition of mystery man Jordan Crawford, they are even more dangerous. This should be a fun team to watch this summer.