The Case for Tyler Crawford

[SFHoya99]

Looking at this year's team as best we can right now, I think there is a strong case for Tyler Crawford to start at the "3" this year.

This comes with all the usual caveats: I don't see practice; I'm not a professional talent scout; I'm projecting; I haven't seen the frosh or Kenner at all. Forget 'em.

We have three guaranteed starters: Jeff, Brandon and Ashanti. Given the offense, our need for ballhandling and our struggles to small guards, I think that Jon will likely start as well. If he doesn't, it will be one of the freshman guards who takes the role, I think.

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So that said, what do we need in our fifth starter? We don't need scoring. The player, at best, will be the fourth option on the floor and likely the fifth.

Our weaknesses last year were defense, rebounding, and a propensity to give up the ball. So we should probably look to improve those.

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Who are the suspects to take this role? Well, putting aside the freshmen, because I haven't seen them...

Roy Hibbert, Jr.
Roy would improve our rebounding immensely. Against most teams, he's a defensive improvement.

On the flip, Roy is a bad matchup versus some teams with quicker front lines or teams that run. He's been inconsistent at time. He also is a bit of a turnover machine.

More importantly, though, we have no post backup for Jeff in the second squad if Roy is out there with Jeff. True, you can space them nicely, but that's only if there is no foul trouble.

Finally, the offense moves much smoother with Jeff as the post player. Putting Roy out there takes that away. The Two Tower system does not work well in the Princeton.

DJ Owens
Last year's post-season star has a claim as well. DJ, when on, is the best outside shooter on the team. When he is playing well, he's a better perimeter defender than Tyler, generally avoids foul trouble, and his offense fits well within the offense.

But DJ just doesn't rebound. Having him play the "3" is a mistake, as the team gets slaughtered on the boards. Then there is the matter of his inconsistency.

More importantly, the second team needs DJ more than the first team does. All four of our starters can shoot the "3" -- DJ's scoring would be better appreciated as a substitute when the team is struggling to score. e's a great person to match with Roy -- Roy makes up for his rebounding, and DJ makes up for Roy's lack of consistent offense.

Tyler Crawford
Tyler is the perfect fit. He plays in the offense as a complementary piece -- cutting well, hitting his open shots but never demanding. Perfect for a guy likely to be the fourth or fifth option.

He works on D. While he has a problem with fouls, hopefully, he can improve on that.

He is a tremendous rebounder, even before you account for his size. In terms of Reb% (rebounds grabbed/totals rebounds available), Tyler tied Roy for the best %.

He's energetic. We had a string of slow starts. Tyler would jumpstart us.

It's a great fit (if only he were three inches taller), and unless a freshman makes it impossible not to start him, Tyler would be in my starting lineup next year.

[Deleted]

You just sold me.

I've always felt that barring one of the frosh just dominating in Kenner and fall practice, TC should start. Owens is better coming off the bench, especially since he's not the strongest rebounder. He was hot in the post-season last year (at least the BET), but I agree with you that he's the type of scoring threat you need when you're giving someone a breather.

As for Hibbs, he's a bit of an enigma coming into the year. Has his footwork gotten better? Has he gotten stronger? More comfortable in the offense? Too often last year he looked a bit confused on where to go with the ball when he got it in a PrinceTown set, resulting in more than a few turnovers. If he's improved as much as he could have given the whole off-season, he might get my vote. But like DJ, I'd almost rather see him coming off the bench. I love the idea of a tired opponent getting excited to see Green and Bowman checking out of a game, only to realize Hibbs and DJ were coming in to finish them off.

[SFHoya99]

Not only Hibbs and DJ, but if the freshman are as real as reported, we'll actually have the depth to press and give people like Jeff and Brandon a real breath rather than quick breathers.

[GUHoya07]

DJ also had the game of his career against South Carolina. He looked like a superstar that night. If he can play anywhere close to that level on a more consistent basis he's gotta play a lot.

I don't know whether he'll be starting or not, he may be better off the bench, but if he can play that way most of the year he'll get a lot of time and we'll probably be extremely good.

[SFHoya99]

You know, maybe the_way is right. 11 replies on a Coach K ad we've rehashed 45,000 times, and one legit reply here. Or on any Hoya-specific thread.

[Deleted]

Hey, man... I gave you my $0.02.

[Jack]

In some ways, I think the starting lineup and playing time in general should be flexible depending on the opposition and who has the hot hand. TC is a nice player and he may be able to provide good on the ball defense for a tough PG like Krauser on a team that starts 3 small guards. JW and AC struggled to contain the good PG's and Tyler may have more success in that role while also contributing rebounds and garbage buckets.

But Cook and Wallace are both small guards themselves, so it is pretty tough to play a team like UConn if they start Marcus Williams, Rashad Anderson, Rudy Gay, Ed Nelson, and Josh Boone, you get killed on the boards and posted up or shot over on defense. I think this is an area where the freshman can help- none of them are big men, but Sapp and Thornton both appear to be bigger than any of the returning guards, and Egerson and Spann may be able to help with defense and rebounding from the 3.

[nychoya3]

Stop dodging the real issue, SFHoya: John Feinstein and Coach K are jerks!

I hear you on the defense question. Crawford definitely will give you a ton of effort. There are a lot of possibilities...Ashanti and DJ could start in the backcourt, leaving the three for Crawford, Bowman, or even Egerson. I think Hibbert will definitely start - if he can get better, we're a totally different team. He gives us a great (if stationary) rebounder, a true post threat, and a guy who creates havoc with his length on defense. Crawford is going to have to seriously scrap in practice, because competition for 2/3 minutes is going to be fierce. I think Marc Egerson will demand a very close look - he may be a better offensive player than DJ or Crawford, from what I've heard.

Keep in mind we're going to shoot a lot of threes again. Crawford isn't comfortable doing that as DJ - or at least he wasn't last year.

My prediction:

Wallace, Cook, Bowman, Green, Hibbert. DJ is sixth man, and Sapp backs up both guard spots. Crawford and Egerson are going to be at war for minutes, which is great for the team going forward.

[SFHoya99]

Jack: good points. I really have no counter except to say that aside from starting Roy, I think TC is a better option than others versus taller lineups given his style of play.

NYC: I can see Roy being the best option, if he's improved from last year. But if Jeff and Roy are on the floor, who's playing the high post/center of the offense role? Last year, it was Roy, and the O stagnated. We never really saw the hi-lo game most of us expected. So will Jeff take it now? Will Roy be improved enough to handle it? Will the offense evolve?

[MCIGuy]

sfhoya99 said:

Jack: good points. I really have no counter except to say that aside from starting Roy, I think TC is a better option than others versus taller lineups given his style of play.

NYC: I can see Roy being the best option, if he's improved from last year. But if Jeff and Roy are on the floor, who's playing the high post/center of the offense role? Last year, it was Roy, and the O stagnated. We never really saw the hi-lo game most of us expected. So will Jeff take it now? Will Roy be improved enough to handle it? Will the offense evolve?

I disagree. When the two were in the game at the same time Jeff spent far more time in the high post looking to make passes while Roy spent most of his time in the low post in the paint. Surprisingly JT3 never took advantage of Roy's shooting skills. The guy always had a great touch. A couple of weekends ago in the KL during warmups he was taking and making 5 to 7 feet jumpers from the baseline as if they were point blank layups. He can hit out to three point range in fact. You would think that III could run plays in which Jeff is posting up in the paint and kicks the ball out to an open Roy at the free throw line where Roy can shoot a jumper.

[Deleted]

sfhoya99 said:

I disagree. When the two were in the game at the same time Jeff spent far more time in the high post looking to make passes while Roy spent most of his time in the low post in the paint. Surprisingly JT3 never took advantage of Roy's shooting skills. The guy always had a great touch. A couple of weekends ago in the KL during warmups he was taking and making 5 to 7 feet jumpers from the baseline as if they were point blank layups. He can hit out to three point range in fact. You would think that III could run plays in which Jeff is posting up in the paint and kicks the ball out to an open Roy at the free throw line where Roy can shoot a jumper.

That's presuming Roy's mastered actually MAKING the point-blank layup.

[AustinHoya03]

If I were JT3, I'd rather have DJ coming off the bench.

Let's assume the starting lineup is Wallace, Cook, Crawford, Bowman, and Green. That gives us two decent ball handlers and three point shooters at the guard positions. Crawford gives us a rebounder, a good one-on-one defender, and decent offense. Brandon can shoot the three and drive the lane. Green is great in the post.

In other words, we have all the tools we need with the SFHoya starting lineup. The one thing Owens brings (if he plays like the postseason) is the three-point threat. If he's the first player off the bench and can produce from beyond the arc then he gives the Hoyas the chance to either reduce the opposing team's lead in the first half or blow the game open.

[EasyEd]

My two cents: Crawford will never be a starter for the Hoyas and will have to work very hard to get any appreciable minutes this coming year. Reasons: not a good shooter, not a good ball handler. At his height he ought to be a guard but is missing the basic skills needed at guard. Opportunity for playing time will be for defense.

[SaxaCD]

I thought his shooting stroke looked pretty good, especially at the very end of the season. Didn't fall enough times, but I think with a little more PT, it will. I don't see him starting, though.

[aussiehoya]

tyler crawford's energy, rebounding and youth seem to have made him an emotional favorite with some of the posters. Guys i know the season has been over for quite a while, but go back to some of our games and really think about how much of an impact this kid made as opposed to Hibbs or Owens. Easy ed makes a pretty good point - the guy just isn't a true shooting threat. This will cripple him as far as starting for the team, because we all know that the princeton offense LIVES by the three....

Also, what has D.O. become, chopped liver? Did you guys actually watch the postseason games? D.O. was unafraid to shoot and just plain deadly from three. His decision making was above reproach. He's a fifth year senior and is long and athletic defensively. There is just no way this kid won't be starting in my opinion.

Oh wait, yes there is a scenario - and that is if Roy has become a big east center in the offseason which is a legitimate possibility. Either way you have to accept the fact that D.O. has really found his groove and is all but set to have a monster season for us..

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

I think that each of these 3 players brings different things to the table and will probably be used interchangably given the team that we are facing:

Owens - Zone Breaker - if they open up in a zone you need to have an entire line up out there that can cut and hit 3's and pound the opposition into absolute submission and force and early time out and defensive switch. I think that line up is: Bowman, Cook, Wallace (or a frosh), Green, and Owens

Crawford - Bruce Bowen redux - if the other team has a guard that needs to be taken out of the game (can you hear me G-Mac?!) Crawford is your definsive stopper and board cleaner.

Hibbert - post defense - going big to neutralize another team's height and out rebound good rebounding teams is a good place to start Hibbs and force them to go smaller or frustrate the big man for as long as possible before we go smaller.

Its all about interchanable parts people - you need stars (Bowman, Green, and to a lesser extent AC), but you also need role players who can step in and do what they are best suited to. I think that the 5th spot will be surprisingly fluid and that it just has to be expected because each of these 3 players are so different and can change the line up drastically when they are substituted for one another.

[HoyaDestroya]

I can believe what I am reading... have to agree with Aussie - this is DJ's to lose (period). This guy played his heart out - not only did he earn a spot on the team - he earned a spot in the starting 5. a lot can change over a season, but on game day, game one - he should be in the starting lineup - even before JW.

[SFHoya99]

ed said:

My two cents: Crawford will never be a starter for the Hoyas and will have to work very hard to get any appreciable minutes this coming year. Reasons: not a good shooter, not a good ball handler. At his height he ought to be a guard but is missing the basic skills needed at guard. Opportunity for playing time will be for defense.

Tyler had a better 3pt shooting percent than DJ during the regular season. He shot 33% as a freshman -- break-even or a little better.

As for handle,he doesn'[t have the handle to be a lead guard. But he knows his limitations and doesn't press it, either, so it isn't as big as negative as you might think.

I love what DJ did in the post-season, but a) he's still the guy that shot 26% from three during the regular season b) He did nothing when we were throwing away our NCAA bid and c) he's never been consistent.

Anyway, it isn't that I think Tyler is better than DJ; I just think he is a better fit in the starting lineup than DJ. The rebounding difference alone is astounding.

[Eurostar]

mciguy said:

I disagree. When the two were in the game at the same time Jeff spent far more time in the high post looking to make passes while Roy spent most of his time in the low post in the paint. Surprisingly JT3 never took advantage of Roy's shooting skills. The guy always had a great touch. A couple of weekends ago in the KL during warmups he was taking and making 5 to 7 feet jumpers from the baseline as if they were point blank layups. He can hit out to three point range in fact. You would think that III could run plays in which Jeff is posting up in the paint and kicks the ball out to an open Roy at the free throw line where Roy can shoot a jumper.

In all the games I saw (and I went to every home game), Roy started the offense at the top of the key and his role was to (1) look for some immediate backdoors, (2) pass it off to a guard, (3) get himself down in the post. Our offense stagnated tremendously when he was in there because he often took 15 seconds of shot clock time to do this because other teams guards would just hound him when he had the ball at the top of the key. This year hopefully JT3 will realize this and NOT design any plays for him to touch the ball outside of the paint.

I dont know where you got Roy's mysterious "great touch" from... seemed to me that most of his shots were rushed bricks or putback dunks. and a 5 foot jumper is basically a layup for anyone, let alone someone 7 feet tall.

JT3's biggest challenge this year will be to come up with an offensive scheme where Roy and Jeff can play together while keeping them both in their element. Roy is a very good passer, but he was certainly out of his element at the top of the key as a "point forward".

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

hoyadestroya2 said:

I can believe what I am reading... have to agree with Aussie - this is DJ's to lose (period). This guy played his heart out - not only did he earn a spot on the team - he earned a spot in the starting 5. a lot can change over a season, but on game day, game one - he should be in the starting lineup - even before JW.

I don't think its an issue of Owens vs. JW because JW will probably end up being our point guard in order to move Ashanti over to 2 where he is more comfortable. Brandon has the 4, unless we go big and he becomes the 3. But the true players at 3 are Crawford and Owens - they both bring different things to the table - Owens notably found his stroke down the stretch in the post-season, but that really only proves his a hot and cold shooter with a lot of experience at college ball - I would definitely like him to be out there for the last 5 minutes of the game because of his basketball IQ but I'm not necessarily sure I'd start him because he might be a more effective weapon off of the bench - sort of a shooting specialist when we need to run either a set play for a 3, run him as a decoy on a pick to open up things for our posts, or break a zone. Crawford has the ability to rebound and also to play lock-down defense - I would start him because we need to get defensive stops early and run out lay ups in order to get up and keep teams down early - I think that is the key to success this year - putting together total games where we win battles for loose balls, rebounds, and get easy points - and I think Crawford lets us do that early (provided we aren't playing a team with a low post scorer in which case we need to go big to pester him and Hibbs is the natural choice).