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Awesome SI feature on one of the best to ever lace them up for Michigan, Crawsover. Especially after the raw deal he got at Michigan, it's great to hear how glowingly people talk about him as a person. Currently the last remaining player from the 2000 NBA draft class.
Perception doesn't always match reality.
In all their dumbfuck decisions, throwing the bus at Jamal was one of the dumbest
What exactly happened anyways?
with someone who provided him with a car, spending money and a roof over his head for his last three years in high school. I'm not sure if that was done for exchange in Crawford attending that high school, but that's what it looks like.
HEAVEN FORBID SOMEBODY SHELTER A GIFTED CHILD. I say that with limited context but that sounds like typical boneheaded NCAA shit
IIRC he lived with his HS coach.
I believe it was a local businessman, although he may have been friends with the coach.
The bigger issue from a Michigan fan perspective was that Carlos Boozer was doing the same thing except with his AAU coach. And yet, Duke / Coach K obfuscated this and Boozer was allowed to keep playing at Duke.
When you are hear about what goes on in NCAA bball, Izzo and Coach K are both a lot alike in that they have it down to a science in which they have their assistants do all their dirty work for them when it comes to 'cruitin.
Whatever the motivation of his benefactor, it pretty much turned his life around and got him out of a terrible L.A. neighborhood. But because his mom didn't sign away his guardianship (because, duh, why would you), the NCAA decided halfway through his freshman year (on the eve of the MSU game, IIRC) that he needed to be banned for life if he didn't pay it all back.
yep, it was on the eve of the MSU game. I was so pissed they screwed us over right before one of the biggest games of the year.
Crawford wasn't some poor kid getting knocked for taking a few hundred dollars, he was driving a Mercedes and wearing 5-figures worth of jewelry.
He got involved with the west coast Nevin Shapiro. All of the big time players in Washinton were getting cash from this guy.
Not that Henthorn didn't hook him up, but Crawford did come from a pretty rough background. I have more sympathy for him than say, Louis Bullock, who was from a stable middle-class family and took Ed Martin's money anyway.
As I recall, it was a ten+ year old 190 or 300 series worth maybe $5k. Of course say “Mercedes” & people assume bling-bling when it was an average priced used car. That gen MB sucked.
He was brutal to watch back when I had Bulls season tickets. I couldn't wait for them to move him. Despite his play at that time, he still seemed like a decent kid. Glad he found his niche.
I'm a Wolves fan here in Minneapolis. He single handedly gave the Wolves their first win of the year scoring a ton in the 4th qtr. Coach Thibs drew up options on the last key possession but said all were designed for Crawford as he'd seen him make so many key shots before.
I just moved to Minneapolis two months ago, new target center is pretty sick
Wow. Hard to believe that it has been that long since he left Michigan. Greatest “what could have been” in Michigan history.
Luckily Gavin Groninger was able to fill in and provide the needed scoring spark.
Do you ever think back to that period of Michigan basketball and just marvel at how bizarre it was?
But everything worked out for him in the end.
I was on campus then. I remember the Daily running a photo of Josh Moore standing next to Avery Queen. Good times.
Oh good god, that's a memory I wanted to forget. Do yourself a favor and google what Josh Moore got into after Michigan. Par for the course for that era.
Leland Aaaaaanderson.
and don't forget Dominic Ingerson having a mental breakdown.
Gosh, I remember being 100% convinced Leland Anderson was the answer down low. "The next great Michigan big man!" Walked around telling anyone who would listen.
Swiiiing and a miss.
Unlike Crawford, I do wish I were a little bit taller.
I wish I were a baller
I think most of what's been said here matches my memory of the situation. The angle that most Michigan fans put on the story at the time was that this guy helped get him away from a scary background in LA, took care of him for 3 years like a guardian and not like an agent, everyone knew that at the time, and then the NCAA came calling. They kept doing the NCAA thing where they'd take forever to make a ruling and Michigan had to decide whether to play him and risk forfeiting games or sit him just in case. The final ruling was that he could come back as a sophomore if he paid back thousands of dollars of "benefits" to the guy, which Crawford couldn't afford since there are restrictions on NCAA athletes working and earning money, so he bolted for the draft after playing just a few games.
Maybe the relationship was shady and the NCAA was aiming in the right direction, but both the way they slow-played the investigation, handed out a hefty penalty, AND didn't enforce the same rules with Boozer made Michigan fans pissed.
I thought there was a relationship between the benefactor & his mother maybe?
How many games did he actually play at Michigan? Like, 6? It seems like he was only here for about 20 minutes, and was ineligible for about 10 of them.
17 games--which is about 5 more than I remembered it being.
not sure but I recall one play on a fast break he threw a 3/4 court pass, with one hop between defenders and hit his teammate in stride. still one of the prettiest passes I've seen.
I still remember that Duke game where he was on fire. We lost but it was an incredibly entertaining game.
Wasn't that to Leon Jones for a ridiculous dunk? I think i was at that game, definitely sticks out in my mind.
Kevin Gaines played the game of his life. Went toe-to-tow with Jay Williams. That Duke team was loaded, and M took them to OT.
That was, I believe, the first regular season game at Crisler which I attended. It was quite memorable.
thanks for sharing this. It made my night.
