Joe Crawford

Offered per Insiders.
Did not make sched'd visit Oct 18th, 2003.

11/13/03: moved to inactive

10/26/03: "We also think Bright's commitment to the Bearcats will effect 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, whose final three are Michigan, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, as suddenly the Bearcats only have one remaining scholarship and their last scholarship will must likely go to an inside player." - www.HoopScoop.com

10/22/03: "Nobody knows what I'm going to do. I'm not even sure," said Detroit Renaissance shooting guard Joe Crawford. “I know there's a lot of rumors going around that I'm going to Michigan or I'm going to Kentucky, but they don't know that. I haven't made my mind up." Crawford (6-4, 205) originally committed to Michigan, but surprisingly re-opened his recruitment this summer. He was briefly considering Kentucky, Cincinnati and Michigan State, but now says it’s down to the Wolverines or Wildcats." - KY Sports Report

10/21/03: "the Bearcats also appear to be one of the final three, along with Michigan and Kentucky, for 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP" - HoopScoop

10/20/03: "How did your visit to Kentucky go? “It went pretty good.”
What are the final schools on your list? “Michigan, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Cincinnati.”
Do any of those schools stick out more than the others at this point? “Yeah. Kentucky and Michigan stand out.”
Which schools do you think offer you the best chance to play? “I think that Kentucky and Michigan definitely offer me the best opportunity.”
Have you set a date for your decision? “No, I haven’t set a date yet but I want to make my decision by November.”
- GoBlueWolverine.com

10/20/03:"Once the Wildcats faithful recognized the two VIPs sitting lower midcourt in Memorial Coliseum on Friday night for Big Blue Madness, they began showering them with adoring chants.
"J-o-e Craw-ford," they yelled repeatedly, followed by, "We want you!" Crawford is a 6-foot-4 senior guard at Detroit's Renaissance High School, while the 6-11 Morris is a big man at Landmark Christian in Fairburn, Ga. Both are consensus top-20 prospects for the class of 2004. The Morris and Crawford families were in Lexington over the weekend for official visits. They returned home Sunday. Swingman Adam Williams, a senior at St. Albans High School in West Virginia, the only player to give UK an oral commitment thus far, attended UK's homecoming festivities with Morris and Crawford." - CincyPost.com

10/16/03: "Joe Crawford has trimmed his list to four and will take a visit this weekend to Bluegrass country. He may take one more official visit before making his decision. Midnight Madness is approaching and it’s always a festive occasion for Kentucky. Not only for Tubby Smith and the new cast of Wildcats – but because they’ll try to impress Joe Crawford (No. 14, TheInsiders.com). The 6-4, 205-pound wing guard from Detroit will make the trip to Bluegrass country along with Georgia native Randolph Morris and New York point guard Ramel Bradley. Crawford recently knocked Clemson out of the picture and is down to Michigan, Kentucky, Cincinnati and Michigan State.

He was supposed to take a visit to Cincinnati last weekend, but canceled when he didn’t feel well. "I’m hoping to reschedule that one for the weekend after I go to Kentucky,” Crawford said. “I probably won’t go to Michigan State for an official visit because I’ve been there a lot."

Crawford isn’t immune to the talk that surrounds him which centers on him re-committing to Michigan. "I hear it a lot,” he said. “I like Michigan, but I like Kentucky, too," he added. “I didn‘t get a chance to visit Cincinnati. Michigan State has great tradition and Tom Izzo gets his players better. I’m not certain where I’m going yet." - TheInsiders.com


10/16/03: "Joe Crawford, the 6'4 WG from Detroit Renaissance will be heading to the Universty of Kentucky this weekend to check out Midnight Madness on the Wildcat Campus. Kentucky has been in on Crawford all along but they have really stepped up their recruitment of Joe over the last month. Crawford is excited about taking his trip to Kentucky. One person close to Crawford said "In my opinion it has been Kentucky that Joe wanted to check out the most besides Michigan & Michigan State. Kentucky holds a big key to Joe's recruitment. He has always liked Tubby and the tradition at Kentucky. He should have a beter idea of where he wants to go after he checks out Kentucky." As things stand now, we feel that Michigan, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Cincinnati are curently in that order in terms of where they rank with Crawford. However, after this weekend things could be different. (This is just our opinion)" - http://www.prepspotlight.com/

10/14/03: Listed as the 8th best wing man in the the country. - PrepStars.com

10/14/03: "A bad case of the flu prevented Detroit Renaissance High School senior guard Joe Crawford from taking his official visit to the University of Cincinnati last weekend. Crawford began feeling ill Thursday night and was scheduled to fly to Cincinnati on Friday. "He couldn't make it," said his father, Joe Crawford Sr. "He wasn't 100 percent."

Crawford, 6 feet 4, intends to make his official visit to the University of Kentucky this weekend. The Crawford family will arrive in Lexington on Friday to watch Big Blue Madness, UK's version of Midnight Madness.

Crawford Sr. said Cincinnati assistant coach Andy Kennedy called to reschedule the visit, but the family didn't want to make any plans until after this weekend. "After that we'll decide what to do next," Crawford Sr. said. "After the Kentucky trip we don't have anything planned. I think we will (reschedule a visit to Cincinnati), but it's not a guarantee." - CincyPost.com (3 to 1)

10/10/03: "Joe Crawford started experiencing flu-like symptoms late Thursday afternoon. But Crawford, one of the nation's most highly regarded prospects, told his mom just before he drifted off to sleep Thursday night that he will do his best to make this afternoon's flight to Cincinnati. Crawford, a guard out of Detroit Renaissance High, is scheduled for an official visit to UC this weekend. "He plans to still go," Crawford's mother, Sylvia, said Thursday night. "He feels that he'll be OK in the morning."

Crawford's tough-minded approach is just one of the many qualities that has schools such as UC, Kentucky and Michigan pining for arguably the nation's best shooting guard prospect in the class of 2004.

Crawford, 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals in 2002-03. He is ranked among the top 20 national prospects by most analysts.

Dave Telep of TheInsidersHoops.com says Crawford is one of the top scorers and most versatile players in the class. "He's got great range on his jumper," said Telep, adding that Crawford likely will be selected a McDonald's All-American. "He's so strong, he has the ability to finish around the basket. He's a tough guy. He's not afraid to work around in the post." Crawford is scheduled to make an official visit to Kentucky next weekend. He visited Michigan last month." - CincyPost.com


10/06/03: "Victoria Sun, who is the beat writer who covers Kentucky basketball for the Cincinnati Post, tells us that it now appears to be a three-horse race among Michigan, Cincinnati, and Kentucky for Crawford....." - HoopScoop.com

10/03/03: "This week we reported some visit dates for No. 14 Joe Crawford. As it stands now, Joe Crawford is visiting Cincinnati Oct. 11 and Kentucky, we think, the following weekend." - Insidershoops

10/02/03: ". . . he's visiting a pair of heavyweight schools. I would think that behind the scenes Michigan is a MAJOR contender but anytime a kid visits UK and Cincy, you better believe those schools have a shot at him." - Telep, Insiders


10/02/03: "If you will recall, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI opened things back up in early July, but, when it is all said and done, we still think he will become a Wolverine." - HoopScoop

10/01/03: "Joe Crawford is down to Michigan, Kentucky, CINCINNATI, Michigan State and Clemson. He visited Michigan in September and has official trips set up with Cincinnati and Kentucky in October. There’s a chance the No. 14 player in America may wait to sign in the spring." (According to the site, he will visit Cincinnati the weekend of Mid Mad) - InsidersHoops

09/25/03: Listed as the 24th best player in his class. - PrepStars (Oettinger)

09/25/03: " . . has trimmed his list of schools and only seven remain. The Oregon coaching staff is scheduled to conduct an in-home visit with Crawford on Monday, September 29. Once that visit is complete, the Detroit sharpshooter will start to schedule some official visits. Crawford will likely visit the Kentucky Wildcats for his second official visit. "Oregon is coming to my house on Monday night for an in-home visit,” Crawford said. “I will schedule my visit to Kentucky once the in-home with Oregon is complete. Oregon is the only school that has not been to my house yet, so it looks like this will be the final in-home visit.

“Kentucky is one school that will definitely receive an official visit from me,” he added. “I plan on taking the rest of my visits, but I don’t know what other schools I will visit for sure. All the schools are pretty much even right now, but I have taken Notre Dame off my list of schools.”

It is believed that Crawford will eventually recommit to the Michigan Wolverines. The coaching staff has been supportive of Crawford during this time, which has made the recruiting process a lot easier on the Michigan native. "Coach Amaker has been very supportive during this time,” Crawford said. “They just want me to be happy with the decision I make. The coaching staff has not rushed me into making a decision and they have not put pressure on me. They just want the best for me." Rivals.com ranks Crawford No. 18 on the Rivals150 list and the third best shooing guard in the class of 2004." - RivalsHoops.com


09/24/03: Listed on Chris Monter's Early List of possible McDonalds All Americans for 2004. - College Basketball News

09/18/03: Listed as the second best senior in Michigan (behind Malik Hairston). - PrepSpotlight.com

09/17/03: "We also expect Crawford, who originally committed to Michigan, but opened his recruitment back up in July, to reaffirm his verbal commitment to the Wolverines by the end of the month." - HoopScoop.com

09/13/03: "The biggest local visits this weekend are both taking place at the University of Michigan. 6'8 PF Al Horford of Grand Ledge & 6'4 WG Joe Crawford of Detroit Renaissance will both be in Ann Arbor this weekend for the Michigan vs Notre Dame football game." - PrepSpotlight.com

09/10/03: "I'm looking at CINCINNATI, Clemson, Illinois, Kentucky, Miami (FL), Michigan, and Notre Dame," said Crawford, a senior at Renaissance High School. "I don't have a leader at this time. Everybody is competing on a level playing field." So, whom will Crawford visit? "Well, Illinois is going to be here in about 30 minutes," he said. "Cincinnati will be here on Wednesday and this weekend I'm going to visit Michigan." - HoopMasters.com (2 to 3)

09/09/03: "Crawford is one of the top shooting guards in the nation, a 6-4, 205-pounder out of Detroit Renaissance High School. He is a prep teammate of Malik Hairston, the No. 1 shooting guard in the country. Coach Weber (Illinois) had to pick between the two (at the suggestion of their high school coach) and went with Crawford because of what appears to be Crawford's higher interest in the Illini." - Decatur Herald

08/26/03: Listed as the 14th best player in his class. - TheInsidersHoops.com

Crawford is a HS teammate of Malik Hairston.
Renaissance HS is the school that former UC video coordinator Chris Goggin attended.

08/20/03: “Crawford is taking his time with the recruiting process the second time around. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound shooting guard from Renaissance High School in Detroit, MI., didn’t waste anytime giving Michigan a commitment the first time around, but ended up backing out of the pledge. The list of schools interested in Crawford is long, but he’s in the process of narrowing that list down. “Michigan, Illinois, Clemson, Kentucky, CINCINNATI, Notre Dame and North Carolina are the schools that I’m really interested in,” Crawford said. “I’ve taken Connecticut off my list of schools and they are no longer an option for me.” Coaches have been in contact with Crawford during this process. They’re hoping they can get him on campus for an official visit and, more importantly, they hope they will be invited to his house for an in-home visit.” (Listed as the 3rd best SG in his class.) – Rivals Hoops

08/04/03: “Joe Crawford isn’t ruling out a return commitment to the Michigan Wolverines. In early July, Crawford de-committed to Michigan. In addition to the Wolverines, he’s also looking at Kentucky, Clemson, Notre Dame, CINCINNATI, Illinois and Michigan State. He has no idea when he’ll begin taking official visits but would like to decide in the fall if at all possible.” – TheInsidersHoops.com

08/04/03: “Crawford said little about the situation during the camp, but school lists and speculation ran wild. Nowadays, after the dust has settled, he feels like Michigan is still strong and Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Kentucky and Clemson are charging hard. He’s also talked with Michigan State and Illinois. “Right now, I haven’t talked strong to everyone yet,” Crawford said. “Some coaches have been calling but I don’t know how interested they are because I haven’t called back yet.” Early on there was some speculation that Crawford and teammate Malik Hairston could go to the same college. It’s still a possibility but unlikely.” – TheInsidersHoops.com

07/21/03: “Crawford, a good shooter and slasher with excellent quickness and who averaged twenty points and eight rebounds for Renaissance last year, is a McDonald’s All-America candidate and is generally considered a top twenty player nationally. He is rated #19 by InsideHoops and #21 by Rivals.” – TarHeelNation.com

07/09/03: “Crawford, who made the Free Press All-Detroit team as a junior last season, said Tuesday that he wanted to experience the recruiting process and called Wolverines coach Tommy Amaker with his decision. Crawford said Michigan was still on his list of contenders. "I worried that Tommy would be upset with me because I made a commitment and broke my promise," Crawford said while in Indianapolis for the Nike All-America Camp. "But he understands what I have to go through." Crawford, 6-feet-4, committed to the Wolverines in January. He averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals last season, when Renaissance won the Detroit Public School League championship. Besides Michigan, Crawford said he would consider Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State, Missouri, Syracuse, Arizona and North Carolina.” – Detroit Free Press

07/09/03: “We also have understand that 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI has reneged on his verbal commitment to Michigan, which means the #2-ranked 2-guard at the NIKE All-American Camp is suddenly available once again. Crawford says that Michigan is still a possibility, but he also has Ohio State, Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Missouri on his list.” - HoopScoop

07/08/03: “During Tuesday’s media session, Michigan prospect Joe Crawford told us that he jumped the gun when he committed to Michigan earlier this year. “I just realized that choosing a college is harder than I thought,” said Crawford. “I’m still considering Michigan but I just think I made the commitment a little early.” According to Crawford, his list now consists of Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Syracuse, and Michigan. He is however wide open. “I told Coach Amaker a couple of days ago,” said Crawford. “I have to look at the best opportunity for me.” Style of play and his relationship with the coaching staff will again be key factors when it comes time for this Top 20 senior-to-be to make his decision. “I want to come in and make an impact from the start,” he said.” – HoopMasters.com

06/27/03: “The North team boasted five players in double figures, including high school teammates Joe Crawford (Renaissance H.S. / Detroit, Mich.) and Malik Hairston (Renaissance H.S. / Detroit, Mich.), who finished with a game high-tying 24 points a piece. Additionally, Josh Duncan (Moeller H.S. / Cincinnati, Ohio) added 13 points.” Crawford finished the 5 game set with the USA Basketball’s North team with 3 starts, 29 mpg, a team high 21 ppg, 3.8 rpg and shot 43% from the three line. – USABasketball.com (snipped)

PreSummer – Listed as the 38th best player in his class. – PrepStars.com

02/03/03: “Joe Crawford, a 6-4, 205-pound junior combo guard from Detroit's Renaissance High School, ended his recruitment before it really began and decided to join Michigan in the fall of 2004. "I was also considering Missouri, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan State," Crawford said. "I'm really comfortable with Coach (Tommy) Amaker and the team's style of play. I really like the campus atmosphere and the academic situation at UM. It (the academics) is a lot like the setup we have at Renaissance." The Detroit native is averaging about 26 points this season. "We (Rennaissance) got off to a slow start this season because of injuries, but we're playing better now," Crawford noted. Crawford also plays with The Family and is teammates with Michigan's other recruit for the 2004-05 class, Ronald Coleman, a 6-6, 200-pound swingman from Romulus High School. Crawford said he'll be at the Nike All-American Camp this summer.” - Sullivan, Sporting News