Iona continues to add talent for the future.
The Gaels on Monday landed a pledge from E.J. Crawford, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound guard from St. Thomas More (CT).
Crawford chose Iona over UNC-Wilmington, Hofstra, Drexel, Vermont, Quinnipiac, Robrt Morris and Kennesaw State.
“I liked the location from home, the academic program, the high level of basketball and the program,” the Hartford native told SNY.tv.
“I can score in a number of ways and my game fits their style. I can shoot the ball that fits their style.”
Troy Bradford, Crawford’s AAU coach with USAD, also coached Iona guard Schadrac Casimir.
“E.J. chose Iona for the same reason Schadrac Casimir chose them,” he said. “It’s close to home being in New York. Its a very intimate campus because it’s not overwhelming. His parents and friends can watch him play. It’s also a very good academic institution. Basketball-wise they have a great coaching staff and Iona’s style of play may be one of the top 5 systems in the country.
“Coach [Tim] Cluess and [associate coach Jared] Grasso do a great job of letting the kids play to their strengths which in turn hides a lot of their deficiencies. Iona’s uptempo style is tailor made for a kid of EJ’s talents as he is very poised on the floor. He can shoot it off the catch, take you off the dribble like a 5-10 guard. He can finish at the rim with either hand, he shoots it from the parking lot, he has a mid-range game and he has a nice post up game as well. He basically has the whole package offensively. He’s very efficient offensively like Schadrac. I’m looking forward to an all USAD backcourt in 2018 (EJ’s Soph year) which may lead the country in scoring.”
Crawford is Iona’s second commit in less than a week. On Wednesday, Cluess’ program landed 6-10 power forward Jalen McGaughy of Midland (TX) College thanks to assistant coach Brock Erickson.
Iona also has 6-7 Jan Svandrlik from Indian Hills Community College and 6-6 Kai Mitchell from St. Thomas More committed for 2016.
Led by Casimir, A.J. English, Isaiah Williams and Kelvin Amayo, Iona figures to be the preseason favorite once again in the MAAC.
