Player: Elijah Crawford
School: Augusta Christian
Class: 2024
Phenom Hoops went down to South Carolina for another year at The Bash, an event that brings some of the premier talents from around the country all to one building right before the holidays. Once again, it was another fantastic event with a ton of talent, as we were on deck Thursday night.
We had a chance to learn about a few new names to watch out for and that should (if they aren’t already) be on the radar for college coaches. One of those players was 2024 Elijah Crawford from Augusta Christian. Diving more into this young man’s game and history, Crawford has been putting on some impressive shows for quite some time now. Whether it was during his high school season last year, in which he ultimately earned South Carolina Independent School Association Player of the Year honors, but also this summer with The Skill Factory, where he was once averaging over 20 points per game.
Now as a sophomore this year, it looks clear that he is one of the leaders for this team and that he should be. When watching Crawford in action, one can’t help but notice his ability to create his own shot. He does a terrific job in getting where he wants, especially for his pull-up game from anywhere on the court. But he also showed that he is a high IQ player that takes quality shots, can find his teammates as well, and has some good athleticism to his game; he can certainly fill it up offensively which shouldn’t be a surprise due to him already being a 1,000-point scorer in high school.
When speaking to Crawford more about his game, he had this to say about how he likes to operate and what he is focusing on.
“I would describe my game as a guard who can score at any time and who can also find the open man at any time,” Crawford said. “I like to attack the guy off the dribble and either finish at the rim, pull-up shot or kicking to the corner for the open three. Some things I’m focusing on are getting to my spots and setting up easy buckets for my teammates.”
With what we saw on the floor, it is going to be interesting to see which schools pull the trigger with an offer but there are plenty of schools expressing interest his way.
“I don’t have any official offers yet but to name some of the schools that we’ve heard from: South Carolina, Florida State, Austin Peay, Old Dominion, Presbyterian, Missouri, College of Charleston, UNC Asheville, West Carolina, and Kennesaw State.”
Crawford has already taken a few unofficial visits to South Carolina in the past and hopes to take a few more unofficials down the road. But, with what we saw, Crawford could easily and quickly be a big target for many schools, especially with another great year at Augusta Christian.