It’s funny how eager BYU fans are for new basketball coach Kevin Young to deliver some news about signings and recruits. On Tuesday, Young served them a piece.
It was as if some drought had occurred during the off-season and they had been unfairly hungry since a big man from Utah was transferred to town.
Well, that drought ended Tuesday with the signing of four-star point guard Elijah Crawford, a Stanford signee from famed private national powerhouse Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.
The Crawford news comes just days after popular forward Noah Waterman signed with Louisville and several highly sought-after recruits officially visited Provo.
The addition of Crawford addresses a major weakness in BYU’s backcourt — depth in point guard skills alongside or behind seniors Dallin Hall and Trey Stewart, with 6-foot-2 Dawson Baker as another option.
The 6-foot-2 Crawford is an ESPN Top 100 recruit and will be one of the highest-rated recruits the program has ever signed. His arrival helps offset the loss of Kentucky commit Collin Chandler, who signed with BYU before serving a church mission and returned home earlier this month.
The addition of Crawford gives BYU the 24th ranked recruiting class in 2024, according to 247Sports.com and the Big 12 Class No. 6 ago #1 Arizona, Baylor, ASU, TCU and Colorado and just ahead of Kansas at #7.
Crawford is a guy who played against Wasatch Academy players who are at a similar private school in the high school universe.
Former Cougar guard Anson Winder is now an assistant coach at Wasatch Academy and coached against Crawford and Brewster Academy last season. Winder likes the fit.
“He’s a tough competitor and a shrewd guard,” Winder said on ESPN 960 radio on Monday.
“He’s a guy who can learn from Trevin Knell, Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders about what it takes to play early. I think he can contribute early.”
Crawford is a ball handler who can penetrate, score and get to the rim off the dribble. He is a solid shooter who was recruited to Stanford from BYU newly hired assistant Brandon Dunson. He followed Dunson to BYU despite recruiting interest from Kansas and Florida, schools that wanted him to visit their campuses before Wednesday’s NCAA recruiting period for on-site school contact, according to Robby McCombs of Vanquishthefoe. with.
Mentioned in the article, but Kansas and Florida REALLY wanted to get Elijah to campus for a visit before Wednesday’s dead period. They offered him schollies. He said no and just visited BYU. Dunson’s relationship with Crawford won out.
-Robby McCombs (@rtmccombs) May 21, 2024
What Young has now is a third blue-chip signing if you count 6-7 USC signee Brody Kozlowski of Corner Canyon, a key multi-state championship player along with one of the Pac 12’s best rebounders and shot blockers in Utah, transfer center Keba Keita.
BYU needed help in the backcourt after last year’s Big 12 campaign, where the league’s point guard talent and depth proved to be a challenge for the Cougars. Hall was among the league’s best players in assists, but he needed help.
The Cougars were toughly challenged in a first-round NCAA tournament loss to Duquesne, a team that featured a tough backcourt that could pressure, defend and score. Hall, a four-star high school recruit himself, needed the help and relief that Crawford could provide.
The loss of Waterman will hurt because of his 6-foot-5 size, hustle and development last year. His chemistry with other returnees will be missed. Kozlowski, however, could be a suitable replacement because of his athleticism, rebounding and shooting range, including outside and midrange acumen, and his ability to score at the rim.
Young had Chaz Lanier, an explosive shooting guard from North Florida, on campus last Monday and he immediately left for a visit to Kentucky before Wednesday’s deadline. Tennessee is also recruiting Lanier.
I love what I’m seeing for Kevin Young. No need for fanfare or exaggeration. He doesn’t disclose what he’s doing to the media. It literally does its job. Assemble some good talent next year in Provo.
-Tim LaComb (@tlacomb) May 21, 2024
The fact that Young took Lanier to Provo for a visit is a sign that he’s swinging for the fences hard. Lanier is considered one of the portal’s top transfer targets this year as he was the No. 1 player in offensive efficiency in the country last season.
It also speaks to BYU’s NIL capability. Crawford and Lanier would not have made trips to Provo unless the NIL discussions were in their respective stadiums.
BYU fans can savor this basketball news from Young’s camp. It’s not a hose drink, but it will suffice.
For now.
